When the Screaming Stops (1973) User Reviews

Scary and eerie horror movie by Amando De Ossorio , dealing with a German legendary myth called Lorelei

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 20 April 2013]

According to ancient tradition of seven moons , a horrible creature called Lorelei emerges from river Rhine to eat human hearts . Every night when the moon is full, she turns into a reptile-like monster craving for human blood and begins her criminal rampage . Lorelei is attended by a bouncing and tall servant called Alberic (Luis Barboo) . The monster appears causing wreak havoc on the village , horrifying and torturing the rural population . She makes a brutal massacre in the little town and the protagonists are surrounded in a house . Later on , one girl after another of a nearby boarding school is being killed by her . Then , the Mayor (Luis Induni) and the Doctor (Sergio Mendizabal) hire a hunter named Sirgurd (Tony Kendall who recently died at age 73 from cancer) who is engaged to kill the monster . Meanwhile , the starring attempts to save the damsel in disgrace , the boarding school ruler (Silvia Tortosa) , and falls in love with Lorelei.

This atmospheric horror movie contains terrifying scenes when appears the monster and takes place the brutal killings . Based on legendary Lorelei , a known German legend dealing with a monster that has been living for centuries in a grotto beneath the river Rhein in Germany and in which rises from undersea to wreak havoc upon some beautiful Euro-babes and unfortunate victims . Plenty of lots of blood and gore , including repellent images when Lorelei removes hearts to feed herself . The fable is sometimes silly and laughable ,though the effects and action are well made . It's a slight fun with acceptable make-up , special effects , passable set decoration and functional art direction . In the film appears known Spanishtrash actresses as Helga Line , Loreta Tovar , Silvia Tortosa and uncredited Barbara Rey . Creepy and frightening musical score especially when the Lorelei appearance , being well composed by Anton Garcia Abril, author of the four eerie soundtracks of Templars living dead and composed in similar style . Colorful and evocative cinematography filmed on location in El Carcán, Madrid, Torrelodones , river Alberche, Madrid, Spain and Rhine, Germany .

The motion picture was professionally directed by Amando De Ossorio . Amando began in films as a writer and assistant director and continued his career by making short films and industrial documentaries . He was one of the main directors of the Spanish horror boom in the 70s, specially for his quartet of films about the living dead templars which started with his first great success and immensely popular ¨Tombs of the Blind dead¨ which to be continued by a trilogy : ¨Return of evil dead¨ , ¨Ship of Zombies or Blind dead 2¨ and ¨Blind dead 3 or The night of the sea gulls¨ . Amando owns his own studio and created and/or designed many of the simple special effects sequences you see in any of his many imaginative undertakings . He displayed a varied career and specialized on all kind of genres as Western in "Rebels in Canada" and "Grave of the Gunfighter" , Historical as ¨Los Cantabros¨ , Monster movie as ¨Serpent of sea¨ and , of course, Terror as ¨Malenka¨ , The possessed¨ and ¨night of witches¨ . Ossorio also studied painting and photography , moreover, he also made his living as a painter of creepy images of the Knights Templar in his later years.

Monsterfest from the 1970's

[adriangr · 7/10 · 21 July 2006]

"The Lorelei's Grasp" is sadly hard to find at the moment. The awful re-release "When The Screaming Stops" makes a mockery of the heart of the film, dressing it up as drive-in trash. In it's original version, it's still a bit cheesy, but I think it's a pretty good horror film. The plot centres on beautiful girls at an exclusive school who are being terrorised by a killer...some of the girls are already dead and so the school calls on the help of a handsome bodyguard called Sirgurd to protect the rest of them. Sirgurd has his hands full as all the schoolgirls soon develop a crush on him, but he also has to work out who is responsible for the gruesome murders.

Although the English version has terrible dubbing and most available versions are bootleg copies with a poor picture, it's possible to see that there is a good film hiding in here somewhere. The Lorelei creature itself is a bit hokey, but it doesn't hold back on the violence, with lot's of gory chest ripping shots(the Lorelei likes to rip people's hearts out). It also features some beautiful actresses of the period, notably Silvia Tortosa as the heroine, and the fabulous Helga Line as the mysterious beauty who seems connected with the murders somehow. It also has a poetic ending of sorts, and a great dreamy musical soundtrack. This film could gain a lot more appreciation if it was given a re-mastered DVD release. As they have recently done a make-over for the director Amando De Ossorio's "Blind Dead" series, maybe this one could be next?

