José Ramón Larraz

{{Short description|Spanish film director (1929–2013)}} {{More citations needed|date=September 2013}} {{family name hatnote|Larraz|Gil|lang=Spanish}} {{Infobox person | name = José Ramón Larraz | image = Director_José_Ramón_Larraz.jpg | birth_name = José Ramón Larraz Gil | birth_date = 1929 | birth_place = Barcelona, Spain | death_date = {{death date and given age|2013|09|03|84|df=y}} | death_place = Málaga, Spain | occupation = Screenwriter, Film director and producer | years_active = 1970–2002 }}

'''José Ramón Larraz Gil'''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tumbaabierta.com/newspost/fallece-el-cineasta-jose-ramon-larraz/|title=Fallece el realizador José Ramón Larraz. - TumbaAbierta.com. El portal del entretenimiento en el género fantástico.|author=DigitalCavalry|date=3 September 2013 |publisher=}}</ref> (1929 – 3 September 2013) was a Spanish director of exploitation and horror films such as the erotic and bloody ''Vampyres'' (1974), ''The House that Vanished'' (1973), ''Symptoms'' (1974), ''Black Candles'' (1982) and ''Rest in Pieces'' (1987) among others.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba410883b|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160419060746/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba410883b|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 19, 2016|title=José R. Larraz|work=BFI}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmovie.com/movie/vampyres-v52182|title=Vampyres (1974) - José Larraz - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related - AllMovie|work=AllMovie}}</ref>

==Biography== ===Early life=== Born in Barcelona, Larraz earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree and moved to Paris in 1952, where he started his career as a comics writer for magazines like Pilote and Spirou.{{sfn|Cooper|2016|pages=162–163}} His most known creation was the action-comic series "Paul Foran", which he wrote under the name "Gil" and also made some artistic contributions to.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.lambiek.net/artists/l/larraz_jose.htm| title = José Larraz - Lambiek Comiclopedia}}</ref>

===Career=== Larraz moved to England, where he began making films, then in 1976 apparently {{clarify|date=July 2023}} relocated his operations back to Spain. He made many different types of films, but is best known for his horror films. ''Symptoms'' was an official British entry at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival.<ref name=bfi>{{cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/10-great-overlooked-british-horror-films-1970s|title=10 great overlooked British horror films of the 1970s|work=British Film Institute|date=14 April 2016 }}</ref> His last few horror films were Spanish-American co-productions.{{sfn|Cooper|2016|p=167}} He apparently{{clarify|date=July 2023}} retired from filmmaking in 1992 at age 63.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sensuality Oozing Through the Walls_ The Domestic Dramas of José Ramón Larraz |url=https://diaboliquemagazine.com/sensuality-oozing-through-the-walls-the-domestic-dramas-of-jose-ramon-larraz/ |work=Diabolique Magazine}}</ref>

===Death=== Larraz died, aged 84, in Málaga on 3 September 2013.<ref>{{cite news |title=R.I.P. José Ramón Larraz 1929-2013 |url=https://www.starburstmagazine.com/movie-news-jose-ramon-larraz |work=Starburst |date=3 September 2013}}</ref>

