Terror of the Living Dead (1973)
"La orgía de los muertos" (original title)

Paul Naschy plays a supporting role as a deranged gravedigger in this zombie movie, set in a small highland village in 19th-century Scotland, where a stranger's arrival to claim an ... See full summary »

Director:

José Luis Merino

Writers:

Enrico Colombo, José Luis Merino

Stars:

Stelvio Rosi, Maria Pia Conte, Dyanik Zurakowska

Cast

Cast overview:
Stelvio Rosi	...	Serge Chekov (as Stan Cooper)
Maria Pia Conte	...	Nadia Mihaly
Dyanik Zurakowska	...	Doris Droila
Pasquale Basile	...	The detective
Gérard Tichy	...	Professor Leon Droila
Aurora de Alba	...	Mary
Eleonora Vargas
José Cárdenas	...	2nd Guard
Giuliana Garavaglia	...	(as Giusy Garr)
Carla Mancini
Alessandro Perrella
Carlos Quiney	...	The Butler (as Charles Quiney)
Isarco Ravaioli	...	Town's Mayor
Paul Naschy	...	Igor

Storyline

Paul Naschy plays a supporting role as a deranged gravedigger in this zombie movie, set in a small highland village in 19th-century Scotland, where a stranger's arrival to claim an inheritance is met with apocalyptic visions and other evil omens. The town unearths a crypt full of horrors, including a devil-worshipping coven and throngs of the living dead.

---

Plot Keywords:

scotland | coven | omen | crypt | zombie | 

---

Taglines:

Scarier Than Your Worst Nightmare!

---

Genres:

Horror

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Troma

Country:

Spain Italy

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

September 1975 (USA)

Also Known As:

Beyond the Evil Dead

Filming Locations:

Madrid, Spain

Box Office

Gross:

ESP 9,529,718 (Spain)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Petruka Films, Prodimex Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Paul Naschy had to play a secondary role as Igor the gravedigger because he was acting in another movie being shot at the exact same time.

---

Connections

References Son of Frankenstein (1939)

User Reviews

Has its moments

I saw this dubbed Spanish film as The Hanging Woman, on Gorgon Video. The box promised scenes of brutality, rape, and humiliation beyond Last House on the Left. Just to clear the record, this is not true. There is no rape, and the closest thing to humiliation is when an innocent virgin bares her breasts. There is violence and graphic gore, but it really doesn't kick in until the climax. And what a climax! Bloody zombies rampaging in the best Night of the Living Dead fashion, with the luridness increased in typical European style. The final shot is chilling and almost Bergman-esque. However, the rest of the movie is pretty uneventful. Despite a strong beginning and creepy atmosphere--with the dirtiness of the period perfectly captured by grainy, washed-out color photography--most of the film is like an overlong episode of Dark Shadows. Sexy Dyanik Zurakowska has some powerful nude scenes, and her sex scene with Stelvio Rosi helps spice things up...but not much else happens. Paul Naschy, the reason many people seek this out, has a small role as a red-herring necrophile. On the whole, I think The Hanging Woman is worth seeing--but you should know what you're getting into. If you want your Naschy fix, see one of his werewolf movies.

Trivia: La Orgia de los muertos originally hit the States in 1974 as The Hanging Woman. International Artists promoted the film with a Last House-inspired campaign: "For the squeamish, keep repeating: It can't be true, can't be true, can't be true, can't be true, can't be true." Stelvio Rosi was billed as Stanley Cooper.