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{{Infobox film
| name           = Alucarda
| image          = Alucardaposter.jpg

| native_name      = {{Infobox name module|es|Alucarda, la hija de las tinieblas}} 
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Juan López Moctezuma]]
| writer         = {{Plainlist|
* Alexis Arroyo
* Juan López Moctezuma
}}
| based_on       = {{based on|''[[Carmilla]]''|[[Sheridan Le Fanu]]}}{{sfn|Maxford|2019|p=476}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Tina Romero]]
* [[Claudio Brook]]
* Susana Kamini
* David Silva
}}
| distributor    = {{Plainlist|
* Yuma Films{{sfn|St-Georges|2018|p=75}}
* Films 75{{sfn|St-Georges|2018|p=75}}
}}
| released       = {{Film date|df=yes|1977|3|10|Paris Fantastic Film Festival|ref1=<ref name=cinema>{{cite journal|journal=Cinéma|page=14|issue=217–222|year=1977|publisher=Fédération française des ciné-clubs|location=Paris, France|title=Les Festival international de Paris du film fantastique|language=fr}}</ref>|1977|12|26|France|ref2=<ref name=LaVanguardia/>}}
| runtime        = 78 minutes<ref name=LaVanguardia/><ref>{{cite magazine|work=[[Rue Morgue (magazine)|Rue Morgue]]|url=https://rue-morgue.com/rue-morgues-cinemacabre-movie-nights-presents-alucarda/|title=Rue Morgue's CineMacabre Movie Nights Presents: Alucarda|date=16 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202150438/https://rue-morgue.com/rue-morgues-cinemacabre-movie-nights-presents-alucarda/|archive-date=2 December 2020}}</ref>{{sfn|Silver|Ursini|1997|p=274}}
| country        = Mexico
| language       = English
| budget         =
| gross          =
}}

'''''Alucarda''''' ('''[[Spanish language|Spanish]]''': '''''Alucarda, la hija de las tinieblas''''', or '''''Alucarda, the daughter of darkness''''') is a 1977 Mexican [[supernatural horror film]] directed by [[Juan López Moctezuma]], and starring [[Tina Romero]], [[Claudio Brook]], Susana Kamini, and [[David Silva (actor)|David Silva]]. A loose adaptation of ''[[Carmilla]]'' (1872), it revolves around two teenage orphan girls living in a [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] [[convent]], who unleash a demonic force and become [[Demonic possession|possessed]]. Since its release, "Alucarda" has achieved cult status.

A Mexican production, the film was shot in English and completed in 1975. It premiered at the 1977 Paris Fantastic Film Festival, and had a brief Mexican theatrical release in a [[censorship|censored]] version. It was released theatrically in France on 26 December 1977. Though not well received in Mexico, it received some acclaim internationally.

The film was released under several alternate titles on home video in English-speaking countries, including ''Innocents from Hell'' and ''Sisters of Satan''. The film has been noted by [[film studies|film scholars]] for its themes regarding national tradition versus modernity, as well as the tensions between science and religion, and the failures of both. Because of its depiction of [[nun]]s in emotionally-heightened, supernatural situations, the film has been associated with the [[nunsploitation]] genre. It is also widely regarded as one of the best Mexican horror films of all time.<ref name=Aguilar/><ref name=Navarro>{{cite web|last=Navarro|first=Meagan|title=Intro to Mexican Horror: 8 Must See Horror Films|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3655794/intro-mexican-horror-8-must-see-horror-films/|work=[[Bloody Disgusting]]|date=19 March 2021|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230506002602/https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3655794/intro-mexican-horror-8-must-see-horror-films/|archive-date=6 May 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=La encuentras en Mubi, es considerada una obra maestra del cine de terror mexicano y la favorita de Guillermo del Toro|work=[[El Heraldo de México]]|language=es|url=https://heraldodemexico.com.mx/espectaculos/2024/9/21/la-encuentras-en-mubi-es-considerada-una-obra-maestra-del-cine-de-terror-mexicano-la-favorita-de-guillermodeltoro-639470.html|last=Vázquez|first=Ana Paula|url-status=live|date=24 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240921145752/https://heraldodemexico.com.mx/espectaculos/2024/9/21/la-encuentras-en-mubi-es-considerada-una-obra-maestra-del-cine-de-terror-mexicano-la-favorita-de-guillermodeltoro-639470.html|archive-date=21 September 2024}}</ref><ref name=Wilt>{{cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/where-begin-with-mexican-macabre-cinema|work=[[British Film Institute]]|title=Where to begin with Mexican macabre cinema|last=Wilt|first=David|date=19 June 2023|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919042123/https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/where-begin-with-mexican-macabre-cinema|archive-date=19 September 2024}}</ref>