==Filmography== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="margin-right: 0;" |- ! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" | Title ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | {{Tooltip|Ref.|Reference}} |- ! scope="row"| 1970 | ''Whirlpool'' | Directorial debut as J R Larrath | style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite news|date=19 September 1970|page=11|work=The Boston Globe|title=Film 'Whirlpool' offers assorted vulgarities|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/67890357/the-boston-globe/|via=Newspapers.com|last=Kelly|first=Kevin}}</ref> |- ! scope="row"| 1971 | ''Deviation'' | Credited as J R Larrath | style="text-align:center;"| |- | 1973 | ''La muerte incierta'' | Credited as José R Larraz | |- ! scope="row"| 1973 | ''The House That Vanished'' | Alternative titles: ''Scream and Die;'' ''Don't Go in the Bedroom.'' Credited as Joseph Larraz | style="text-align:center;"|{{sfn|Craig|2019|pages=201–202}} |- ! scope="row"| 1974 | ''Emma, puertas oscuras'' | Alternative title: ''Emma, Dark Doors.'' Credited as José R Larraz | style="text-align:center;"| |- ! scope="row"| 1974 | ''Symptoms'' | Alternative title: ''Blood Virgin.'' Credited as Joseph Larraz | style="text-align:center;"|{{sfn|Smith|2006|p=205}} |- ! scope="row"| 1974 | ''Vampyres'' | Alternative titles: ''Daughters of Dracula;'' ''Blood Hunger; Daughters of Darkness.'' Credited as Joseph Larraz | style="text-align:center;"|{{sfn|Smith|2006|p=227}} |- | 1977 | ''El fin de la inocencia'' | | |- | 1977 | ''Luto riguroso'' | | |- | 1977 | ''El mirón'' | | |- | scope="row" | 1978 | ''The Coming of Sin'' | Alternative title: ''The Violation of the Bitch'' | style="text-align:center;" |{{sfn|Cooper|2016|p=167}} |- | 1978 | ''La ocasión'' | | |- ! scope="row" | 1979 | ''El periscopio'' | | style="text-align:center;" | |- ! scope="row" | 1979 | ''Polvos mágicos'' | Alternative title: ''Lady Lucifera'' | style="text-align:center;" | |- ! scope="row"| 1979 | ''The Golden Lady'' | | style="text-align:center;"| |- | scope="row" | 1980 | ''Estigma'' | Alternative title: ''Stigma'' | style="text-align:center;" | |- | 1981 | ''Madame Olga's Pupils'' | Credited as Joseph L Bronstein | |- | scope="row" | 1981 | ''La momia nacional'' | Alternative title: ''The National Mummy'' | style="text-align:center;" | |- | scope="row" | 1982 | ''Black Candles'' | Alternative titles: ''Sex Rites of the Devil;'' ''Los ritos sexuales del diablo.'' Credited as Joseph Braunstein | style="text-align:center;" | {{sfn|Cooper|2016|p=167}} |- | 1983 | ''Juana la loca ... de vez en cuando'' | | |- | 1985 | ''Goya'' | TV mini-series in 6 episodes | |- | scope="row" | 1987 | ''Rest in Pieces'' | Credited as Joseph Braunstein | style="text-align:center;" | |- | scope="row" | 1988 | ''Edge of the Axe'' | Credited as Joseph Braunstein | style="text-align:center;" |{{sfn|Cooper|2016|p=167}} |- | scope="row" | 1990 | ''Deadly Manor'' | Alternative title: ''Savage Lust.'' Credited as Joseph Larraz | style="text-align:center;" | |- | 1992 | ''Sevilla Connection'' | | |- | 2002 | ''Viento del pueblo'' | TV mini-series in 2 episodes | |- |}

==Further reading== *The book ''Immoral Tales: European Sex & Horror Movies 1956-1984'' (1994) by Cathal Tohill and Pete Tombs dedicates a chapter to him. *The paperback novelisation of ''Vampyres'' (FAB Press, 2001) by Tim Greaves. *''Vampyres: A Tribute to the Ultimate in Erotic Horror Cinema'' (1996) by Tim Greaves is devoted entirely to the making of the film, filled with interview material, reviews and a treasure trove of photos.

== References == {{reflist}}

==Sources== *{{cite book|last=Cooper|first=Ian|year=2016|title=Frightmares: A History of British Horror Cinema|publisher=Columbia University Press|location=New York City, New York|isbn=978-0-993-07174-4}} * {{cite book|last=Craig|first=Rob|year=2019|title=American International Pictures: A Comprehensive Filmography|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-1-476-66631-0}} *{{cite book|last=Smith|first=Gary A.|title=Uneasy Dreams: The Golden Age of British Horror Films, 1956–1976|year=2006|publisher=McFarland|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|isbn= 978-1-476-60530-2}}

==External links== *{{IMDb name|0488574}} *[http://www.lambiek.net/artists/l/larraz_jose.htm Lambiek - info on Larraz career as a comics writer] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130907082204/http://www.hoycinema.com/actualidad/noticias/fallece-director-cine-jose-ramon-20130904-717319.html Obituary (Spanish)]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Larraz, Jose Ramon}} Category:1929 births Category:2013 deaths Category:Spanish screenwriters Category:Spanish film directors Category:Spanish comics writers Category:Spanish comics artists