Another Gem by Amando De Ossorio

[Witchfinder-General-666 · 7/10 · 3 November 2010]

The iconic Spanish Horror director Amando De Ossorio is doubtlessly best known for his four 'Blind Dead' films starting with "La Noche Del Terror Ciego" ("Tombs of the Blind Dead") of 1971. "Las Garras De Lorelei" (aka. "The Lorelei's Grasp"/"When the Screaming Stops" of 1974 is yet another great little gem in the man's repertoire, which must not be missed by any Eurohorror fan.

The film, which is (very loosely) based on the German Loreley myth and the Niebelungen Mythology, is set in a Village by the Rhine, which is struck by a series of gruesome murders. After a girl has been found with her heart ripped out, some voices claim that the gruesome murder was the deed of the Lorelei, a beautiful woman who turns into a monster by nights and devours human hearts. The hunter Sigurd (Tony Kendall) is assigned as a watchman for a nearby boarding school for (hot) girls, lead by the drop-dead gorgeous teacher Elke (Silvia Tortosa)...

Connecting the fascinating Niebelungen myth with Eurohorror simply must result in great entertainment, especially since the man in the director's chair is Amando De Ossorio. It is undeniable that the film has a strong (and charming) camp-factor, but it has just as many moments of genuine creepiness. While the dialogue is sometimes camp and some characters' actions make little sense at times, Ossorio succeeds once again in creating a rich and menacing Gothic atmosphere. The photography and score are great, and the locations and set-pieces are beautifully gloomy. The female cast is full of beautiful women. The Regular redhead Eurohorror beauty Helga Liné shines in the role of the eponymous she-monster, and looks both incredibly hot and somewhat eerie. Silvia Tortosa, who plays the sexy young teacher, is even more ravishing. Miss Tortosa, who is also known for "Horror Express", must have one of the most impeccably beautiful faces ever seen on screen. The cast includes many regular Eurohorror actors, such as the creepy-looking Luis Barboo, Luis Induni (who also was in many Spaghetti Westerns) and José Thelman ("La Noche Del Terror Ciego"). There is some female nudity, but compared to other contemporary Spanish Exploitation films (such as some by Jess Franco, Paul Naschy,...) the film is rather low on sleaze. As usual for De Ossorio, the gore is very graphic and intense, and very well-made in spite of a low budget.

Besides the "Blind Dead" cycle, "Las Garras De Lorelei" is one of Amando De Ossorio's most memorable films, and an eerie and outrageously entertaining little gem that no fan of European Horror should miss. Highly Recommended!

A lot of foxy ladies, mainly

[dj_bassett · 15 November 2005]

A Lorelei emerges for a periodic feeding somewhere in Germany; the foxy proprietress of a foxy girl's school full of stone cold foxes hires a "hunter" to take care of the problem. This guy is pretty foxy himself, in a Seventies kind of way, all big sideburns and chest hair and velor sweat-suits. The girls love him. So, in turns out, does the Lorelei herself, who when she isn't going around slicing people up is kinda foxy in her own right. As does her two hot assistants in their secret underground lair (don't ask, it's silly). Violent at times, and there's a whole bit where the screen flashes red when somebody's gonna die – that's when the screaming's supposed to start, see. Unfortunately doesn't really work out the way it was probably planned: instead of heightening tension it effectively kills it. No, more interesting for the bevy of fine ladies on display (my favorite being Sylvia Tortosa).

Not as good Blind Dead, but a decent slice of Eurocult

[The_Void · 6/10 · 18 April 2007]

Amando de Ossorio is definitely more famous for his excellent 'Blind Dead' series, and while this film is nowhere as good as that series (overall), The Lorelei's Grasp certainly has its moments and the film is mostly fun to watch, although it has to be said that it's a rather long way away from brilliant. The film is very much in the Eurohorror style; although the plot seems to take more influence from classic monster films of the UK and USA (Hammer Horror's The Reptile sprang to mind for me). The story is actually quite a good basis for a horror film and follows the idea of a beautiful woman that turns into a horrible monster known as 'The Lorelei' when the moon is full. She has been living under the Rhine in Germany for centuries, and hunting for human blood at night. However, when The Lorelei decides to kill one too many young girls at the local boarding house, the authorities decide to hire a hunter named Sirgurd to track down and kill the monster.

