REVIEW: SOUND OF HORROR AKA EL SONIDO DE LA MUERTE (1966)

by Elena Anele (*)

SOUND OF HORROR aka EL SONIDO DE LA MUERTE is a movie directed by José Antonio Nieves Conde in 1966. Nieves Conde (Surcos, El Diablo también llora) a sympathizer of Franco’s regime, wrote this horror movie based on  a  Sam X. Abarbanel’s (Prehistoric Women, Un verano para matar) story together with Gregorio Sacristán de Hoyos and Gregg G. Tallas – Greek director and writer).

It is a Greek and Spanish production with some international actors as the Hammer famous Ingrid Pitt, in her big-screen debut, James Philbrook and the local stars: Arturo Fernández, Soledad Miranda and Lola Gaos among others.

The movie based on cult Syfy moves and tales such as Quatermass tells the story of a group of scientists researching a cave where a treasure is said to be hidden. There they would find a monster which will be soon part of their lives and deaths. Set in Greece but shot in Samuel Bronston studios in Madrid, the movie plays with the latecomer character not only with the new researchers visit but also with the new unexpected creature.

The director and crew solved the lack of FX budget with invention and creativeness, creating an invisible threat that suits perfectly well in this year’s science fiction features.

A very interesting flick, a rare trace of Spanish early Syfy that all Spanish Horror lovers must see. I hope this gets a proper release on DVD.

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Elena Anele is the woman in charge of SPANISHFEAR.COM, Horror Rises from Spain  and Un Fan de Paul Naschy . A literature and cinema researcher, finishing her postgraduate studies with a thesis about the mystic filmmaker José Val del Omar. She has published in different media and books as Fangoria or Hidden Horror. She has also been in charge of several translations including Javier Trujillo’s complete works, La Mano Film Fest, The Man who Saw Frankenstein Cry and many more.