Vampir – Cuadecuc

One way to look at Vampir – Cuadecuc is as an artful making of Jess Franco’s El conde Dracula (1970) – one of the Meister’s Harry Alan Towers productions. But that would mean being content with merely the first layer of the film. Portabella was after something more complex, as witnessed by the fabulously idiosyncratic soundscape mainly made up of weird noises, or his choice of shots which tend to stress the element of artifice – one of the Escuela de Barcelona’s main pre-occupations.
Some see Vampir – Cuadecuc as a witty allegory on Francisco Franco, with Dracula as the dictator whose demise is certain (Christopher Lee reads that part on-screen, which makes the scene a standout moment of the film). Could very well be. But what does ‘Cuadecuc’ mean? Does this word exist? Or is it a poetic creation that mirrors Carles Santos’ composition?

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