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Horror Cult Classic

Convent hysteria erupts in a baroque Mexican horror fueled by demonic possession and forbidden bonds.

ALUCARDA

They gave their souls to Hell… but the Devil wanted MORE!

1977 · 01:14:00 · R · Horror · IMDB TMDB

A young girl's arrival at a convent after the death of her parents marks the beginning of a series of events that unleash an evil presence on the girl and her mysterious new friend, an enigmatic figure known as Alucarda. Demonic possession, Satan worship, and vampirism follows.

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What is Alucarda about?

Alucarda is a 1977 Mexican horror film directed by Juan López Moctezuma about a teenage orphan whose arrival at a convent triggers a torrent of demonic possession, Satan worship, and vampirism alongside her enigmatic friend Alucarda.

Synopsis

In 1850, Lucy Westenra gives birth to a daughter, Alucarda, in a derelict colonial palace in the woods. Immediately after the child is born, Lucy begs a hunchbacked gypsy to bring Alucarda to a nearby stone-walled convent inhabited by an order of Catholic nuns, as she fears the devil will claim her daughter. As the gypsy flees with the infant, a demonic voice emanates throughout the palace as Lucy dies of complications from childbirth.

Fifteen years later, a teenaged Alucarda still resides at the convent. Alucarda swiftly takes an interest in Justine, a new orphan her age who has arrived, and is eager to become her friend. Alucarda quickly refers to Justine as her sister. While playing in a forest, Alucarda and Justine witness a band of gypsies holding a funeral procession. One of the men—the hunchback who helped deliver Alucarda—offers to sell Alucarda an amulet. Shortly after, the girls stumble upon the abandoned palace, and wander into a crypt. There, Alucarda professes her love for Justine, and the two make a pact that they shall die together. In the crypt, they unwittingly open the grave of Alucarda's mother, and are immediately overcome by a powerful supernatural force that reduces Alucarda to tears.

Later, during mass, Justine inexplicably faints. While Alucarda tends to Justine in her room, she goes into a fit and begins wildly reciting the names of demons. The hunchback gypsy appears in the room as Alucarda invokes Satan, and the girls, nude, perform a blood ritual. Meanwhile, while praying, Sister Angélica has a vision of Alucarda and Justine performing a Satanic ritual with the gypsies in the woods and engaging in a mass orgy. During the ritual, one of the priestesses is stricken down by Sister Angélica's invocation of God, and is killed.

The next day during school, Alucarda and Justine begin chanting and professing their dedication to Satan, much to the horror of the nuns and their peers. The nuns make several unsuccessful attempts to have the girls repent, one of which ends with Alucarda attempting to seduce Father Lázaro during confession. Lázaro and the nuns, horrified by this, engage in a mass flogging of each other as punishment for their failure to save the girls from demonic influence. After, Lázaro concludes they must perform an exorcism of Justine, who has grown progressively ill. During the exorcism, they bind Justine to a cross and poke at her flesh with instruments, eventually causing her to bleed to death. Dr. Oszek, arriving to examine Justine, walks in on the exorcism and is horrified by what he sees. Deeming the practice archaic and sadistic, Oszek takes Alucarda with him, fearing for her life.

Alucarda awakens in Dr. Oszek's home, frightened and confused, and is comforted by his blind daughter, Daniela. Meanwhile, Oszek is summoned back to the convent, where the nuns have found that Justine's corpse has disappeared. Upstairs, Sister Germana is found inexplicably burned alive. When her body reanimates, Father Lázaro bludgeons and ultimately decapitates her. The event challenges Oszek's science-based beliefs, and he flees back home, fearing for Daniela's safety; upon arriving, he finds Alucarda and Daniela are both gone.

Oszek is led to the abandoned crypt by the nuns, who suspect Alucarda might have gone there. Inside, Sister Angélica finds Justine's body lying in a blood-filled coffin. Now a vampire, Justine attacks Sister Angélica, but Angélica manages to stop the attack by praying. Oszek interjects and pours holy water on Justine, driving her into a fit, and she bites Angélica's neck before disintegrating. Followed by Oszek, several monks carry Angélica's body back to the convent, where Alucarda has arrived with Daniela. Using supernatural powers, Alucarda begins destroying the convent and causing various clergy to spontaneously combust in the grotto. Upon witnessing Angélica's corpse, Alucarda is suddenly overcome with sorrow, and goes into a fit of rage at the base of a burning crucifix in the chapel. After she collapses, Alucarda's body disappears into the ground as Father Lázaro and Oszek look on.
Details & Specs
Director
Juan López Moctezuma
Writers
Juan López Moctezuma, Alexis Arroyo, Sheridan Le Fanu, Tita Arroyo, Yolanda López Moctezuma
Release
1977
Runtime
1h 14m
Country
Mexico
Language
Spanish
Genres
Horror
Also Known As
Sisters of Satan, Mark of the Devil Part 3: Innocence from Hell, Alucarda - Tochter der Finsternis, Innocents from Hell, Mark of the Devil 3, A Filha das Trevas

Why Cult

Mexican Nunsploitation

This is nunsploitation with a distinct Mexican flavor—think Catholic guilt, gothic architecture, and a convent that's anything but pious.

Demonic Possession Madness

Expect a full-on assault of exorcisms, Satan worship, and supernatural power as innocence is drowned in a sea of hysteria and ritual.

Baroque Visuals & Gore

Decapitations, ritual dances, and psychotronic visuals keep things deliriously over the top, all in just 74 tightly-wound minutes.

Forbidden Female Bonds

At its core, the film simmers with the charged relationship between Alucarda and Justine, pushing boundaries with hints of lesbianism and vampirism.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Alucarda about? +

Alucarda tells the story of a teenage orphan whose arrival at a convent sparks a torrent of demonic possession, Satan worship, and vampirism, centered around her intense connection with the mysterious Alucarda.

When was Alucarda released? +

Alucarda was released in 1977.

Who directed Alucarda? +

Alucarda was directed by Juan López Moctezuma.

How long is Alucarda? +

Alucarda has a runtime of 74 minutes.

What genre is Alucarda? +

Alucarda is a horror film.