Rosalba Neri Friday # 22 - LA MUERTE INCIERTA 1973

     For years this was something of a holy grail for me as it was frustratingly hard to find (let alone find any info about - especially in the days of pre-internet video collecting). As it was even missing from the Phil Hardy book, all I had for the longest time was a couple of intriguing stills photocopied from a Spanish film magazine. Never released to English speaking countries this was considered a lost film for years (with even the exact date of a European release in question), it translates as Death The Uncertain and was a Spanish/Italian co-production from MGM. A couple of years ago a faded to pink and emulsion scratched 35mm print (bearing a 1971 date) was found and transferred, which began making the rounds with eventually some color correction done and subtitles added by a much appreciated fan.

     Directed by José Larraz (VAMPYERS and BLACK CANDLES) it has a look and feel totally unlike any other Spanish horror of the period (with the closest being THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED from 1969) and along with a short but very memorable (and lingering) appearance from Rosalba the movie also features Mary Maude, a wonderful English actress with a very unique presence and who with a neat bit of happenstance also appeared in the above mentioned THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED.

    Although its a bit hard to discern on the currently available copy the movie features some excellent moody photography by Riccardo Pallottni (who also shot Rosalba's LADY FRANKENSTEIN) and Larraz's direction is a marvel of slowly encroaching claustrophobic horror, which stands in direct contrast to his next film being the blood and nudity soaked VAMPYRES. With the only known copy of MUERTE originating from a Spanish source there's been talk of perhaps a "harder" cut as Spain was still under the censorship of the Franco regime at the time and often a different version was filmed of certain scenes in regards to nudity content for export. With that being said there are a couple of sequences that perhaps could exist "unclothed" (with one being Rosalba's opening scenes) however the film would seem to work fine as is (as is too with THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED) with the ever heightening sexual tension in house playing out in the background without it being pushed to the forefront.
    Like Hammer's THE REPTILE (1966) and A.I.P's THE OBLONG BOX (1969) it touches upon the "sins of colonialism" but instead of the monstrous relative kept locked up in a secret room  LA MUERTE INCIERTA plays out like a Gothic English ghost story (although in the best tradition of gothics, there is a flashback to an insane relative kept chained up).

    In 1930's India rich Englishman Clive Dawson (Antonio Rojo) brings his new bride Brenda (Mary Maude) home to his isolated plantation. Upon arrival he finds all the servants have fled with the feeling that a curse has been placed upon the house. In a preceding prologue we saw that Clive had been carrying on with a local woman named Saheen (Neri), with hints that she may be a kind of sorceress/witch and upon his banishment of her from the house she places a curse upon him and all who dwell in the house. She strides out of the house with her footsteps echoing and jewelry clanging (sounds that will play a later part in proceedings). Later her body is found floating in a river and is burned after Dawson flees back to England where he meets Brenda.
   Upon arriving back at the house Dawson begins drinking heavily and becoming distant from his new bride as a slowing enveloping atmosphere of sexual tension and eeriness begins to permeate the empty house. Part of this is Dawson's son Rupert who paints strange pictures up his room and is having an affair with a neighbors wife (Yelena Samarina from THE WEREWOLF VERSUS THE VAMPIRE WOMAN and EXORCISM'S DAUGHTER) who seem to be the only people from the outside world who visit the house. There are also hints that Rupert was also involved with Saheen and in addition he attempts to seduce Brenda which seems to add to the fulfillment of the curse.

   Seeking to escape the oppressive house Dawson leaves with his wife for a safari but ends up getting badly mauled by a tiger (in a fairly gruesome scene that's interspersed with quick glimpses of a naked woman) which has been seen slowly stalking around the plantation and seems to be possessed by the spirit of Saheen. Once back and confined to bed with his wounds Dawson begins seeing quickly glimpsed faces and hearing noises with the jungle seeming to become alive with outreaching plants and weird noises (all set to background thunderstorm of course) as he begins to believe that he will die like his father - a madman who was chained to his bed.
   Although filmed in Spain (and partially in Italy) with the India setting represented by stock footage and a bouncing process shot standing in for an elephant ride the film oppressively recreates the humid fetid atmosphere of the jungle setting. Even though Rosalba is only shown in the first few minutes her unforgettable opening presence hangs over the entire movie as partial visions and/or apparitions are quickly glimpsed along with the lingering sounds of her earlier banishment echoing through the empty house (and not to mention those unforgettably exotic eyes opening and closing the film). Hopefully one day better elements will be found as this really deserves a nice DVD release. For the curious, it's up on You Tube.