==Plot==
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 [[Fictional representations of Romani people|gypsy]] to bring Alucarda to a nearby stone-walled convent inhabited by an order of [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] [[nun]]s, as she fears the [[Satan|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 in the Catholic Church|mass]], Justine inexplicably faints. While Alucarda tends to Justine in her room, she goes into a fit and begins wildly reciting the names of [[demon]]s. 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 [[Satanism|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 (religion)|confession]]. Lázaro and the nuns, horrified by this, engage in a mass [[flagellation|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 [[zombie|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 [[monk]]s 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 [[spontaneous combustion|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.

==Cast==
{{Cast list|
*[[Tina Romero]] as Alucarda / [[Lucy Westenra]] 
*Susana Kamini as Justine
*[[David Silva (actor)|David Silva]] as Father Lázaro
*[[Claudio Brook]] as Dr. Oszek / Hunchbacked Gypsy
*Lily Garza as Daniela Oszek
*Tina French as Sister Angélica
*Birgitta Segerskog as Mother Superior
*[[Adriana Roel]] as Sister Germana
*[[Martin LaSalle]] as Brother Felipe
*[[Edith González]] as Village Girl  
}}

==Themes==
{{quote box|align=right|width=20em|bgcolor=#ffdab9|quote="In ''Alucarda'', the triumph of science or religion is turned on its head. The world in crisis defined by the unreasonable, the unexplainable, and the unsolvable is not salvaged by reason or faith."|source=–Film scholar Doyle Greene on the film's overarching themes{{sfn|Greene|2007|p=91}}}}
Some scholars, such as Frances Di Lauro, have noted that ''Alucarda'' is undergirded by anti-government and anticlerical sentiments that are manifested in the exaggerated [[idolatry]], representations of clerics as tyrants and persecutors, and overt iconoclasm.{{sfn|Di Lauro|2006|pages=27–30}} Tensions between modernity and [[tradition]] are also prominent themes.{{sfn|Rodríguez-Hernández|Schaefer|2019|p=161}}{{sfn|Greene|2007|p=88}} Film scholar Doyle Green characterizes the film as an "apocalyptic collision of modernity and tradition in a perpetual [[Dark Age]]."{{sfn|Greene|2007|p=91}} Scholars Raúl Rodríguez-Hernández and Claudia Schaefer contextualize this clash (and the film's representation of it) within Mexico's national history, exemplifying "literary and cinematic representations of persistent clashes between tradition and modernity, myth and reason. The added dimension of visibly transgressive actions taken by two young women against teachings, structure, and moral guiding principles of the church speaks directly to a post-1968 generation that celebrates the body but has lost faith in the society's master narratives."{{sfn|Rodríguez-Hernández|Schaefer|2019|p=161}} Aesthetically, Rodríguez-Hernández and Schaefer note visual references to [[Francisco Goya]]'s ''[[Los caprichos]]'', specifically during the sequence in which Alucarda and Justine engage in the blood ritual with the hunchbacked gypsy.{{sfn|Rodríguez-Hernández|Schaefer|2019|p=160}}

