The Genesis of Horror
Exorcismo
Directed By: Alberto Sedano
Country: Spain
Year: 2024
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Get ready to step into a realm where censorship battles, political freedom, and taboo-breaking genre films collide. Alberto Sedano’s Exorcismo: Sex, Violence & Clasificada S is not just a documentary; it’s a daring dive into the rise of Spain’s legendary Clasificada S films - a cinematic movement that rose from the ashes of Franco’s repression and transformed Spanish screens into fiery showcases of sex, violence, and political rebellion.
Under Franco’s suffocating rule, any expression of sexuality outside Catholic marriage was a sin that never saw the light of day. But with his death came a seismic shift in Spanish cinema.
Suddenly, the once-illicit became the bold and unapologetic, and the Clasificada S genre roared onto the scene with a fearless mix of horror, eroticism, and provocative themes. Director Sedano’s documentary captures this era with an unflinching gaze, peeling back the curtain on films that shocked the nation, rocked cultural norms, and rewrote the rules of Spanish genre cinema.
Narrated by the punk legend himself, Iggy Pop, "Exorcismo" pulsates with raw energy and features candid interviews with the actors, directors, and historians who witnessed it all. Horror legends like Jess Franco and José Ramón Larraz - filmmakers who pushed boundaries even within this wild subgenre - are front and center here.
Sedano doesn’t shy away from graphic clips either, giving viewers a taste of the sex, blood, and sleaze that made these films unforgettable.
"Exorcismo" isn’t just for genre lovers; it’s a revelation for anyone interested in how horror films can reflect a society’s deepest fears, desires, and transformations. This is the story of a movement that, once unleashed, could never be tamed - forever changing Spanish cinema, and adding a uniquely transgressive flavor to the horror landscape.
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Generation Terror
Directed By: Sarah Appleton & Phillip Escott
Country: United Kingdom
Year: 2024
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In this 2024 documentary, directors Sarah Appleton and Philip delve deeply into the horror genre’s evolution, featuring insights from filmmakers like Rob Zombie, James Wong, and Srdjan Spasojevic.
The film examines the profound cultural influence of horror in the late 1990s and early 2000s - a period shaped by pre-millennium anxiety, the shock of 9/11, and the subsequent rise of global conflicts and fears. This era inspired a wave of horror that both reflected and confronted these new realities, pushing boundaries with sub-genres like “torture porn,” the French extremity movement, and a darker portrayal of serial killers, and the self-censorship imposed on depictions of terrorism.
The documentary extends its scope to explore how horror, often misjudged or misunderstood, served as a global mirror for society’s growing unease, showing how these visceral, boundary-pushing films captured collective fears - of rebellion, xenophobia - and a world seemingly tipping toward chaos.
By analyzing these trends, the documentary reveals how horror continues to channel our most unsettling emotions and social tensions, offering both a reflection and release in times of uncertainty.
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The Last Sacrifice
Directed By: Rupert Russell
Country: United Kingdom
Year: 2024
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The devil you know - the devil you don’t know
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On "The Last Sacrifice," we’re not just revisiting the twisted real-life murder that inspired The Wicker Man; we’re plunging headfirst into the origins of folk horror and the dark, pulsing heart of British cinema.
Director Rupert Russell’s documentary dives into the eerie, real-life 1945 witchcraft killing of Charles Walton, peeling back layers of history to expose a nation teetering on the brink of collective madness - a theme that cinema took and made into an indelible nightmare.
This film isn’t just a history lesson. "The Last Sacrifice" dissects Britain’s deep-seated identity crises and shows how folk horror is a mirror reflecting back society’s darkest fears. It digs into the 1970s cultural landscape where these films took root, and it’s chilling how timely it all feels again in today’s Britain.
Anyone with even a passing interest in folk horror needs to see this. Russell’s documentary is a bold exploration of how horror isn’t just a genre - it’s a warning, an echo of society’s spirals, making "The Last Sacrifice" an essential watch for every horror fan.
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