The Howl of the Devil

The Howl of the Devil

Directed by Paul Naschy

Produced by Freemont-Nasch International

198897 min5.1 / 10

A dark, violent giallo-inflected horror film centered on sadistic murder games, psychological obsession, and the haunting legacy of a dead star.

Hector Doriani is a stage and screen actor who feels himself living in the shadow of his dead twin brother, Alex Doriani, once a famous star of horror movies. Alex’s young son, Adrian, now lives with Hector in an isolated mansion in the countryside. To keep alive the memory of his father, the boy imagines himself visited by the spirit of the dead man, incarnated in a series of classic horror characters from the past. Eric, Alex’s former butler, now also works for Hector. His main role is to locate and bring to the mansion a series of women who are paid large sums of money by Hector to take part in various sadistic sex games. To complicate matters even further, the games always seem to end with the women getting slaughtered in various gruesome ways by a black gloved, masked killer. Also on hand is horror diva Caroline Munro, as Hector’s housekeeper and cook, who is being pursued by a local priest with whom she once had a much-regretted affair.

Questions people ask

  • Does The Howl of the Devil end with hope? No. Less hopeful than 98% of films.

  • Is The Howl of the Devil violent? Yes, very. More violent than 97% of films.

  • Is The Howl of the Devil scary? Yes, very. More frightening than 94% of films.

  • Is The Howl of the Devil easy watching? No. Less comforting than 92% of films.

  • Is The Howl of the Devil sad? Somewhat. More sad than 70% of films.

These describe how the film comes across, measured across the whole film and compared with other well-known films. They are not a content list — nothing here was counted or checked scene by scene, so for age-suitability or specific content use a classification board or a dedicated content-warning service.

23/ 100

Cinnamon Score

How much this film gives you that nothing else will, and whether it delivers.

Conventional, and it does not land.

Rarity47

How unlike any other film this one feels

Surprise28

How much more it delivers than it promises

Love5

How much audiences actually like it

The highest scores in the catalogue →

Ensemble

Like The Howl of the Devil

Nearest across the full emotional profile.

Same Mood as The Howl of the Devil

Nearest on what's most distinctive about this one.

Like The Howl of the Devil, But Darker

Similar, pushed toward heavier and more intense.

Like The Howl of the Devil, But Lighter

Similar, pushed toward warmer and easier.

Like The Howl of the Devil, But Less Popular

Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.

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