The Day of the Beast is a 1995 Spanish black comedy horror film in which the coming of the Antichrist and the end of the world seem imminent. A Catholic priest teams up with a Black Metal aficionado and an Italian connoisseur of the occult to avert this prophecy.
Directed by Álex de la Iglesia (The Bar; Witching and Bitching; The Last Circus; The Oxford Murders; Perdita Durango) from a screenplay co-written with frequent collaborator Jorge Guerricaechevarría. The movie stars Álex Angulo, Armando De Razza and Santiago Segura.
New release:
The Day of the Beast will be released by Severin Films on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray on March 30th 2021. It features reversible artwork (with its original Spanish title El día de la Bestia) and a limited-edition slipcover. Order direct
The film has been restored in 4K from the original negative. It features 2.0 Stereo and 5.1 Surround sound Spanish options with English subtitles and a 2.0 English dub. Special features:
Disc 1: UHD
Trailers
Reversible Cover Art
Disc 2: Blu-ray
Heirs of the Beast – Feature Length Documentary by Diego López and David Pizarro on the Making and Cultural Impact of Day of the Beast
Antichrist Superstar – Interview with Director Álex de la Iglesia
The Man Who Saved the World – Interview with Actor Armando De Razza
Beauty and the Beast – Interview with Actress Maria Grazia Cucinotta
Shooting The Beast – Interview with Director of Photography Flavio Martínez Labiano
Mirindas Asesinas – 1990 Short Film by Álex de la Iglesia
Trailers
Plot:
A Basque priest finds by means of a cabalistic study of the Bible that the Antichrist is going to be born on Christmas day in Madrid. Helped by a heavy-metal fan and by the showman of a TV esoteric program, he will try to invoke the devil to find out the place of birth and kill the baby…
Reviews:
“While the film is rife with ultra-violence and crimson goo, make no mistake, this is also a howlingly outrageous comedy and frankly as original a horror film as I’ve seen in some time. It’s certainly not for everyone — the shot of a hellish ram standing erect on its hind legs and grinning out at you, a real ram, mind you, is almost too creepy — but there is no mistaking de la Iglesia’s wildly unique vision.” Austin Chronicle, February 26th, 1999
“Often overlooked as a mere comedy, El Día de la Bestia is an excellent movie that can stand proudly as one of the best (or maybe the best) horror movies that Spain has given to the world in a long, long time.” Cult Reviews
“The Day of the Beast is not for the timid. And subtlety has no place here. I wouldn’t want it any other way. At one point, our anti-hero priest asks Jose to spin a Death Metal album backwards. He’s looking for a hidden unholy message. Jose argues that there’s no need. Just hit play and all the blasphemy that you need is right there.” Digital Retribution
” …a promising parody of all the prophecies, Bible numerics, signs and interpretations and so on. However, the film fails to deliver on such a promising idea. Instead of tapping the satiric potential of the idea, it dissolves into a chase caper along the lines of one of the giddy melodramas that director Alex de la Iglesia’s mentor Pedro Almodovar specialises in. Unfortunately, Alex de la Iglesia frequently overplays his hand many of the sequences go on well beyond the point they needed to be funny.” Moria
“De la Iglesia follows the absurdities of Church doctrine on sin and redemption to their logical conclusions. It’s graphic, occasionally gross, tense and atmospheric and frequently funny.” Rough Cut
“Director and co-writer Alex de la Iglesia has an explosive, subtlety-be- damned directing style that borrows from Russ Meyer, H.P. Lovecraft, The Exorcist, the “mad as hell” scene from Network and Road Runner cartoons. Spiked with extreme violence and frantic, over-the- top performances, The Day of the Beast is loud and chaotic and desperately determined to shock.” The San Francisco Chronicle, January 1st, 1999
“This is essentially a black comedy about two hapless individuals caught up in an impending cataclysm way beyond their understanding. Responding to the robust humour and underlying seriousness of the script, Angulo brings an engaging subtlety to his theologically inspired madman, Segura’s HM fan is likewise bonkers yet oddly loveable.” Time Out
“This sardonic gloss on The Omen is gleefully tasteless, cheerfully blasphemous, smartly cynical about popular culture and sometimes very funny indeed.” TV Guide
“The Day of the Beast combines the anarchic spirit of vintage schlock horror with a more contemporary, comic-strip vision of the impending apocalypse. Far more consistent than Spanish director Alex de la Iglesia’s 1992 debut, Accion mutante but still appealingly unrefined, this serving of satanic excess and good-naturedly dumb humor should please young audiences with a taste for off-the-wall cult fare.” Variety
“El dia de la Bestia is a twisted black comedy of both farcical and uncomfortable violence that has a layer of social critique that is, of course, missed by non-Spaniards, but fans of extreme humor and irreverent violence will probably enjoy the movie anyway. Others, particularly those with a low threshold for realistic violence, might often find themselves offended by some of the more extreme, blackly humorous scenes.” A Wasted Life
Original title:
El día de la Bestia
YouTube reviews:
Trailer:
