Grand Guignol entertainment, Mexican-style. I guess every country had to cash in on the "possessed nuns" sub-genre of the '70s and Mexico was no exception. Following on from the Gothic horror wave of the late '50s and early '60s, this slice of south-of-the-border madness is a period-set horror tale, a unique and very visual experience thanks to the participation of the unusually-named director Juan Lopez Moctezuma. The movie does benefit from a pace which, after the slow set up of the first half hour, doesn't let up one bit, and colourful and distinctive cinematography which brings out the best of the atmospheric crumbling church sets and creepy crypts in which much of the movie takes place. Add in huge chunks of sex and violence and you have a movie tailor-made for the exploitation fan.As per usual with Mexican (and Spanish) movies, the acting is not the film's strong point. The one exception is Claudio Brook, who plays the dual role of an evil, hunchbacked gypsy who may or may not be the devil in disguise, and also the heroic fatherly doctor who leads the second half of the film. Elsewhere, we have Susana Kamini being pretty creepy as the innocent-turned-demonic Justine, unsuspectingly lured into Satanic ways, and Tina Romero going too far and becoming laughable as the hair-tearingly mad Alucarda, the devil's daughter who gets up to all kinds of mischief. The rest of the female cast is just there for the visual appeal, appearing naked in an orgy sequence or burning at the film's climax.For the undiscerning horror fan, ALUCARDA, SISTERS OF Satan offers up the following treats: a mouldering corpse in a coffin; the creepy hunchbacked gypsy; a church full of statues of the crucified Jesus; naked Satanic shenanigans; devil possession; an orgy; a nun weeping tears of blood; mass whippings; a failed exorcism; a gaggle of writhing nuns; torture; a possessed soul transforming into a rotted skeleton; burning nuns and monks; and a catastrophic conclusion in which the whole convent crumbles to dust and burns at the same time.Graphically speaking, there are two explicit gore sequences to shock even the most jaded viewer. The first comes when a burnt corpse comes back to life and has to be gruesomely beheaded by a sword-wielding nun - sticky, bloody, disgusting stuff. The second is the unforgettable sight of a blood-drenched naked girl rising from a blood-filled coffin and taking a huge bite out of a sister's neck (resulting in Fulci-esque gouts of spurting crimson gore), before being splattered with holy water which results in her dissolution. I've never seen anything like it! The bright-red blood and special effects of this film are pretty good too, adding to the overall effective of a cheap, tacky and exploitation-orientated B-movie which offers everything the horror fan could want.

You can have so much fun with this! In this crazy exploitation movie, young nuns Alucarda (anagram for Dracula) and Justine strike a blood pact, summon demonic forces of some sort and wreak havoc in a small religious community in Mexico. That's it in a nutshell.It isn't simply a bad film, though it is in conventional terms. It's so utterly nonsensical, so bizarre and hysteric it becomes much more than it is. And isn't the whole point with movies that we construct what they mean to us?It falls somewhere between Jess Franco's lesbian vampire films, and unconsciously Arrabal's Panic Theater and the Pythons. The beauty of it is that you can read it any way you feel like, there is no logic which is something I seek in films. Or rather, the logic is so inane compared to the anarchic joy, it breaks. My preferred reading is that the whole cacophonous mess is something between Justine's fears of motherhood strangling her sexuality (viewed through a Catholic prism), a confessional of scandalous teenage thoughts, and mischief caused by two young nuns in the back benches during Sunday school, perhaps imaginary, perhaps blown up into 'possession' by the shrill teacher.It is all entirely theatric, but unselfconscious which is why its chaos works. Everyone is acting crazy, nuns drop down out of the blue. A book (ostensibly on demonology) simply reads 'Satan'. It's all of it disconnected, we visit one place then another. There is a satanic ritual and orgy for no good reason.There is so much screaming, there is screaming inside the screaming.It's awesome.

Demonic imagery? Check. Inverted crosses? Definitely. Satanic orgies? Check. Lesbian nuns? Oh yes!. Creepy and disturbing exploitation piece from Mexico, this 1978 under-rated gem follows the events that occur after a young girl arrives at a convent to begin practising all things nun-like. She quickly befriends a fellow nun-ette, and they are swiftly tempted away from the path of the virtuous by a rather rousing soundtrack and the act of cavorting naked through fields. It's all very odd, but highly watchable. The soundtrack is superb, and the actors likable enough. Exploitation the way it used to be done.Recommended.

...Moctezuma was heavily influenced by the Silent films of the teens and 20's and it shows in this film..for its strong points are clearly the beautiful eerie images throughout..THe abstract Convent set in dark creative lighting..the Nuns in their Mummy like shrouds (they are more disturbing than the blood and gore..of which there is plenty)...The Erotic scenes between Alucarda and Justine..beautiful Images of Alucarda in her funeral black Victorian dress.My favorite Image from this film..possibly.. is the initial introduction of Alucarda as she turns around from the shadows to greet her new friend Justine whos newly arrived to the Orphanage..Its a quick creative dreamlike tidbit..the likes I've never seen in film before..Alucarda and Justine's early scenes have a poignancy and loneliness not unlike Soledad Miranda and her playmates in Vampiros Lesbos....It can be touching..Tina Romero(Alucarda)..I'm happy to say is still quite attractive and can be frequently seen in the current Telenovelas(Spanish Soaps)...I say grab a copy of Alucarda from Mondo Macabro..for a little taste o 70's Mexico..its a good little collectors piece...Christopher,2006