Horror Rises from the Tomb 2000 Horror Movie Review

I really like this movie; it’s everything a Paul Naschy movie should be.  However, I feel burned by purchasing this dvd.  They were nice enough to include three versions of the movie on this s disc set:  The first being the “clothed” version of the film, which is wide screen and transferred beautifully but has different scenes than the classic international release, most of the nudity gone from this version - not that it’s the most important thing, but come on, it’s a Paul Naschy movie; the second being the “uncut” version, which is the really good version of the film, with nudity and violence intact, this version is in full-frame format and the transfer to dvd is almost unnoticable, you could be watching a video-tape of it; and finally, the third version is the US theatrical cut which is sans all the violence and nudity that make this movie what it is.

I just really wish they had put the real international version in widescreen, along with a great transfer, as opposed to doing that for a tamer and less true version of the film.  The good news is that there is now an international version with a dvd of it’s own and an apparently great transfer.  It also has two audio tracks, unlike this one - which makes you suffer through overdubbing - which I think helps amp up the experience of watching a Spanish Horror Movie.

In regards to the film: it’s certainly a piece of “Euro-Shock” history and an important piece of cinema (as far as I’m concerned).  While the acting may be bad, and the sets are often really poorly made, the truth is that there is a pure beauty in this type of film making and Horror Rises From the Tomb is able to come across as a great piece of art (whether it wants to or not, and whether most people are willing to admit it or not) that deserves to be watched.

As a side note, many aspects of Paul Naschy’s movies - and specifically HRFTT - come across nearly as surreal and marvelous as Brazil’s Coffin Joe, maybe not as surreal, not as artful, but that aspect is here.