The Swamp of the Ravens (1974) User Reviews

My first taste of Ecuadorian horror

[bensonmum2 · 3/10 · 11 March 2017]

Ecuadorian horror - I guess I can mark that off my bucket list. Honestly, who knew there was such a thing?

For the most part, Swamp of the Ravens is fairly typical low budget 70s Euro-horror/trash type stuff. The plot goes something like this: Dr. Frosta is working with a serum to bring the recently dead back to life. Beyond that, the plot gets fuzzy. I'm sure he's trying to do something else, but for the life of me I don't know what it is. In fact, most of the rest of the movie doesn't make a bit of sense. When Dr. Frosta's experiments with the deceased go wrong, he hacks off a few limbs (again, not sure why - I suppose so they can turn inconveniently turn up later) and dumps the bodies in the swamp where their heads creepily bob up and down like apples at Halloween. Unfortunately, the police begin noticing people are missing and body parts start appearing. The police turn their attention to Dr. Frosta's shenanigans. Throw in a girlfriend that Dr. Frosta kidnaps and ties up so she won't leave, scenes from a real autopsy, huge buzzards (standing in for the titular ravens) everywhere you look, dubbing as bad as I've seen, a goofy lounge singer with an absurdly humorous song, bottom-of-the barrel acting, special effects that don't deserve to be called "special", and a touch of necrophilia, and you've got Swamp of the Ravens. While there is a certain amount of atmosphere and there are some creepy moments, none of it is very good. It's a cheap movie and it shows. And, as I said at the start, most of it makes absolutely no sense. A 3/10 from me.

A gruesome Ecuadoran take on the Frankenstein story.

[planktonrules · 2/10 · 5 March 2010]

Well, this might just be the first Ecuadoran film I have ever seen, though because it's dubbed into English (at least the version I saw), you might not suspect as much when you watch it. You will quickly realize, however, that it's dubbed as the voices have a weird and unreal quality about them.

The film begins with a flashback scene. Apparently some goofy grad student was conducting experiments with very, very fresh cadavers in order to try to bring them to life and the university disapproved (go figure). As you'd expect with a typical mad scientist film, he won't let this deter him and leaves to conduct his kind of research.

Next, you are then treated to ANOTHER flashback scene concerning the girlfriend of this crazed loser. It's unusual to have one flashback soon followed by another--a sign of poor film making.

A bit later, you see the doc in the lab---working on a "patient". During this scene, you see the same giant jars filled with freaky looking dead babies in formaldehyde again and again. Once again, sloppy film making--but some pretty scary looking stuff, too. In addition, you see lots of heads and severed hands and the like--and most of it looked pretty cheesy.

So far, although the effects were poor, I was reasonably happy with the film. However, as it continued, the film seemed to lose its way--becoming a very stupid and depraved film.

A bit later, you see that this crazy doc has been harassing a lady--insisting that she is his property. She's scared to death of him and he seems super-creepy. But, in a sick move, he ends up killing her or nearly killing her (I'm not sure which) and he keeps her alive by draining people of the same blood type and giving her transfusions. During this time, she's in a zombie-like state and he takes many opportunities to undress her and play with her breasts. Now considering her catatonic state, this all seems sick and unsavory--too much to recommend it to anyone but true necrophiles! The end of the film is pretty unsatisfying as well and the whole thing ends on a rather flat note.

Overall, a badly made and creepy film--and NOT in a good way! Steer clear--there are countless movies that are better than this.

The best Ecuadorian Frankenstein movie I know of

[grnhair2001 · 2/10 · 28 November 2016]

This is one of those movies that I think might have a touch of genius to it but might just be bad. It doesn't help that I saw it translated into English, and I don't entirely trust the translator, for surely those song lyrics were different in Spanish.

If the song lyrics were correct, we are to believe that there is an American singer who makes a living by touring Central America with a mannequin, who sings love songs about death and blood to said mannequin. This results in standing ovations. And it makes him enough money that he can afford two roadies who do nothing but carry the mannequin. This is now high on my list of possible careers: mannequin wrangler.

When he's not doing that, he is seducing a girl by chanting the lyrics to a pop song to her while they dance to it , but off-rhythm and in a monotone. This makes her other choice of beau, the Dr. Frankensteinish character, seem rather preferable even if he is probably going to kill her for his evil, yet incomprehensible, experiments.

And, making for a sort of four-sided love triangle, there is a sour-faced, middle-aged scientist coworker whom Mad Scientist buys flowers for. And apparently Ecuador has a large community of panflute players with leprosy. Who knew?

Turgid, illogical, sexist silliness with a hint of underfunded genius somewhere.

Much more disturbing in Black & White.

[vonnoosh · 1 September 2021]

Something I always hated with horror movies from the older days of color is how much the blood looks like paint. HG Lewis took that to extremes in movies like Blood Feast and Color Me in Blood. Even the French Connection had cartoonish red paint meant to be blood in a scene or two. This movie does also but watching it without color makes it a suitably disturbing horror movie experience.