It's obvious that this film was made with a low budget, but even so; the director manages to create a fabulous Eurohorror atmosphere, and not even the special effects are all that bad. There's a fair amount of gore, and while the monster itself looks silly - that is both to be expected, and kind of fun in its own way. The plot itself is a little choppy, and the film definitely isn't very well paced. Certain plot points seem forced, while others seem more than just a little bit silly - the section with the scientist, for example. I have to say that this film could have been better; I'd have preferred something more along the lines of a Giallo style monster movie. It's odd, considering the nature of the plot, that the film appears to be pretty much humourless; but its serious tone only really comes off as being inappropriate when it comes to actually showing the monster. Overall, The Lorelei's Grasp is a good cheesy little horror film, and comes recommended to Eurohorror fans...just don't go in expecting too much.

The unusual story elevates the cheap effects

[AlsExGal · 6/10 · 8 February 2023]

Spanish horror from director Amando de Ossorio (Tombs of the Blind Dead). When a bloodthirsty reptilian creature attacks a German town, Elke (Silvia Tortosa), a teacher at an exclusive all-girls school, hires big-game hunter Sigurd (Tony Kendall) to protect the premises. As all of the students (and some of the faculty) pine over the handsome hero, a mysterious woman named Lorelei (Helga Line) arrives in town. Could she be connected to the horrible monster terrorizing the countryside?

The creature effects are laughable, and the gory attacks are undercut by the amateurish craftsmanship, but I liked the unusual story, and the bevy of beauties in the cast certainly didn't hurt. Helga Line was over 40 in this but still looked phenomenal, while Silvia Tortosa is one of the most beautiful women that I've seen in a film in some time. Also released as When the Screaming Stops.

Goofy lizard monster stuff...

[phibes012000 · 5/10 · 15 February 2006]

This goofy horror movie is about the Lorelai, a mythical demon that collects people's hearts. Its set in a village where young girls are being slaughtered by the beast. They use a lizard costume with a hood for the creature's visage. The murder attacks look fake enough, like the Lorelai is attacking mannequins. It is fast paced, though, and its silly enough to keep trash fans interested. Directed by Amando Ossorio of the Blind Dead fame. Released in 1985 as When the Screaming Starts where they gave out barf bags, although there really isn't anything barf-worthy in this movie. Lots of good looking naked girls though. This film isn't available on DVD yet. I saw it on the When the Screaming Starts VHS.

Not That Bad

[EdIsInHell · 6/10 · 29 January 2019]

Lots of gore. Pretty good storyline. Not the best acting ever but what do you expect from a film of this nature. I would recommend it to fans of horror.

Great gore but not much else

[baumer · 5/10 · 28 August 2001]

May contain some small spoilers.

I vaguely remember the German folk story about the Siren that lures sailors to shore only kill them and take all their treasure. To say That I vaguely remember it means that I have heard of it in passing. It is an intriguing story and to make a horror movie out of it is a pretty good idea. You have all the settings for a typically frightening shock fest with intangibles like a small sleepy town located on the Rhine River. The nights are mist-filled and fog covered. And since there has been something about small ghost towns like this one that have captivated a horror audience, I have to say that this adds nicely to ambiance and potential of the film. Also typically present in this film is an all girls school that feels threatened by a murder of a young girl and needs protection from the beast that is on the prowl. In short, there are some very powerful elements working for this film and it has all the ingredients to be a great entry in the horror genre, but ultimately it falls short of achieving greatness and that has to be attributed to the flimsy story, amateur directing and a conclusion that ultimately lets you down.

The english translation to this Spanish film is When The Screaming Stops, when really the film is titled Las Garras de Lorelei, which I can only assume means the legend of Lorelei or the revenge of Lorelei or something to that matter. It was wise to give it a different english name but as I stated earlier, the legend of Lorelei is a very intriguing story and it should be been better than this. As it stands, the film begins with a young woman brushing her hair, alone at night. We see a large, scaly hand envelop the screen. We hear heavy breathing and soon the creature attacks the young woman and tears her apart quite well. Blood splatters everywhere and her skin is literally excoriated, in quite a gory fashion. There is little editing here to preserve the appearance of non-violence. In other words, the Ontario Film Board has not gotten their paws of censorship into this one. Many times various other films have been hindered because the OFB has deemed the scenes too violent for our fragile little minds to embrace. And although I have to admit that my wife was looking away in disgust, I was quite impressed with the amount of gore and the quality job they did of making it seem like a heart was being ripped out and that skin was being torn from the body. So on that level the film is worth seeing. There are not many films that remain intact--from the directors view-- and straight to us. Most of the time ( take many of the later Friday the 13th's ) films are cut and then pasted back together, but not this one.

