The Swamp of the Ravens Review on DVD from Something Weird Video!
AKA: Der Sumpf der Raben, Hamena ptomata,
Directed by: Manuel Cano
Written by: Santiago Monacada
Produced by: Javier Molina, Fernando Arbizu
Cinematography by: Manuel Merino
Editing by: Soledad Lopez
Music by: Joaquin Torres
Special Effects by: Sergy Castello
Cast: Ramiro Oliveros, Marcelle Bichette, Antonia Mas, Ronnie Shark, Marcos Molina
Year: 1974
Country: Spain
Language: English
Color: Color
Runtime: 1h 27min
Distributor: Something Weird Video
The thing I love about reviewing Something Weird Video releases is that, like my previous selections, such as Satanis (read review here) and The Zodiac Killer (read review here), they come with additional short movies or a ton of entertaining extras that I tend to cover as well.
However, this time ‘round, The Swamp of the Ravens has been paired with The Thirsty Dead which is like the lowest maggot ground level film I have witnessed yet from SWV and I couldn’t really think of anything to say about it, good or bad. So taking my own cue from Search and Destroy (read review here) which had a second feature called The Glove (it wasn’t that bad actually, I watched it a year or so later), I’ve reviewed only one. This one truly struck me and got my attention. It wasn’t planned but I was chilled out with it blasting from my TV in its funky soundtrack glory and thus Swamp of the Ravens became a desperate need, Severed Cinema has to have it! Look, to be brutally honest, it isn’t much better than The Thirsty Dead as a whole, yet it held my attention, though the ending really tested my patience when faced by such illogical scenes.
Is it merely a coincidence I wonder that I witnessed a fair few Re-animator moments (even the name of an unseen character)? I’m speaking of the original tale which no doubt inspired this one, and I’m name dropping Stuart Gordon for perhaps he chanced upon this once upon a time.
Opening to a very highly atmospheric scene as a rain drenched corpse is lowered into a dark street, what hits you is the music, electronic but feeling a tinge of the classic Fulci epics. Adding to such eerie sensations conjured by a very powerful entrance into this world, our main character, Dr. Frosta, unties the cadaver and places it on a trolley to wheel to his vehicle. All this in the rain and still accompanied by that lush music — hell yes.
So basically, we learn soon that Frosta has worked a long time on a serum which will conquer brain death if the subject has been administered it via injection in a certain time scale. Of course, the medical ethics committee have scorned him and banned any funding. In fact, they banished him altogether. In his van, he tries his theories out, and it isn’t long before there’s a twitch in the cold fingers. He listens to a slow heartbeat. Then the dead man sits up and screams…
Anyhow, Frosta lives in a shack in the middle of a swamp which happens to have a few long neck ravens (hmm, I’m not sure whether they are ravens, y’know) around that make noise – a lot of noise. He also has a zombie-like helper who carries his rejected specimens into the swamp water.
By day he works in a lab with a lady called Dr. Moore. As he approaches his place of employment, he chances upon a diseased beggar busking with his pipes and passes the chap a note to visit him. Another side to his complex life, he visits a girl called Simone who is very unhappy. Frosta stole her from a singer (as seen in a groovy flashback, the couple dancing whilst her ex-lover whispers lyrics into her ear) and she wishes to leave him. Frosta is a stone hearted man, though, feelings mean nothing. “What can you do to stop me?” she asks, “The worst you can do is kill me. And then I won’t be with you!” Frosta smirks, “You’re wrong.”
The busker turns up at his home. He has leprosy, but thinks Frosta will turn him over to the authorities, so makes a run for it. He has a crippled pal who sees him stab himself deeply. Carrying his dying busking mate to Frosta, he leaves him in the good doctor’s care. It doesn’t work out — another reject into the swamp, whilst the weird raven vulture creatures look on. As his zombie servant lumbers slowly downhill, a severed hand falls, which is found by some football kicking children later on. Enter a group of comedy cops along for this ride.
Meanwhile, Simone meets up with her old flame, Richard, who’s in town singing to a mannequin doll in a nightclub. His song is really good, as a matter of fact, perhaps a must have for any lover of catchy Euro vibes. Simone has left the mannequin and a tape which stupidly gives away her plans, thus Frosta can happily catch and kidnap her as she attempts to leave the country. Duh!
As he’s about to diddle with her after tying her down, he hears a melody played on the pipes of the dead leprosy victim. Heading out it turns out to be the guys crippled mate who wants to blackmail the doctor. Then in a twist, he gains the help of Dr. Moore who totally submits herself to his cause.
One evening, he’s working and hears another noise. The dead are in the swamps, staring at him. All silent and still. This obviously stuns him but there’s nothing he can really do.
So we’re about 50 or so minutes in and things are really building and there’s a kind of surreal dreamy quality to the movie. However, something goes wrong. Director Manuel (Voodoo Black Exorcist) Cano, has all the right ingredients to make a creepy minor horror classic. Zombies, murder, a neat plot, atmosphere, a possibly real autopsy, even necromantic love making, yet somehow in the last half an hour, it all goes to nothing. The whole Dr. Moore sub-plot is pointless, as are the lengthy scenes of the police which intrude in some very inconvenient places.
The finale? Spoiler alert, but to be honest I consider them the deciding factor as to whether you wish to seek it out or not. As I mentioned, the swamp is now full of bobbing headed zombies who stare out at our cast. And that’s all they do apart from that brief magical moment of a gnarled hand choking the poor crippled beggar. They do nothing at all. You begin to wish for a cliché EC comics-style rising up against their maker, but no! The zombies stare… that’s it. Why Rifftrax call them “a flesh-eating army of the undead” I have no idea.
So, the place burns down, the police arrive, see the fire, and they drive off without checking the wreckage… of course Frosta has survived. In fact, when Richard, who has appeared to rescue Simone, jumps out of the fire, he clearly hears her scream as she returns to half-life but doesn’t turn around and save her? He travels all the way into the swamps, has a punch-up, and then buggers off when things get too hot??!!
I was left bewildered and rather annoyed. However, I cannot fault the first fifty minutes, which is a real gem, and worth seeing, until…
Something Weird Video haven’t totally cleaned the transfer, they have left some wonderful dust, hairs, dilution of colour sometimes, it’s all here in its dirty movie house glory, dark and grim, depressing. Noteworthy is the way they’ve given it a 2.35:1 picture making it a beauty. The sound is clear enough unless you pump your volume up beyond your usual, then it gets a bit hissy. I’m fine with that. Also, there’s a fair few extra bits ‘n’ pieces on the disk to complete your evening’s entertainment, as is a standard with their releases.
The Swamp of the Ravens comes recommended and doesn’t in equal doses. It is a wasted opportunity unfortunately but still worthwhile for the majority.
