Romasanta

Last updated
Romasanta
Romasanta FilmPoster.jpeg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Paco Plaza
Written byElena Serra
Alberto Marini
Story byAlfredo Conde
Produced byJulio Fernández
Brian Yuzna
Starring Julian Sands
Elsa Pataky
John Sharian
CinematographyJaviar Salmones
Edited byDavid Gallart
Music byMikel Salas
Production
companies
Fantastic Factory
Filmax
Future Films
Castelao Producciones
Instituto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes Audiovisuales (ICAA)
Canal+ Spain
Xunta de Galicia
Televisió de Catalunya
Televisión de Galicia (TVG) S.A.
Distributed byFilmax (2004, Spain - all media)
Filmax International
Release date
  • 2004 (2004)
Running time
89 minutes
CountriesSpain
United Kingdom
Italy [1]
LanguageEnglish

Romasanta, also known as Romasanta, la caza de la bestia in Spanish, and Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt in English, is a 2004 Spanish-Italian-British horror film directed by Paco Plaza and starring Julian Sands, Elsa Pataky and John Sharian. It is available on DVD from Lion's Gate Entertainment under the title Werewolf Hunt.

Contents

Based on a script by Alfredo Conde, according to the end credits the film is based on a true story, that of Manuel Blanco Romasanta, Spain’s first documented serial killer. Conde is a descendant of one of the doctors involved the original Werewolf of Allariz court case that took place in 1853/54 in Galicia, Spain. He went on to write a fictional novel, The Uncertain Memoirs of a Galician Wolfman: Romasanta. [2] The same case previously provided the basis for the 1968 Spanish film El bosque del lobo ("The Wolf's Forest").

Plot

The story takes place in 1851 in a small Spanish village apparently plagued by what we would now call a serial killer, as corpses are discovered bearing both savage mutilation and precise surgical incisions. Clues point toward Manuel Romasanta, who confesses to the crimes, but claims that he is a victim of lycanthropy. A scientist, Professor Philips, argues that Romasanta suffers not from a supernatural curse but from a mental disorder.

Cast

Reception

Critical response

Jonathan Holland of Variety commended the film for its cinematography, visual and audio effects, as well as Sands' and Pataky's performances; but felt that the romance was underdeveloped, stating that the script covered too much ground and lacked "dramatic focus". [3] Jon Condit of Dread Central rated the film a score of four out of five, offering similar praise, also commending its gothic atmosphere and historical and scientific context, while criticizing the film's slow pacing. [4] Cinema Crazed's Felix Vasquez gave the film a mostly positive review, calling it "a grim, bleak, and original peak into the rare disease of lycanthropy, and posits a new take on the werewolf genre; while noting the film's plot holes, and 'confusing' characterizations. [5] AllMovie's Jeremy Wheeler praised the film's cinematography, production values, special effects, and performances. [6]

Awards

Romasanta was nominated for a number of Spanish awards, including two Goya Awards (Best Cinematography and Best Special Effects) and two Barcelona Film Awards (Best Film Editing and Best New Director).

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Manuel Blanco Romasanta was Spain's first recorded serial killer. In 1853, he admitted to thirteen murders, but claimed he was not responsible because he was suffering from a curse that caused him to turn into a wolf. Although this defense was rejected at trial, Queen Isabella II commuted his death sentence to allow doctors to investigate the claim as an example of clinical lycanthropy. Blanco has become part of Spanish folklore as the Werewolf of Allariz and is also known as The Tallow Man, a nickname he earned for rendering his victims' fat to make high-quality soap.

References

  1. ↑ "Romasanta". British Film Institute . London. Archived from the original on June 3, 2009. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  2. ↑ Alfredo Conde The Uncertain Memoirs of a Galician Wolfman: Romasanta Antípodas Monographs 2006 ISBN   0-9775868-0-4
  3. ↑ Holland, Jonathan (June 8, 2004). "Romasanta". Variety . Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  4. ↑ Condit, Jon (2004). "Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt (2004)". DreadCentral.com. Dread Central . Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  5. ↑ Vasquez, Felix (June 11, 2004). "Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt (2004)". CinemaCrazed.com. Cinema Crazed. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  6. ↑ Wheeler, Jeremy (2004). "Werewolf Hunter: The Legend of Romasanta (2004) - Paco Plaza". AllMovie . Retrieved August 12, 2020.
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