Just one of many adaptations of J. Sheridan Le Fanu over the decades, "The Blood Spattered Bride" adheres to many of the traditions of Eurotrash horror: blood (and lots of it),sex appeal, atmosphere, and artiness, with some provocative themes underlying the plot. It's not for all horror fans; indeed, it's rather light on conventional "horror" for much of the running time. Instead, we get an interesting psychological approach to such subjects as virginity and marriage. The pace is unhurried, so people with shorter attention spans may start to fidget around a little.

The sultry Maribel Martin stars as Susan, a virginal newlywed rather uncomfortable about her new married life. The hunky Simon Andreu plays her unnamed husband, who becomes worried when he thinks that Susan is imagining the presence of a mystery woman (the intoxicatingly sexy Alexandra Bastedo). Well, "Carmila" (Bastedo) does exist, and with a subtle intensity, she worms her way into Susans' life and encourages her to think beyond being "trapped" by this male presence.

In general, the performances are decent, with Martin making for a reasonably sympathetic figure. Andreu offers a stolid screen presence, never changing his facial expression very much. Dean Selmier is superb as a well-meaning doctor who naturally does not put much stock in superstition. Bastedo is very easy to watch, and Rosa M. Rodriguez does a respectable job as a precocious youngster.

There's a mild dose of delectable female nudity, as a viewer would come to expect from the genre, and the violence is extremely effective whenever it takes place. (The film is not wall-to-wall gore, but still manages to live up to its title.) And the music score composed by Antonio Perez Olea is appropriately haunting. Director / writer Vicente Aranda also adds an appreciable amount of surrealism when Carmila is discovered under the sand at a beach - this is quite a memorable scene.

Recommended for lovers of the genre, who should also enjoy similar entries such as "Vampyres" and "Daughters of Darkness".

Seven out of 10.

Sweet, fragile, virginal young bride Susan (well played by fetching brunette Maribel Martin) and her aloof wealthy husband (a solid performance by the handsome Simon Andrea) spend their honeymoon at a huge swanky mansion located in the country. Susan falls under the dangerous spell of wicked and seductive lesbian vampiress Mircalla Karstein (a hypnotic portrayal by bewitching blonde Alexandra Bastedo). Can her husband save Susan before it's too late? Writer/director Vicente Aranda, adapting Sheridan Le Fanu's classic tale "Carmila," relates the absorbing story at a deliberate, unhurried pace, firmly grounds the plot in a plausibly mundane remote rural setting, delivers a generous sprinkling of tasty female nudity, punctuates the quiet and subdued tone of repressed sexuality and seething depravity with startling moments of brutal and graphic violence, and does an expert job of creating and maintaining a compellingly dark, erotic and mysterious dreamlike atmosphere which becomes more increasingly eerie and unsettling as the narrative progresses towards a shockingly bleak and nihilistic downbeat ending. Better still, there's a provocative lesbian/feminist subtext at work throughout which gives this picture a little extra substance and impact. The three leads are all uniformly excellent in their roles. Maria-Rosa Rodriguez likewise impresses as pesky twelve-year-old girl Carol. Fernando Arribas' sharp cinematography offers a wealth of striking surreal images (for example, the husband finds Mircalla buried naked in the sand at the beach wearing just a snorkel). Antonio Perez Olea's funky'n'moody score further enhances the spooky nightmarish proceedings. Well worth seeing.

After getting married with her husband (Simón Andreu),Susan (Maribel Martín) travels with him to his isolated manor. The sexual drive of the husband is intense, and Susan feels repulse for his sexual games and perversions.

Susan notes that there are only paintings of his male ancestors and none of their wives and she learns that the pictures are kept in the basement. When she sees the painting of Mircalla Karstein (Alexranda Bastedo) without her face, her husband tells that Mircalla killed her husband in the honeymoon. During the night, Susan has dreadful nightmares with Mircalla.

When Susan's husband finds a naked woman buried on the beach, he brings her home and finds that her name is Carmilla. Susan is seduced by the woman and they have a lesbian relationship. Meanwhile her husband realizes that his life is in danger and Carmilla is a vampire.

"La Novia Ensangrentada", a.k.a. "The Blood Spattered Bride", is an erotic and gore vampire film with an ambiguous story developed in a nightmarish atmosphere, but having a weak conclusion and lack of chemistry between Simón Andreu and Maribel Martín.

It is not totally clear that Mircalla Karstein is a vampire indeed and based on the news in the disappointing conclusion, the plot may be understood differently, with the disturbed and dysfunctional Susan meeting the deranged stranger and having sexual attraction and making lesbian love with her. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "A Noiva Ensanguentada" ("The Bloody Bride")