Brilliant, funny, daring, ingenius.
I sound like a real film critic saying these wonderful things about a gay art-house movie. Although, "El Dia de la Bestia," as it's known in Spain, isn't exactly a horror film, it has enough of the elements to satisfy most fear fanatics. I don't want to divulge too much, however. The pic has plenty of fun surprises.
Angulo plays a theologian who believes he has unlocked the secret of the Book of Revelations. It's a mathematical code that shows the birth of the anti-Christ is going to take place almost immediately in the city of Madrid. He ventures out into the city streets, attempting to do evil so that he can conjure up the devil and find out where the anti-Christ is going to be born so he can kill him.
While giving last rites to a dying man, the priest tells him, "I hope you burn in hell." He scratches cars, steals, gets arrested and does everything evil he can think of short of killing someone. He eventually hooks up with a heavy metal fan and a psychic TV show host (De Razza) in an attempt to conjure up the Dark One.
The scenes where Angulo starts telling confused New Age addicts and heavy metal fans that he's "one of them," eager to worship the devil, are hilarious. The ending is quite a surprise as well. At the time of this writing, this film wasn't available on video in the U.S., although it did enjoy a brief theatrical run in 1998. I suspect it'll make it out on tape anytime now, although as a rare foreign film. You probably won't find it in the "horror section" of your video store.
It's definitely one of the greatest anti-Christ flicks ever, though, so look for it.
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-- Review by Lucius Gore
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