José Ramón Larraz

Before devoting himself to cinema, José Ramón Larraz Gil (Barcelona, 1929), was a comic book artist, a fashion and photoromance photographer, and illustrator of “El coyote” (1954) and “Florita”. He studied Art History in Paris (1956-1959) and later moved to Great Britain, where he began his extraordinary English career as director of horror films, sick thrillers and exploitation flicks, thanks to titles that are mythical today among fans: Whirlpool (1970), Deviation (1971), Vampyres (1974) and Symptoms (1974). Back in Spain, he made several turbulent-erotic films of varying interest — El mirón (1977), La visita del vicio (1978), La ocasión (1978), Los ritos sexuales del diablo (1982) —, until, hand in hand with producer José Frade, he became an artisan, possibly somewhat less inspired, with Juana la loca... de vez en cuando (1983), Rest in Pieces (1987) and Edge of the Axe (1988).

Sitges Film Festival