Back to the story: So now the all girls school hires a hunter to hunt down this animal and to protect them. This is one of those 70's porno-girls schools where the girls don't ever go to class, get giddy at the site of a man, run around in the skimpy bikinis, laugh for absolutely no reason (all of the time) and behave like sex starved kittens from hell. The only thing we don't have in this film is lots of gratuitous sex. There is a fair bit of nudity, but only when someone is getting filleted.

Now the hunter finally meets a mystery woman that shows up in strange places, first with hooded men that act as body guards and then as a half naked gorgeous looking "siren" that sits on the beach and then flees when he approaches. Soon enough she reveals to him that she is Lorelei and that she is here to eat people's hearts so that she can survive. That is all you need to know about the film because as I said, what starts out as an interesting idea is wasted by the inneptitude of all involved.

The direction is amateur at best. To build tension, there is nothing but bushes that shake everytime someone is about to be mangled. There is no build up and ultimately no pay-off. You know who is going to die and by the second killing you know that you are going to see the same manner in which it is done everytime. I have seen some excellent gore in my horror days so watching eight or ten people get their hearts ripped out grows cumbersome and a little boring after the first two or three.

As I said, the denouement is absurd and silly. The film could have been saved had the ending been a little better. Our fearless hunter has fallen for Lorelei's pulchritude and this has been disguised as love. And although he has to kill her, he is finding it increasingly difficult to do so, even though she has promised him a life of enslavement and the fact that she has gone onto kill a multitude of towns folk. Maybe the film can be forgiven because it is Spanish ( no disrespect to Spanish people) and maybe the whole culture and legend of Lorelei is above my comprehension, but lost in all of this is the fact that this is first and foremost a horror film and beyond the blood and gore and dripping hearts, there is nothing horrific about it.

5.5 out of 10-- If you come across this film at your local video store, it may be worth a look. It is, as I said, not the greatest horror film but if you are hoping to one day make a good one, this will show you what not to do. Anyone can make a model of a human and fill it with blood and organs, but not everyone can emulate John Carpenter ( when he was making Halloween).

Green claws in the night

[unbrokenmetal · 6/10 · 27 May 2014]

This was a nice discovery of a lost or at least unknown movie for me. 'The Loreley's Grasp' was released with a German dubbing for the first time in 2014, and because the director is famous for the 'Blind Dead' series, I bought the Blu-ray disc blindly (no pun intended).

Sigurd (Tony Kendall) is requested to save a boarding school from a mad killer that stalks the village at the Rhine. Elke (Silvia Tortosa, known best for 'Horror Express' with Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing) is the young teacher who walks alone in the night a lot, so Sigurd is getting a chance to save her. Of course she could stay inside, knowing that a killer is outside, but then we wouldn't get any chase sequences. A blind musician tells everyone in the village about his suspicion that the killings are related to the Loreley legend, but when Sigurd meets a mysterious woman introducing herself as Loreley (Helga Liné), he is not suspicious at all and falls for her tricks, until it is almost too late...

Not a very clever script, rather dumb characters, cheaply made (the school has about 6 students), very free interpretation of the original myth, but never mind, you get a lot of darkness, a monster with green claws and big teeth, screaming girls and typical 70s sleaze. The killings are rather bloodthirsty - I personally prefer the old-fashioned, black and white 60s style over the graphic violence in the much too colorful 70s style, but it is a sign of the times.

Not THAT bad.

[Baphochrist · 3/10 · 2 February 2003]

I can see why this movie has been critically buried by a lot of people, but come on! We've all seen way worse! The acting was horrible, the dubbing was atrocious. The story was dumb. But the creature and the story was better than the movie that surrounded it. The gore was fairly decent for low budget trash. I've seen FAR worse. I actually liked the whole tit being ripped off thing. I gave this movie a 3 because yes, it does suck, BUT you could do worse in the horror genre. TRUST ME. Go watch Alex's Apartment, Jack-O, Critters 3, The Howling 7 and then tell me how bad When The Screaming Stops Is.

My biggest complaint : why the hell did the cover box show a girl cowering from someone waving a knife? I guess to cash in on the slasher craze. I was expecting a murder mystery movie, and boy thats not what I got.

This movie is so good!

[tomas208 · 10/10 · 28 January 2003]

This movie is almost as good as Ossorio's blind dead movies (I must add it's even better than Ghostship of the blind dead). It is interesting that it consists of only one man, among many girls. Unusual in films of any genre (except porn).

The two best things about this movie are:

The monster and its attacks. You really get the picture that the monster is VERY aggressive, and the attacks are FURIOUS! Later on, you will also see a kind of sad twist to the monster's entity.

The atmosphere and the setting. There are many intriguing scenes with dreamlike landscapes; a magic and mysterious counterpart to the violence at the mansion.

