Curious, little seen, Spanish oddity that despite one too many hang gliding sequences and a little silliness manages to engage throughout. This is in part due to the writing by Santiago Moncada, who also scripted The Corruption of Chris Miller and The Bell of Hell. Trouble is so interesting is some of the exchanges between older guy and younger girl and the questions of church, sex and society (this is only a year after Franco's demise) that the gialloesque moments seem almost stuck on. But, its a varied ride with a man dressed as a woman giving a massage, a throat slitting serial killer, a young priest getting into trouble and a lengthy, initially, at least non consensual sex session. Gets a bit infuriating now and again but just well enough done and that much different to compensate.
2 Reviews
Spanish giallo
BandSAboutMovies30 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Heat of the Flame follows Gabriela (Christine McClure) who probably shouldn't have married bank manager and mayoral hopeful Javier (Antonio Ferrandis). He's kind of like Neil Wardh, an older man than his wife and someone who only cares about work. She has time on her hands, so she day drinks with a writer who goes by Carlos (Francsico Nieto) and remembering the affair that she had with Father Luis (Jess Franco regular Antonio Mayans).
As the marriage starts to fail, there's also a giallo killer who uses a whistle while he stalks his prey. Gabriela is kidnapped and sexually assaulted by the killer, but lives to tell the tale. Also, as this is a Spanish exploitation movie, she also finds herself not afraid but actually turned on by the experience and wants more.
How bad is your marriage when you willingly walk back into the arms of someone who has been killing woman in your small village? I know that this comes shortly after the end of Franco ruling Spain and that divorce was probably not discussed, but what kind of a life does Gabriela want?
Director Rafael Romero Marchent also wrote A Quiet Place to Kill and directed Santo vs. Dr. Death. The script was written by Santiago Moncada, who wrote the great A Bell from Hell, The Swamp of the Ravens, and The Corruption of Chris Miller.
As the marriage starts to fail, there's also a giallo killer who uses a whistle while he stalks his prey. Gabriela is kidnapped and sexually assaulted by the killer, but lives to tell the tale. Also, as this is a Spanish exploitation movie, she also finds herself not afraid but actually turned on by the experience and wants more.
How bad is your marriage when you willingly walk back into the arms of someone who has been killing woman in your small village? I know that this comes shortly after the end of Franco ruling Spain and that divorce was probably not discussed, but what kind of a life does Gabriela want?
Director Rafael Romero Marchent also wrote A Quiet Place to Kill and directed Santo vs. Dr. Death. The script was written by Santiago Moncada, who wrote the great A Bell from Hell, The Swamp of the Ravens, and The Corruption of Chris Miller.
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