THE DAY OF THE BEAST (1995)
Let's not beat around the bush; it's hot as hell outside. And inside. My house doesn’t have air conditioning and we’ve had some extremely humid nights. It’s misery. While I sweat, I'm daydreaming of chilly snowy nights, cozy blankets and holiday traditions. Do you have a film you rewatch every Christmas? Growing up, my Mom always stuck with a classic—WHITE CHRISTMAS. I had a few years where ELF was the go-to. Others watch DIE HARD. Over quarantine, we've powered through a ton of movies in our house, one of which was instantly declared a holiday tradition to revisit: 1995's THE DAY OF THE BEAST (EL DÍA DE LA BESTIA). Sure, there’s not a ton of snow in this movie, but I had to find some excuse for a summer rewatch!
Father Ángel (played by Álex Angulo, who you might recognize as Doctor Ferreiro in PAN’S LABYRINTH) has made an incredible discovery—the date of the Antichrist’s birth. He sets out on a mission to stop it and save the world. His plan? To commit as many sins as possible, sell his soul to the Devil and use the opportunity to kill the Antichrist. What follows is a frankly hilarious misadventure involving TV psychics, Satanic rituals, and heavy metal, ending with a confrontation on Christmas Eve in the middle of Madrid.
Ángel is a kindly priest in his mid-40s whose idea of sinning is adorable, akin to a child. Petty theft, pushing over a mime, smoking cigarettes (complete with excessive coughing) and telling a man to go to Hell. He meets José Maria, a fat metalhead and record store employee who becomes his partner in crime and is absolutely my favourite character. He’s instantly willing to help the priest and his weight is never the butt of jokes, which is a rarity in comedic films. In true metalhead fashion, he even points out that HEAVY metal and DEATH metal? Not the same thing. My partner is also a metalhead, so we get a kick out of Jose.
The priest asks for some records (“I’m looking for the heaviest metal you have. I need this because of reasons.”) José offers Ángel a place to stay, as his mother runs a boarding house. This is also a gaggle of weirdos, with the mom overbearing and ready to mess up intruders (“I would cut off his balls and break his bones”), Mina, the bubbly small town girl she employs, to José’s grandfather, a silent chubby bearded man who is always shirt-cocking it. Ángel pays with money he stole, of course. Gotta keep sinning!
After watching TV for the first time in his life (a program called The Dark Zone) the duo decides this celebrity psychic, Professor Cavan, is the best person for the job of contacting Satan. He’s clearly a hack fraud, making money from housewives and conspiracy theorists, but after their impromptu ritual actually works, he’s on board. The build-up to the ritual is great, with Ángel getting his ear blown off, stealing a shotgun, and the trio all getting high on LSD.
As they escape Cavan’s apartment by climbing down a giant Schweppes sign, José Maria is high as a kite, laughing his ass off. They’re such an unlikely team and it works so well. Each brings their knowledge and skills to the table. You could even say this is God working through them and the wild coincidences they encounter.
They know he’ll be born on Christmas Eve, but not where. As the Antichrist’s birth draws near, they become more and more desperate, with the severity of their actions ramping up. Stealing cars, kidnapping, and threatening by gunpoint. The approach of Satan seems to be affecting the population as well, with roving street gangs setting people on fire! Just when Ángel is about to give up (blaming the whole debacle on “poor circulation”), Cavan figures out where they need to go.
The Devil is always trying to imitate and mock God, right? So his symbol and “church” would also be a mockery of that. It turns out to be a new building called the Gate of Europe, vaguely resembling two claws—the mark of the beast. Satan is revealed and the big climactic fight ensues…as does hilarity. The ending subverts expectations in the best and darkest of ways that it’s a Christmas miracle.
THE DAY OF THE BEAST presented with a great mix of comedy and sincerity. The humour is the ridiculousness of the situation, but their goals are legit—even if they seem ludicrous at first. I’m upset it took me this long to watch because it’s become such a cherished film in my heart. I’ve only seen one other film by director Álex de la Iglesia, 2010’s THE LAST CIRCUS. He’s made over a dozen films though, including one called WITCHING & BITCHING. Incredible title. Black Comedy seems to be his genre of choice—and clearly, he’s amazing at it.