Green also interprets ''Alucarda'' as being preoccupied with themes of [[mental disorder|mental illness]] and the handling of it within the Catholic Church.{{sfn|Greene|2007|p=70}} Green states that, in the film, "the convent becomes a psychiatric domain without psychiatry," a theme also explored significantly in [[Ken Russell]]'s ''[[The Devils (film)|The Devils]]'' (1971).{{sfn|Greene|2007|p=70}} Because of these shared depictions of Catholic clergy—specifically nuns—in the context of hysteria, Green notes that both films became associated with the [[nunsploitation]] genre.{{sfn|Greene|2007|p=70}} The tension between [[science]] and religious dogma has been noted as another theme, specifically in the final act, during which the logically minded Dr. Oszek—a man of science—is faced with supernatural occurrences he cannot rationalize.{{sfn|Rodríguez-Hernández|Schaefer|2019|p=161—163}}

''Alucarda'' is also associated with the [[vampire films|vampire movie]] genre, although it is not a traditional vampire movie. Many critics have noted its similarities to [[Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu]]'s early vampire novella ''[[Carmilla]]'', especially the [[lesbian vampire|romantic relationship between the main female characters]].{{sfn|Shipka|Beliveau|2017|p=85}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Demon Lung Pays Tribute to a Classic Mexican Lesbian Vampire Flick With New Album 'A Dracula' |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/demon-lung-alucarda-interview-57a206cb54113edef8f62f10/ |website=Vice |access-date=5 June 2020 |language=en |date=20 July 2015}}</ref> According to director López Moctezuma, "the film draws on the vampire tradition, and in a way the protagonist is a female vampire … but not in the sense of a blood drinker."{{sfn|Greene|2007|p=69}} The title of the film and the name of its eponymous character is derived from ''[[Dracula]]'' spelled backwards, a derivation also used in the form of "[[Count Alucard (character)|Alucard]]" in other vampire-related media.{{sfn|Di Lauro|2006}}

==Production==
Production for ''Alucarda'' began in August 1975.<ref name=Bonilla>{{cite web|work=Daily Dead|url=https://dailydead.com/alucarda-45th-anniversary-interview-with-film-historian-dr-david-wilt/|title=ALUCARDA: 45th Anniversary Interview with Film Historian Dr. David Wilt|last=Bonilla|first=Justin|date=December 22, 2022|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250302205217/https://dailydead.com/alucarda-45th-anniversary-interview-with-film-historian-dr-david-wilt/|archive-date=March 2, 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> Though a Mexican production, the film was shot in English, which actors Tina Romero, Claudio Brook, and Susana Kamini were all fluent in.<ref name=Bonilla/>

==Release==
''Alucarda'' opened at the [[Paris]] International Festival of Fantastic Film in March 1977.<ref name=cinema/> In Mexico, the film screened in theaters for approximately two weeks<ref name=Bonilla/> and was partly [[censorship|censored]].<ref name=Zaragoza>{{cite news|title=Famosa actriz tuvo un trágico final tras protagonizar película de terror del cine de oro|work=[[El Heraldo de México]]|language=es|date=11 October 2021|last=Zaragoza|first=Diana|url-status=live|url=https://heraldodemexico.com.mx/espectaculos/2021/10/11/famosa-actriz-tuvo-un-tragico-final-tras-protagonizar-pelicula-de-terror-del-cine-de-oro-343257.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211012101623/https://heraldodemexico.com.mx/espectaculos/2021/10/11/famosa-actriz-tuvo-un-tragico-final-tras-protagonizar-pelicula-de-terror-del-cine-de-oro-343257.html|archive-date=12 October 2021}}</ref> The film did not receive a theatrical release in the United States, though it was distributed for cinemas in France, released on 26 December 1977.<ref name=LaVanguardia>{{cite news|url=https://www.lavanguardia.com/peliculas-series/peliculas/alucarda-la-hija-de-las-tinieblas-40074|title=Alucarda, la hija de las tinieblas|work=[[La Vanguardia]]|language=es|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250302233652/https://www.lavanguardia.com/peliculas-series/peliculas/alucarda-la-hija-de-las-tinieblas-40074|archive-date=2 March 2025}}</ref><ref name=Bonilla/>

