A boarding school nightmare where death follows desire — and hypnosis can't fix what's already broken.
The death of Sebastian's father engenders in him pathological fears and hallucinations. His death wishes seem to cause horrible accidents, which he is unable to control. When his older brother dies, he feels that he has caused it. He undergoes hypnosis, but his apparent supernatural powers continue. As his own life nears its end, he becomes even more violent and sadistic.
Direction
Larraz's signature blend of eroticism and creeping unease.
Acting
Borromeo's fractured, increasingly unhinged dual performance.
Director
José Ramón Larraz
Christian Borromeo
Sebastian / Miguel
Alexandra Bastedo
Anna
Emilio Gutiérrez Caba
José
Helga Liné
Sebastian's Mother
Berta Cabré
Marta
Antonio Molino Rojo
Jorge
Irene Gutiérrez Caba
Olga
Massimo Serato
Miguel's Father
Craig Hill
Priest
Annabella Incontrera
Madre de Miguel
José María Caffarel
Taxi Driver
Florencio Calpe
Sacerdote / Priest
Llàtzer Escarceller
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Part of Spain's late-Franco horror explosion, when filmmakers used genre to smuggle transgressive content past censors.
Larraz reused the boarding school setting from his earlier 'Symptoms' (1974), suggesting a personal obsession with institutional isolation.
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