The pace for this film is pretty decent. It drags a little when Dr Frosta tries to get his boss involved in his little experiements. There are some disturbing moments like the real autopsy scene, and the bizarre rape scene with his living or dead girlfriend, not sure if she was reanimated by then or not, or at all. Others mentioned the song and it really is a highlight considering how sincerely it is sung. In this age of realdolls, i can imagine some YouTube karoke video turning up with a guy lipsyncing to the song while holding his rubbery lady friend.

"It's impossible, but there it is."

[Hey_Sweden · 5/10 · 27 November 2014]

Ramiro Oliveros plays a bad doctor named Dr. Frosta, who's up to your usual demented nonsense for a researcher in a horror film. His aim is to conquer death, so he regularly messes around with cadavers. All of the rejects are taken to the nearby swamp for disposal. Meanwhile, Dr. Frostas' fed-up girlfriend Simone (Marcia Bichette) has announced her desire to leave him for another man, night club crooner Richard (Marcos Molina). And Dr. Frosta had better watch it, for a dedicated police inspector, played by the always entertaining Fernando Sancho, is on the case.

This Spanish-Ecuadoran horror film may well test the patience of some Euro-horror lovers. It's not gory enough, sleazy enough, atmospheric enough, or even funny enough, to quite succeed. It's best described as mildly amusing. Not much of note ever happens, but that doesn't mean that "The Swamp of the Ravens" is without its pleasures. For example, the inspector receives a gruesome piece of evidence - a severed hand - while he is stuffing his face at a restaurant.

There are also low points, of course. Early on in the film there are some cringe-inducing romantic episodes with Simone and Richard. Director Manuel Cano fails to give the proceedings much style when it comes to his handling of the material. The performances are on a par with the film itself: no more than passably amusing. Oliveros is a handsome guy, but his antagonist is simply boring. At least we get one interesting character in the form of Frostas' mute assistant (Domingo Valdivieso), who kind of resembles Anthony Perkins.

The dead bodies in the swamp never pay off as much as one would like, and the title is a misnomer: it should have been titled "The Swamp of the Buzzards". However, in presumably some sort of attempt to justify the title, Dr. Frosta quotes Poe right at the end.

Five out of 10.

Quintessential Riff Fodder

[imdb-21906-90203 · 2/10 · 2 June 2020]

NEVER was there a "film" more deserving of treatment by Rifftrax than Swamp of the Ravens! This movie has it all.

No idea what's happening; loved it anyways

[BandSAboutMovies · 5/10 · 16 June 2021]

This Spanish film has no ravens - its title translates as The Swamp of the Ravens - but instead black vultures. It's about Dr. Frosta, who believes that life can continue after death and will do anything to take that hypothesis and transform it into a theory. There's also a guy singing to mannequins and the doctor trying to use blood to keep his girlfriend alive but he's continue to take her to 6th base, as they say.

Thanks to Mandrakegrey on Letterboxd, I can share those lyrics:

"Never, never will you fly from me Lifeless heart that doesn't beat after all I have such feelings for a dead robot

Wherever you may find yourself I wish you were dead My own robot, my own, my lady"

It seems like very time the scientist kills people and brings them back from the dead and gets rid of the results, they come back from the dead again. There's some strange imagery here and the story never really adds up, but you know, I was kind of really entertained by all of this. So I guess it's a zombie film, but it could also be an attempt at art.

Director Manuel Caño also made Voodoo Black Exorcist, which sounds just as odd as this movie, so I have to track that one down now as well. Writer Santiago Moncada was the pen behind such oddball efforts as The Corruption of Chris Miller, Cutthroats 9, Hatchet for the Honeymoon, The Fourth Victim, All the Colors of the Dark, Ricco, A Bell from Hell, Curse of the Black Cat, Rest In Pieces and many more. Knowing that made me realize why I felt like I liked this movie more than the other reviewers I've seen online have.

I guess they felt Buzzard Swamp didn't have quite the ring to it...

[Aaron1375 · 4/10 · 3 May 2020]

I went into this movie not really knowing what to expect and I came out of it not sure what I had watched. A film from Ecuador that seems to have a bunch of genres smashed in as it plays like a mystery, a thriller, a zombie movie and one where ravens are in the trees of the swamp, I mean buzzards. It had some interesting touches to it and I was curious to see how the mad doctor would receive his comeuppance; unfortunately, had some really terrible song scenes and a very disappointing comeuppance which knocked this movie down a peg or two.

The story, is a bit difficult to explain, but here goes. A man is doing illegal research within a cabin in a swamp. We are first introduced to him getting a body from a hospital and then doing some sort of procedure as he is riding in a van. He brings this body to life and it soon becomes his assistant which leads me to wonder who the hell was driving the van!?! He has a girlfriend, but the relationship is not healthy and she wishes to go back to a former lover so he kidnaps her because her former lover decided to just leave and let her handle the crazy boyfriend alone. The bodies he is experimenting on creepily seem to be alive as they rise from the waters and stare upon the doctor as the police begin to close in!

It was rather interesting, but boy, I was waiting for some sort of zombie attack at the end rather than what we get which is the shed burning down and the doctor being miraculously alive. He apparently got away even though the police had made the scene. He ends up getting arrested at another hospital by the police who should of easily been able to apprehend him at his shed. Though I thought the thing should of either ended with the zombie people pulling him into the swamp or the raven/buzzards tearing him apart. Kind of a missed opportunity.

So, not really a good film and at times a bit confusing, but it did have its moments. I could have used a few more kills and a lot less flute playing, maybe some nudity and less songs about people having their very own robot (yes, this happens). Still, it was an entertaining viewing and it was not boring so while not good, it was still enjoyable in its own strange little way.

A must see (or rather hear)

[sajiky · 10/10 · 26 March 2015]

This movie is an absolute must see if only for one reason. The character Richard sings the coolest song ever recorded in a movie (not the best just coolest heh).

Its an insane mishmash of love and hate and you really really have to hear it to appreciate it. I've never found any piece of music in any movie as humorous as this one unintentionally was. You can check out the lyrics to the song here on IMDb they are put down as a quote for Richard but it's much funnier to actually hear performed.

If you're fan of Mystery Science Theater or RiffTrax I highly recommend downloading the RiffTrax commentary to go along with this movie it is one of the best movies for getting the RiffTrax treatment.

Weird Swampy Gothic Euro Horror Sleaze

[josephbrando · 7/10 · 17 October 2012]

"Swamp Of The Ravens" is a very unusual piece of 1970's Euro Cult Cinema. It's story is one that was all all too familiar several decades before this came out. A doctor who has been banished from his hospital for crossing both moral and scientific barriers decides to strike out on his own and continue with his experiments. Except there is no Gothic castle here. Instead his laboratory is located in a shack surrounded by a swamp filled with the doctors used cadavers - which may be why all those ravens are hanging around it. There are some grisly sequences including what looks like a genuine autopsy - not stock footage but instead one which seems to have been performed especially for this film, with the actors present. Add some hazy performances, atrocious dubbing, a couple lepors, and a semi sadistic romance with just a touch of necrophilia - and presto! You have a crowd pleasing 1970's Euro Sleaze Extravaganza!

A wild, necrophiliac, slay-ride!

[Weirdling_Wolf · 8/10 · 23 January 2014]

This truly exemplary vomit of unbound Euro-horror weirdness is messily projected in lurid colour by fiendishly tasteless director Manuel Cano whose gruesome knack for greasy, nut-ball bonkers visuals is given ample room to groove in his grimy opus, 'The Swamp of The Ravens' (1974). While there are many grimily veiled references to Edgar Allan Poe, the film owes a huge diabolical debt to H. P Lovecraft's immortal short story 'Re-Animator'. There are also a few sinister similarities to Stuart Gordon's landmark film; especially in the eerie manner the foully 're-brained' corpses awaken in such a grammatically impaired, full-voiced fashion! Much like maestro Lovecraft's classic eldritch tale, the disgraced medic continues his doomily debased experiments with circumventing the grim finality of brain death, and perfecting his titanically troublesome elixir in a suitably Gothic locale; a mouldering, cadaver-infested swamp seemingly overrun with these truly gross-looking Raven / vulture hybrids constantly shrieking as if at the brink of some terrible agonizing death themselves! The majestically morbid and suitably weird psychedelic pan-pipe soundtrack by Joaquin Torres doing much to increase the already monumental levels of brain-tweaking oddness to vertiginous levels of delirium! (There is this one wildly incongruous montage featuring a series of especially malefic-looking stillborn babies in jaundiced pickle jars which is in delightfully bad taste!) 'The Swamp of The Ravens' is diabolically delirious, psychotronic midnight movie madness that should greatly appease the gibbering necrophiliac that lurks deep inside all of our murky synaptic folds!

Calling Dr. Frosta...

[azathothpwiggins · 1 October 2020]

In THE SWAMP OF THE RAVENS, Dr. Frosta (Raymond Oliver) is a scientist driven to reanimate the dead. Of course, this doesn't go over well with his colleagues, causing him to go rogue. Frosta's compulsion leads to several murders and an unholy necrophilia sequence.

This movie features many fetuses in jars, odd nightclub crooning, and an actual autopsy performed -in front of the cast!- in such a nonchalant, matter-of-fact way that they might as well have been carving a turkey!

Though incredibly cheap, cheeezey, and the very epitome of schlock, there's an undeniable sense of dread and bleakness to this film that defies explanation. The scene with the zombies rising from the titular swamp is unexpectedly, skin-bubbling-ly effective...

SWAMP OF THE RAVENS!!

[zombi4life · 11 November 2003]

This is a good old horror movie from good old 1974.This one is about a mad doctor ,death is an evolution!This movie is very wierd two I do not want to spoil this so you need to see this one if your a fan of mad doc films or euro-horror you will like this one!!6.7/10