I give this 10 out of 10.

Amando De Ossorio is famous for 'Blind Dead' series..

[Jack-Wareing-Films · 7/10 · 30 June 2019]

I do like the 'Blind Dead' series a lot. 'Night of the Seagulls' is my favorite of the series. I love that movie. BUT, I also really like 'The Loreley's Grasp' a lot also! Even in 2019 Amando De Ossorio is still an impressive filmmaker. Respect.

Its just sort of there

[dbborroughs · 5/10 · 27 April 2008]

Legend says a Lorelei lives in a cave near a river. Every full moon she takes the shape of a monster and comes out to kill, removing the hearts from her victims. Fearing her girls might be next a schoolmaster hires a hunter to keep her girls safe.

Rubber suited monster movie from the director of the Blind Dead films. Enjoyment of this film will depend on your tolerance for monster that is clearly a rubber suit under a hooded cloak, and your mood. I normally would eat this sort of nonsense up, but for whatever reason I came into the film all wrong. Don't get me wrong its a well made film as these Euro-horrors go, but its so run of the mill and connect the dot plot-wise that you're going to be disappointed. Some people have claimed that this is a lost classic, but I don't think so. Certainly its better than a good number of similar horror films since it has a decent cast, good special effects (though silly monster) and some well filmed sequences, but at the same time the by the numbers nature of the plot collapses the whole thing in on itself since its all too clear from the start where its going. I've seen better and worse, and this is one I wish was better.

Forgive me for not saying more but the film just doesn't elicit a better response, it's just sort of there. (I really should point out that I will be visiting this film again when the right mood strikes me)

Interesting and gruesome Spanish horror obscurity

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 18 August 2016]

Amando de Ossorio creates a successful fairy tale ambiance in what is otherwise a routine Spanish horror yarn concerning a scaly monster in a cape that goes around committing gore murders at a girl's school. Never one to miss up an exploitation opportunity, de Ossorio's girl's school is one of those places where no work is ever done, the girls bathe each other and wander around in see-through negligees at every opportunity and spend their days at the pool sitting around in bikinis. The film has some interesting characters, my favourite of which is the wandering minstrel who gets killed far too early on in the proceedings. There's also a surprise in store for viewers of other '70s Spanish horror films - this time around the dubbing is done so well that it's almost unnoticeable!

Euro-action man Tony Kendall (RETURN OF THE EVIL DEAD) plays Sirgurd, who is bought in to hunt the monster but seems to spend all of his time either sitting around smoking or spying on the girls through their bedroom windows. His eventual romance with the Loreley - as played by genre regular Helga Line - is unfortunately not fully explored, yet gives an unusual mythical slant to what could have been a run-of-the-mill rampaging monster film. The truly beautiful Silvia Tortosa (HORROR EXPRESS) is on hand as the human love interest and damsel in distress. I did like the character of the mad scientist as well, a guy who keeps a severed photosynthetic hand (!) in his laboratory to experiment with when the time calls for it. His death scene is hilarious, as the bad guy henchman whips him to the ground and he pulls a vial of acid on top of himself which proceeds to eat his face away - maybe Fulci was inspired by this when he filmed a similar gore scene in THE BEYOND.

Surprise, surprise, the gore murders have been heavily cut for the British release, so I can't really comment on the quality of the special effects as all we're left with are some choppy, mildly gruesome deaths. By the sound of it, the graphic heart extractions are lingered on in detail and with some degree of professionalism on the part of the special effects technician. As for the Loreley monster, well it certainly isn't scary and leaves something to be desired, but it's probably about as good as they could have made it with the budget they have. De Ossorio achieves some good atmosphere at the end of the film, which is set in a huge underground cavern in which the Loreley lives, and the use of a haunting theme throughout helps to establish the fairy tale tone that de Ossorio was striving for.

While it can't be considered a classic like De Ossorio's BLIND DEAD films, THE LORELEY'S GRASP is an intriguing mix of fairy tale and horror story, and a lot deeper than the type of film we're used to from the Euro-horror genre. Sure, the low budget lets the film down and stops it being fully successful but there are enough original ingredients to make this an obscurity worth seeking out.

