Blacker Than the Night (1975)

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

I really enjoyed this. It is paced a little leisurely and is not full of startling action but it is colourful and engaging with a gentle but relentless move towards the inevitable bad ending. A fairly simple, 'Old Dark House' tale featuring four good looking young women who go to live in the aforementioned mansion. They are disrespectful from the start of the building and its 'junk' contents and the elderly Sofia, the housekeeper, magnificently played with complete eeriness by Alicia Palacios, and the film makers seem to wreak their own revenge to some extent by allowing the girls to make such asses of themselves. Also, deliberate or not the many and varied 70s outfits they sport seem to get progressively worse as the film continues. One or two moments of half baked 'soapy' melodrama, usually featuring preposterous plump and mustachioed 'boyfriends but for the most part a creepy fully focused and unusual horror that is well worth a watch. I must also mention the cat. Featuring heavily in the great opening credits, this black cat does not put a paw wrong and is caught on camera looking as mysterious and fearsome as is possible. He also features in the fine original poster.

My favorite of the Taboada trilogy of horror...I don't think Veneno Para las Hadas counts as a horror movie. The soundtrack is really good for a horror movie- harpsichord, varied themes and styles. With a low budget, Taboada managed to convey fright, something that is hard to do. It has a classic vibe to it, a la "The Haunting" (the original one...no the hot mess from the late 90s). I have to admit, it's rather cheesy, but as a child, it captivated me. What I loved also, now that I'm an adult and have read my share of books, is the nod to Edgar Alla Poe's "The Black Cat." Film-making wise, I think Taboada was an unappreciated genius. I hope Guillermo del Toro honors him by remaking one of the three.

The plot is very simple but very effective to provoke some chills; a young woman inherits a mansion from her deceased aunt with the condition that she has to take care of her black cat. The young woman is in the necessity of a home mainly because of financial situations so she accepts and invites her friends to live with her. When they arrive to the house they start to hear strange things and also feel like there's a negative vibe. Also, in the house lives the old maid who took care of the deceased aunt. She advertises the young women that the cat is the owner of the house and that they had to take special care on him. They ignore the warning and even remove him from his bedroom. The cat gets on the nerves of everyone and things start to get bad when they decide that the cat shouldn't have that many benefits.One day, the cat is found dead for no apparent reason. He's found in the cellar. After that tragic event, hell breaks loose on the house. One by one these girls are getting murdered by an unseen figure and the negative vibe grows strongly on the house. Who could be behind the murders? Could it be that the aunt is back from the grave to avenge the death of her beloved cat? Join these girls in a terrific tale of secrets, ghosts, and mysteries. **SPOILERS** I love this movie because it goes directly to the point. It tells you the events in such a manner that truly grabs your attention and makes you wonder in fear what will happen next. The plot is simple but it gets more interesting when it's explained that the cat was actually "murdered" by three of the girls. When that is explained, you are in front of a ghost revenge flick that will send shivers up to your funny bone. It's a classical ghost story but it's managed in a way that it's interesting and scary. The direction is perfect. Taboada knows perfectly how to create a creepy atmosphere (indoors and outdoors the house) and how to create tension before something "strong" is about to happen. The cinematography is also excellent. The combination of dark and light is great! and works perfect for the big, old house. The score works and is genuinely chilling. The acting is also great! Islas delivers a solid performance. The same goes for the rest of the cast. The house keeper also delivers a creepy but solid performance. Excellent cast. The death scenes are great. There is tension among them and there is even gore! Violence is minimal but still good. The movie relies part of it's creepiness on some freeze frame scenes where something is discovered (like Dosamante's dead body hanging on the school's library). Also, Mendez death is something to remember.My favorite moment is when the aunt makes presence. The scenes are genuinely scary and well done.Please, watch this movie because it is surely scary and very well done. I strongly recommend you to watch it if you're in the mood to get scared. This is how Mexican Horrors movies should be made nowadays! My respect for you, Mr. Toboada. You really know how to create a scary movie. Something that has great importance for me is that the women in the movie are extremely hot! I'm sorry but I have to comment on it. Claudia Islas, Helena Rojo, Susana Dosamantes, and the super sexy Lucia Mendez are the hottest cast in ANY Mexican movie I've seen. Claudia is the mature, beautiful, but strong lead. Helena is the sensual but reserved women. Susana is the classy and hard to get woman. Her beauty is elegant, supreme. But Lucia Mendez steals the show. She was freakin' hot in the movie! She was very young and she knew that she had to show her delicious attributes. Thank you Lucia for wearing those steamy short skirts through all the movie. Also, your beautiful face shined through the movie. She's totally worth the watch.

I have only seen two of director Taboada's movies, the other one being Veneno para las hadas, and both are very macabre. Mas negro que la noche is very scary because we not only hear strange sounds on a very creepy house inherited by four female relatives of the deceased old woman, but we also get to see her and I must say it's one of the scariest ghosts I have ever seen in movies. The reasons of her apparitions are related to her calling of her dear black cat who died shortly after she died. After some gruesome deaths, the ending is shocking but justifiable for people who love black cats.