Plot: What’s it about?
After the death of her brother, a woman named Carol ventures to England to pay her respects to her lost brother. Her partner Robert has also come on this excursion, so at least she isn’t alone in this tragic situation. The death of her brother came as quite a shock, since it was sudden and totally unexpected. In fact, there is still some mystery around the exact cause of his passing, though Carol doubts foul play was involved. The two stay with Carol’s sister-in-law, who owns a large mansion in an isolated stretch of English countryside. The house is an old and eerie one, made all the creepier by the presence of numerous occult artifacts. A lot of these items she can recognize, but some are so bizarre and strange, she has no idea what they could be used for, even in some kind of sick ritual or what not. The locals are not the kind, wholesome countryfolk she expected either, which leaves her in a state of paranoia and nervousness. Her companion Robert is intrigued by all the cult presence however, unaware of just how deep it all runs. Of course, all this strange atmosphere makes Carol want to know more about her brother’s death. As she does some detective work, she stumbles across the truth and she is mortified at the result. Can she escape what seems to be a sadistic Satanic cult of total chaos?
Also known as Hot Fantasies, this movie has all the right elements for a cult picture and I mean cult as in cult. Jose Ramon Larraz (The Coming of Sin, Vampyres) has directed a wild one in Black Candles, a film which covers all the branches of deviant sexual practices. You’ll see tons of naked flesh, both male and female, and softcore sex scenes, but the real spin comes when the sex gets a little taboo. Black Candles deals with forced drug use before sex, anal sex, incestual mating, massive orgies, and yes, even goat love. I know these elements are certain to offend most folks, but come on, how many movies out there go to these lengths? This is a movie about a cult of sex fiends, so you have to see a lot of sex, including some bizarre sequences. I had seen Black Candles before, but never in this uncut version, which restores the infamous goat sex scene, as well as other assorted bits of sleaze. On top of all this outlandish sex, Black Candles is bathed in darkness and has Satanic elements around every turn. Larraz has created some great visuals here, cloaked in shadow and teeming with atmosphere. I didn’t find Black Candles to be a great film, but for fans of obscure sleaze, it is well worth a look. This rare uncut version is only available on DVD via Midnight Video and can be found at their site www.Midnight1.com. So make sure you frequent the site to check out Black Candles, as well as all the other cool cult attractions.
Video: How does it look?
Black Candles is presented in full frame. As this uncut version is quite rare, I was able to look past some flaws in the source elements. And this is a low profile, hard to find film with some years behind it, so we couldn’t expect a pristine treatment in any event. The print used doesn’t have much in terms of nicks or marks, but grain is present in almost every scene. This never causes too much of a problem, but the visuals are on the soft side as a result. The contrast isn’t as dark as I would like, but this caused by the source materials more than this transfer. I found colors to be decent, but subdued and never too bold. I would love to see a restored version, but alas, I doubt this film will ever be so well handled.
Audio: How does it sound?
An English language track is used here, which means synch is off balance, but never to a laughable extent. As I figured, the track offers little in terms of dynamics or depth, but that’s fine and this movie doesn’t need those elements. The music has some spots where it sounds a tad distorted, but nothing serious, so no worries there. As is the case with the sound effects, which are decent in scope, but due to the age & nature of the material, never get to shine. The dialogue is easy to understand and never harsh, so I am giving this one a passing grade on all counts, though I have tilted the scales to reflect the film’s nature & age, of course.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes the original poster artwork, as well the film’s theatrical trailer.