Middle Of The Road D'Ossorio Opus

[Flixer1957 · 5/10 · 2 January 2005]

This may not be as good as D'Ossorio's atmospheric and grotesque BLIND DEAD series, but it's also light-years ahead of his execrable DEMON WITCH CHILD. Supposedly based on a German folk legend, WHEN THE SCREAMING STOPS deals with a murderous rampage by the Lorelei, a female were-lizard with a penchant for ripping out human hearts. She sets her sights on a girl's school--where all the pupils are beautiful, of course--and the carnage begins. The authorities call in one of your Great White Hunter types to stop the slaughter. He's supposed to be great, but he's not so competent that a few more bodies don't fall before the end. He also has a lack of fashion sense that's amazing even for the early 1970s. The issue is not so much whether he'll be seduced by the Lorelei in her fetching human form as whether she'll die laughing at the sight of his tacky striped pants. In American tapes you could always tell when somebody was about to get shredded because the screen would turn red for a few seconds before each murder. Add hit-or-miss gore effects and the usual lousy dubbing and you're in for a real fun time.

What were the barf bags for?

[flasherfanz · 1/10 · 18 November 2005]

When I saw this years and years ago....there was a big gimmick.

They advertised it in my area as "When the screaming stops" and said it was the most disgusting movie ever. So, everybody that showed up got an airline style barf bag and they ran a big warning at the beginning of the movie telling people the producers were not responsible for whatever happened to those who watched the movie.

The movie was heavily hyped with lots and lots of ads on local TV stations telling everyone that this was the grossest movie ever made.

So there was a big buzz and the theaters were packed.

Then, of course the opening scene was of a tranquil lake outside some castle in Europe and people began making very mocking barf sounds...that was probably the most memorable thing of the whole movie.

There were some disgusting parts (including one part where I think the bad guy rips an organ out of a body and if I remember right eats it.

Pretty gross stuff. But it was clearly a foreign movie repackaged and expertly hyped here in the US.

Probably made some decent money but many felt ripped off.

She'll eat your heart out!

[Coventry · 9/10 · 6 October 2006]

When the screaming stops?!? The screaming NEVER stops, baby! This sadly obscure and obviously cheap-produced gem is an authentic Spanish exploitation highlight and it's about time it gets the appreciation of real horror fans it deserves! Even though more than 30 years overdue, director Amando de Ossorio finally received the much-earned respect for his "Blind Dead" quadrology and I hope that "Lorelei's Grasp" follows soon, as it's as least as fascinating and memorable as the saga of the Templar-zombies. The basic premise of this film is inspired by a terrific ancient myth and centers on a beautiful girl living in a cave underneath the Rhine. When the night falls, Lorelei mutates into a hideous watery creature and sets out to maul defenseless people, as she needs to eat the hearts in order to prolong her own existence. Considering the brutality of the first killing, the concerned teacher of a nearby girls' school insists on hiring a watchman to protect her students and he – the hunky Tony Kendall – quickly becomes obsessed with the mysterious Lorelei and, of course, romantically involved with the beautiful teacher. As said, "The Lorelei's Grasp" is a magnificent film! Amando de Ossorio masterfully combines old-fashioned tension with stylish eroticism and really graphic gore. The build up to when the Lorelei-monster mangles another victim is atmospheric and creepy, yet the actual kill is nasty as hell! The decors and filming locations are often breathtaking and every woman that walks through the screen is a genuine beauty, especially Silvia Tortosa in her role as the teacher. There's not a single boring moment in the entire film and even the slightly disappointing finale didn't bother me that much. The monster design and some of the bloody make-up effects will probably seem ridiculous to nowadays CGI-horror fanatics, but they won't be searching for this rare film, anyway. To any other fan of vintage 70's euro-horror, "The Lorelei's Grasp" comes with my highest possible recommendation!

Loreley's Grasp

[Scarecrow-88 · 8/10 · 21 March 2008]

"According to the legend of the seven moons, Loreley will come out of the river in the form of a filthy beast to devour human hearts that will return her to her sleep of centuries."

The film opens with a scaly monster exploding through the windows of a bride-to-be ripping her flesh with it's claws in gory splendor..making no bones about it director Amando de Ossorio sets the viewer up with what his film has in store for those who continue watching. A mythic beast, who takes shape from the Amazonian goddess Helga Liné(wearing nothing but a lizard green bikini the entire time on screen, which was fine by me), rises from the river to rip the hearts from victims to feed on while an all-girl's school calls on the skills of master-hunter Sigurd(Tony Kendall)to protect them while trying to find and kill it. What eventually occurs is that Sigurd falls in love with the beast in female form, Loreley, as well as the school lovely Professor, Elke(Silvia Tortosa, one of the most beautiful women I've ever laid eyes on), an uptight and proper disciplinarian. Elke, at first, resists her attraction of Sigurd, but eventually lets her hair down. But, Loreley is a jealous "Siren of the Rhine", which will put Elke in jeopardy as Sigurd begins to express his feelings for the professor. Meanwhile, a scientist(Ángel Menéndez)has studied the myth of Loreley and understands her "condition" from a completely realistic way..with a "radioactive" blade, the doc hopes to "destroy Loreley's cellular mutations and send her back to the dark night of legend from which she has emerged." When Loreley begins attacking in the village nearby the girl's school, the citizens pick up their lighted torches and rifles ready for action. But, under the river is an underground cavernous dwelling which houses the "Treasure of the Nibelungs", taken by Loreley's father Wotan for her to guard. Loreley has plans for Sigurd..he will live with her eternally. Sigurd is torn between killing the beast responsible for mutilated bodies left in it's wake and the love he has for the woman behind the monstrous shell.

