The Creature – Severin Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Spain, 1977
Director: Eloy De La Iglesia
Writer: Enrique Barreiro
Cast: Ana Belén, Juan Diego, Claudia Gravy, Ramón Repáraz, Manuel Pereiro, Bárbara Lys, Francisco Melgares, Luis Ciges, Antonio Gamero

Release Date: July 16th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 101 Minutes 6 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Spanish
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.95

"After a heartbreaking miscarriage, a couple (Goya Award winners Ana Belén and Juan Diego) adopts a stray male dog in hopes of saving their rocky marriage. But as the wife develops an obsessive bond with her new companion, it will trigger jealousies and rivalries that may lead to the most inconceivable act of all."- synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "now scanned in 2K from the negative."

The Creature comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 34.9 GB

Feature: 29 GB

The source looks excellent; flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and black levels are solid, compression is very good, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Spanish with removable English subtitles. The audio is in great shape; dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and the score sounds appropriately robust.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an introduction by Gaspar Noé at Cinémathèque Française (4 minutes 29 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an interview With Filmmaker Gaspar Noé titled Gaspar / Eloy (14 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an interview with assistant director Alejo Loren titled A Strange Movie (22 minutes 41 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles).

Summary:

Eloy De La Iglesia directed The Creature. He is also known for making The Glass Ceiling, The Cannibal Man, No One Heard the Scream, Murder in a Blue World, and El pico.

The narrative revolves around a woman who has a miscarriage after a frightening encounter with a dog. Though at first afraid of dogs, one day she encounters a friendly black German shepherd that resembles the dog that traumatized her. From there, she becomes increasingly close to the dog, putting a strain on her already troubled marriage.

Though the premise delves into taboo subject matter Zoophilia, the result is a film that never resigns itself into an exploitation film. The Creature is best described as a melodrama. Outside of a brief inappropriate moment between the wife and her dog, there really is not any salacious content. That said, like most of the films of Eloy De La Iglesia, The Creature is filled with subtext that goes a lot further than any explicit in your face moment ever could.

When the narrative begins, the wife and the husband are not in a good place with their relationship; he’s involved with one of his co-workers, and rarely does he show his wife affection. And though things change, when he learns his wife is pregnant, her miscarriage reignites old wounds. Not deterred, he still tries to make their relationship work, and when she becomes too attached to the dog, he becomes jealous.

Though there are secondary characters who play a small role in the story that unfolds, there are only three performances of substance: Ana Belén (Tormento) in the role of the wife, Juan Diego (The Holy Innocents) in the role of the husband, and the dog named Bruno, the name that was going to be their baby's name. Though Ana Belén’s performance is the heart and soul of The Creature, one must overlook the dog. That said, the moments with the dog are executed perfectly despite the challenges of working with animals.

Spain was going through political upheaval when The Creature was being made. Two years before Francisco Franco, a dictator who ruled Spain for 39 years, passed away, creating a vacuum for change. It should not come as a surprise that a film like The Creature would have content related to the changes going on in Spain at that time since the cinema of Eloy De La Iglesia is filled with social commentary. Under Francisco Franco's conservative and traditionally valued rule in Spain, Eloy De La Iglesia, an openly gay man, created a film, The Creature, which can be interpreted as a metaphor against traditional relationships.

From a production standpoint, there is no area where The Creature does not excel. The narrative effectively builds momentum, and pacing is never an issue, giving ample time to key moments to resonate. When it comes to the visuals, there are many arresting moments, some that are filled with symbolism. The most striking moment is the scene where the wife puts on her wedding dress for the dog. Ultimately, The Creature is another exemplary film from Eloy De La Iglesia, a filmmaker whose films delve deep beyond the surfaces and are overflowing with subtext.

The Creature gets an exceptional release from Cauldron Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and a wealth of insightful extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer