The Hanging Woman
6 /10 1 Votes
Director Jose Luis Merino Country Spain
Italy | 5.8/10 IMDb Duration Language Spanish | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Release date 3 September 1973 (1973-09-03) Writer Enrico Colombo, Jose Luis Merino | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
La orgía de los muertos (translated as Orgy of the Dead) aka The Hanging Woman (title from the video release), Beyond the Living Dead, Return of the Zombies and Terror of the Living Dead) is a 1972 horror film directed by José Luis Merino, starring Paul Naschy and Dyanik Zurakowska, and distributed by Troma Entertainment.
Contents
Plot
Serge Chekov inherits his uncle's estate, only to discover that Professor Droila, a mad scientist, has taken residence in the basement. As Chekov investigates further, he learns that Droila is reanimating the dead with the help of a necrophiliac grave robber by the name of Igor. In the end, Droila's zombies rise against him.
Cast
Release
The DVD release was on September 29, 2009 in the USA, with audio commentary by director Jose Luis Merino, an interview with actor Paul Naschy, and the seldom seen Sid Pink film "The Sweet Sound of Death" (starring Dyanik Zurakowska) as a bonus.
Reception
Writing in The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia, academic Peter Dendle said, "Scenic nineteenth-century Skopje forms the eerie and beautiful background for this grab bag of twisted motifs, suspect ideology, and gruesome zombies." Bill Gibron of PopMatters rated it 7/10 and wrote, "While not a classic, The Hanging Woman definitely has its high points. It’s got some great locations, a splash of sinister finesse, more than a few ripe red herrings, and a performance by Naschy that’s not to be missed." Stuart Galbraith IV of DVD Talk rated it 2/5 stars and wrote, "It's tough being negative on what was obviously a labor of love for those involved with its release, but The Hanging Woman (1973), a Spanish horror-mystery featuring beefy genre heavyweight Paul Naschy in a supporting role, is a big disappointment." David Johnson of DVD Verdict wrote, "There are some premium bizzaro moments to be found in The Hanging Woman" and recommended it to fans of Naschy and slow-paced Hammer Films.
References
The Hanging Woman WikipediaThe Hanging Woman IMDb The Hanging Woman themoviedb.org