John Stanley, behind the horror review book CREATURE FEATURES, proclaims that Ossorio utilizes the "kitchen sink" theory in "Loreley's Grasp", which actually is what appeals to me. Plucking elements from various horror films and mythological tales, Ossorio creates this smörgåsbord of ideas packed in 80 minutes. Filled with eye candy(..lots of lovely ladies to feast our eyes on, including three water nympths who live with Loreley and her guardian grunt, Alberic, portrayed by Franco vet Luis Barboo)and nasty flesh ripping(..including the removal of hearts from torn wounds) Ossorio knew the crowd he was catering to, and delivers a fun exploitation flick using fantasy and the supernatural in a sexy, bold, graphically violent way. Might appeal to fans of "Humanoids of the Deep." The monster is rubber suited, but Ossorio wisely uses mostly point-of-view shots allowing the camera to be it's eyes, only showing the creeping reptilian clawed hands as they prepare to strike their victims.

A good little movie

[jriddle73 · 8/10 · 20 April 2008]

I'd heard some pretty terrible things about THE LORELEY'S GRASP, but it turned out to be very good, almost excellent. Certainly hampered by budgetary considerations, but not cripplingly so.

Shortcomings: I could have done without the weird little professor's radioactive recreation of Siegfried's blade--why not just stick with the mythical elements of the film and write it so the Doc had found what he believed to be the real one? Loreley's business face was an atrocity, but good ol' Amando realized it from the beginning, and, having thankfully never been corrupted by the Lucio Fulci School of Talentless Hackwork with regard to lousy effects, never allowed us to get much of a look at it.

At the same time, her public relations face was that of Helga Line, and we get to see plenty of it, which is just dandy.

Great locations, too. Amando is almost Franco-like in making solid use of interesting surroundings. He manages, at times, to imbue the movie with an otherworldly feel, as though it's a fairy tale or myth; something that isn't necessarily taking place in a fixed time in the real world. Our heroes' stripey pants do unfortunately date the film. Put him in some khakis, and we'd be talking Timeless.

Overall, a very solid effort--a movie I'm glad I saw.

I heart this film.

[Hey_Sweden · 8/10 · 23 October 2012]

Amando de Ossorio's "The Loreley's Grasp" is a nice mix of art and exploitation, a flavourful and atmospheric tale of a legend proving to be all too real. In Germany, a horrible reptilian beast is on the loose and tearing out hearts from assorted victims. A girls' school hires rugged hunter Sigurd, played by studly Tony Kendall, to act as security guard and beast slayer. However, the beast also takes on a human form, played by the ravishing Helga Line, and Sigurd finds himself drawn to her, even as he sets off sparks with uptight professor Elke (Silvia Tortosa).

De Ossorio, best known for the "Blind Dead" series, does a bang up job with this entertaining terror tale, which has an old fashioned sort of story but is set in modern times. This blend of old and new is another element that makes this irresistible, and contrasting each other are the variations in the music score; sometimes it's funky psychedelic stuff, sometimes it's ethereal stuff with mournful chanting on the soundtrack. Adding an interesting touch is the presence of a scientist (Angel Menendez) who's determined to put an end to the legend using scientific means.

The cast does good work, especially Line, who would be hard to resist for most any man. The monster itself is especially creepy, and commendably, we never get too good a look at it, but bits and pieces and brief flashes. We also get some juicy bits of gore as the hearts are ripped out, and there is absolutely no shortage of smoking hot young ladies to ogle; the character of Martha is particularly luscious.

One thing that really makes this film work is its aura of sadness as the relationship between Sigurd and Loreley plays out; the ending is quite poetic. This film comes highly recommended to any fan of European genre cinema.

Eight out of 10.

Lots of fun!