In February 2023, the [[IFC Center]] screened a [[Film preservation#Digital film preservation|digitally restored]] version of the film.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ifccenter.com/films/alucarda/|work=[[IFC Center]]|title=Alucarda|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250302210526/https://www.ifccenter.com/films/alucarda/|archive-date=2 March 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Home media===
The film was released on home video under the title ''Sisters of Satan'' in the United States in 1978,{{sfn|Shipka|Beliveau|2017|p=85}}<ref name=umd>{{Cite web|url=http://terpconnect.umd.edu/~dwilt/alucarda.htm|work=Mexican Film Resource Page|author=Wilt, David|year=2000|title=Alucarda review|publisher=[[University of Maryland, College Park]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200121072506/http://terpconnect.umd.edu/~dwilt/alucarda.htm|archive-date=January 21, 2020|access-date=January 21, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> and subsequently released on video under various titles including ''Sisters of Satan'', ''Innocents from Hell'', and ''Mark of the Devil 3''.{{sfn|Stine|2015|p=41}}

Mondo Macabro released a special edition [[DVD]] edition of ''Alucarda'' in 2002, which features a documentary on Moctezuma, as well as an interview with director [[Guillermo del Toro]], an admirer of the film.<ref name=dvd>{{cite web|url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s593alucard.html|work=[[DVD Talk]]|title=DVD Savant Review: Dr Jekyll Versus the Werewolf & Alucarda|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200121062843/https://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s593alucard.html|archive-date=January 21, 2020|url-status=live|date=August 27, 2002|last=Broughton|first=Lee}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/reviews/5611/alucarda-dvd/|work=[[Dread Central]]|title=Alucarda (DVD)|date=29 November 2007|last=Barton|first=Steve|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409202904/https://www.dreadcentral.com/reviews/5611/alucarda-dvd/|archive-date=9 April 2016}}</ref>

==Reception==
''Alucarda'' was not favorably received in Mexico, though it did receive some critical notice internationally.<ref name=Bonilla/> Mexican film critic Leonardo García Tsao declared it one of the ten worst films he had ever seen.<ref name=Bonilla/>

Columnist Michael Weldon of the ''[[Psychotronic Video]] Guide'' wrote that the film was "The strongest, most imaginative, and visual witch movie since Ken Russell's ''The Devils''."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mondomacabrodvd.com/mod100.html |title=Mondo Macabro's "Alucarda" special edition DVD |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160702112720/http://www.mondomacabrodvd.com/mod100.html |archive-date=July 2, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

David Wilt of the [[University of Maryland, College Park|University of Maryland]]'s ''Mexican Film Resource Page'' notes that the film is "visually, a rather stylish and interesting picture," comparing it to the work of [[Alejandro Jodorowsky]].<ref name=umd/> In 2023, David Wilt of the [[British Film Institute]] lauded the film as "a stylish demonic possession tale" and declared it a masterpiece.<ref name=Wilt/>

Carlos Aguilar, writing for ''[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]]'', praised Romero's lead performance, writing that her "raw portrayal of a mind ravaged by a diabolical energy hits with hair-raising strength."<ref name=Aguilar>{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/08/mexican-horror-movies-15-films-to-watch.html|work=[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]]|last=Aguilar|first=Carlos|title=Mexican Horror Movies: 15 Films to Watch|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216010102/https://www.vulture.com/2019/08/mexican-horror-movies-15-films-to-watch.html|archive-date=16 December 2019|date=28 August 2019}}</ref>

Mexican filmmaker [[Guillermo del Toro]] has also expressed his appreciation for the film and other works from director Juan López Moctezuma.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.horrortalk.com/reviews/Alucarda/Alucarda.htm |title= Alucarda DVD review|work=HorrorTalk.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212155633/http://www.horrortalk.com/reviews/Alucarda/Alucarda.htm |archive-date=February 12, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Swedish rock band [[Year of the Goat (band)|Year of the Goat]] titled a song after this movie.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://metalplanetmusic.com/2025/07/swedish-occult-rock-masters-year-of-the-goat-announce-new-studio-album-trivia-goddess-reveal-music-video-for-first-single-alucarda/ |title=Swedish Occult Rock Masters YEAR OF THE GOAT Announce New Studio Album, “Trivia Goddess” & Reveal Music Video for First Single “Alucarda” |website=metalplanetmusic.com |date=July 2025 |access-date=2025-09-20}}</ref>

