DayoftheBeast

Day of the Beast (1995)

The films of director Alex de la Iglesia have always been regarded in a very special place for me. Iglesia’s films are constantly crammed to the hilt with unique style and humor that works on such a level that I’m amazed he hasn’t been making films in America for the past decade. No matter what genre he explores or how experienced a director he becomes over the years, he always reminds me of the early work of Sam Raimi or Peter Jackson. His 1995 film, Day of the Beast, is an over-the-top supernatural religious-based comedy. The director himself describes his movie as being a ”comedy of satanic action.” This was a huge blockbuster in its home country. The Titanic of Spain, if you will. It went-on to earn the Spanish version of six Academy Awards.

Father Angel Berriartua is not only a priest, but also a theology professor who has studied the Apocalypse of St. John for over twenty years. He has realized it is simply a cryptogram: a secret message hidden behind words. The message turns out to be a number, a date– the date of the end of the world. It’s December 25th, just before dawn. If he doesn’t prevent it, the Antichrist will be born. He knows the date, but not the place.

Father Angel's simple, yet disgusting plan is to commit all the diabolical evil that he can in order to contact Satan and join his followers. He then will be able to find the location of the Antichrist ceremony and kill the child there, perhaps saving the world in the process.

On his expedition of sin, he refuses the request of currency from a pregnant mother trying to gather funds for her unborn child. He steals a homeless man’s begging-box full of a day’s work of coins. He tells a dying car crash victim that he ”hopes he rots in Hell”, condemning him at death’s door. He then steals his wallet. He pushes a street mime down the steep stairs that lead down to a subway station (not really a sin… more like community service), he shoplifts everything he sees, he takes up smoking and burns the bottom of his feet with the cigarettes. He partakes in senseless violence, beating people with objects. All to become the ultimate sinner so he can betray the Devil and kill the Antichrist.

He discovers a television star that is a hack psychic with knowledge of the occult and the paranormal. His television name is Professor Cavan and he himself will tell you that his show and books are complete bullshit.

Father Angel notices a window display for a record store specializing in the heaviest of heavy metal. Its evil imagery peaks his interest, so he enters the building. There he meets the owner, Jose Maria, a fat and sloppy metal fan. Jose has in his possession more LSD than the entire cast of Easy Rider. He also turns out to be one hell of a sinner and the two develop a very unlikely friendship.

They follow Professor Cavan from his television studio to his deluxe hotel suite with intentions of forcing him to show Father Angel how to sell his soul to the Devil.

While the film will certainly be considered sacrilegious to some, it sounds more offensive than it truly is and comes across more like a Ghostbusters for grown-ups, than some kind of a gratuitously blasphemous film. I genuinely enjoyed the unorthodox friendship that these three characters developed. A band of misfits, who alone would come across as just another loser beaten by the harsh world we must live in. Together, they are one well-oiled, souped-up, hell-busting machine. The Three Stooges versus Satan, and our lives are in their hands.

I do wish that Jose’s grandfather didn’t enjoy walking nude around the boarding house that Father Angel is staying. Yes... totally exposed except for an unbuttoned flannel bathrobe. This image is far scarier than ANY encounter with Satan or the Antichrist. The shots of full-frontal geriatric cock will haunt you for months. Spanish dialogue with English subtitles.

3 out of 4

reviewed by Bryan Layne