[LJ27 · 9/10 · 22 October 2022]

The same director who gave us the Blind Dead series of films in the early 1970s, and FANGS OF THE LIVING DEAD (1973) gives us a fun little monster movie about a woman who transforms into a scaly monster and rips out and eats human hearts. The monster isn't bad for a low budget film, and the gore effects are pretty good too. There's a lot of women who look to be no younger than about 29, but are referred to as "girls." Throw in some references to the story of Siegfried and you have a pretty entertaining little film that never pretends to be great art, but is very satisfying and moves at a fast pace. I've watched it several times and always enjoy it. It's very much a product of it's time but the director is extremely creative and makes the most of his limited resources. Give it a try.

An excellent Spanish monster horror winner

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 22 January 2008]

In a small town by the Rhine river young women are being savagely butchered by having their hearts ripped out. Macho hunter Sirgurd (nicely played by the hunky Tony Kendall) is hired by the faculty of an all girls school to find and dispose of the killer, which turns out to be a lethal, but alluring sea siren of local legend called the Lorelei (exquisitely embodied by the stunningly gorgeous redhead knockout Helga Line). Director Amando De Ossorio relates the compellingly offbeat story at a steady pace, does an expert job of creating and maintaining a spooky atmosphere, and stages the brutal murder set pieces with ferocious panache. Moreover, the grimly serious tone, Miguel Fernandez Mila's striking, picturesque cinematography, the nasty'n'ugly monster, a bevy of beautiful babes (Betsabe Ruiz is especially delectable as an ill-fated bride), the breathtaking coastal scenery, Anton Garcia Abril's eerie, yet lush and melodic score, the solid acting from a capable cast (the lovely Silvia Tortosa gives a fine performance as uptight Professor Elke Ackerman while Luis Barboo essays the role of the Lorelei's sadistic guardian Alberic with fiendish relish), and plenty of grisly gore further enhance the overall sound quality of this fun and worthwhile fright feature.

Gripping stuff.

[BA_Harrison · 8/10 · 3 September 2018]

Handsome hunter Sigurd (Tony Kendall) is hired to protect the students at a girls-only boarding school after a series of vicious slayings in the area, presumed to be the work of a wild animal. Some locals speak of the Loreley, a mythical siren who rises from the river, transforming into a hideous beast to feast on human hearts; as Sigur carries out his duties, encountering a mysterious woman in the marshes, he too begins to suspect that there is some truth to the legend of the Loreley.

A couple of years ago, I holidayed in the Rhine valley, where I visited the Nibelungen Museum, which is dedicated to the epic German poem 'Nibelungenlied', a fascinating work that not only served as the inspiration for Wagner's Ring Cycle, but also for this highly entertaining movie by director Amando de Ossorio (best known for his Blind Dead movies).

It's taken me a while to track down a copy of The Loreley's Grasp, but it was well worth the wait, de Ossorio delivering almost everything that I look for in a Euro-horror...

1) Attractive women: I don't recall seeing an excess of beauties in the German towns I visited, but every woman in this film is a knockout: the pretty girls of the school prance around in bikinis and flaunt themselves to Sigurd; teacher Elke is played by stunner Silvia Tortosa; and ravishing redhead Helga Liné is Loreley, who is waited on by several sexy water-nymphs.

2) Bags of atmosphere: the ethereal Rhine location provides much of the mood, but a haunting soundtrack and dreamlike cinematography also go a long way to making this an effectively eerie flick.

3) Gore: the attacks in this film are brutal and graphic, the monster ripping at the victims with its claws and teeth. Flesh is torn, blood is splashed, and hearts are plucked. One poor woman has her breast graphically slashed open, while a professor gets his face melted by acid.

4) A rubbery monster: the creature is hilariously bad, an unconvincing 'man in a rubber suit' creation with scaly hands, bulging eyes and a toothy mouth. De Ossorio wisely keeps it hidden in the shadows for much of the time, although its Marigold Glove hands are seen quite clearly.

5) Terrible '70s fashion: hero Sigur's wardrobe consists of loud patterned shirts (open to the navel), and as tight as possible trousers with matching jackets.

6) Cheesy visual effects: the transformation from beautiful woman to scaly beast is lousy, but the film is all the more enjoyable for it.

Admittedly, the final act stretches plausibility to breaking point, with Sigurd donning scuba equipment to explore the river, only to find Loreley's hidden lair within minutes, while a bomb casually chucked into the water finds its target with deadly accuracy, but it doesn't stop the film from being a whole lot of fun and definitely worth keeping an eye out for.

7.5/10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.