== See also ==
* ''[[Satánico pandemonium]]'' — a 1975 Mexican horror film with thematic similarities

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
{{Refbegin|30em}}

*{{cite book|last=Aubrey|first=James|year=2020|title=Vampire Films Around the World: Essays on the Cinematic Undead of Sixteen Cultures|editor=Aubrey, James|chapter=Unqueering Child Vampire Love in ''Let the Right One In''|pages=245–259|publisher=McFarland|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|isbn=978-1-476-63986-4}}
*{{cite book|last=Di Lauro|first=Frances|title=Through A Glass Darkly: Reflections of the Sacred|chapter=Moctezuma's Revenge: Iconoclasm in Film|editor=Di Lauro, Frances|publisher=Sydney University Press|location=Sydney, Australia|year=2006|isbn=978-1-920-89854-0}}
*{{cite book|last=Greene|first=Doyle|year=2007|title=The Mexican Cinema of Darkness: A Critical Study of Six Landmark Horror and Exploitation Films, 1969-1988|publisher=McFarland|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|isbn=978-0-786-42999-8}}
*{{cite book|last=Maxford|first=Howard|year=2019|title=Hammer Complete: The Films, the Personnel, the Company|publisher=McFarland|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|isbn=978-1-476-62914-8}}
*{{cite book|last1=Rodríguez-Hernández|first1=Raúl|last2=Schaefer|first2=Claudia|title=The Supernatural Sublime: The Wondrous Ineffability of the Everyday in Films from Mexico and Spain|publisher=University of Nebraska Press|location=Lincoln, Nebraska|year=2019|isbn=978-1-496-21499-7}}
*{{cite book |editor1-last=Shipka |editor1-first=Danny |editor2-last=Beliveau |editor2-first=Ralph |title=International Horror Film Directors: Global Fear |year=2017 |publisher=Intellect Ltd |isbn=978-1-783-20653-7}}
*{{cite book|last1=Silver|first1=Alain|last2=Ursini|first2=James|year=1997|title=The Vampire Film: From Nosferatu to Interview with the Vampire|publisher=Limelight Editions|edition=Third|location=New York City, New York|isbn=978-0-879-10266-1}}
*{{cite book|last=St-Georges|first=Charles|year=2018|title=Haunted Families and Temporal Normativity in Hispanic Horror Films: Troubling Timelines|publisher=Lexington Books|location=Lanham, Maryland|isbn=978-1-498-56336-9}}
*{{cite book|last=Stine|first=Scott Aaron|year=2015|title=The Gorehound's Guide to Splatter Films of the 1960s and 1970s|publisher=McFarland|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|isbn=978-0-786-49140-7}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0075666}}


[[Category:1977 films]]
[[Category:1977 horror films]]
[[Category:1977 LGBTQ-related films]]
[[Category:Demons in film]]
[[Category:English-language horror films]]
[[Category:English-language Mexican films]]
[[Category:Fictional characters who have made pacts with devils]]
[[Category:Fictional representations of Romani people]]
[[Category:Films about Catholicism]]
[[Category:Films about nuns]]
[[Category:Films about orphans]]
[[Category:Films about Satanism]]
[[Category:Films based on Carmilla]]
[[Category:Films set in 1850]]
[[Category:Films set in 1865]]
[[Category:Films set in monasteries]]
[[Category:Folk horror films]]
[[Category:Lesbian vampire media]]
[[Category:LGBTQ-related horror films]]
[[Category:Mexican LGBTQ-related films]]
[[Category:Mexican supernatural horror films]]
[[Category:Nunsploitation films]]
[[Category:Religious horror films]]
[[Category:1977 English-language films]]
[[Category:1970s exploitation films]]
[[Category:1977 Mexican films]]
[[Category:1970s supernatural horror films]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Alucarda|access_date=2026-02-25}}