The UK channel BBC4 is about to start screening FILMS TO KEEP YOU AWAKE ('Películas para no dormir'), a series of 6 Spanish made-for-television horror films. The first one, Mateo Gil's SPECTRE ('Regreso a Moira', 2006), is showing tonight at 10.30, while Paco Plaza's THE CHRISTMAS TALE ('Cuento de Navidad', 2005) is next Tuesday at the same time.

No idea if these are any good, but several talented directors are involved, including Jaume Balaguero, Alex de la Iglesia, and Narciso Ibanez Serrador.

I KNEW there was something I'd forgotten this week - thanks, Brad, for the reminder.

SPECTRE (the Spanish title, 'Regreso a Moira', more accurately translates as 'Moira's Return') turned out to be an absolute gem. It reminded me of Jacques Tourneur's horror films in the way it created an unsettling atmosphere simply through skillful filmmaking (rather than bombastic special effects), and provided both a natural and a supernatural explanation without ultimately committing itself to either one. Although superficially straightforward, the film is thematically extremely rich: the source of the protagonist's haunting is eventually traced (SPOILER) not to the 'witch', but rather to those forces of repression, conformity and intolerance which oppose her.

I'm certainly looking forward to next week's film, THE CHRISTMAS GIFT, which is directed by Paco Plaza, co-director (with Jaume Balaguero, who also has a film in this series) of (REC), and which stars Maru Valdivielso (who gave a remarakable performance in Monte Hellman's IGUANA).

It's things like this that make me wish I had TV - I surrendered all my subscriptions when it occurred to me that I have hundreds of unwatched DVDs including many of my favourite TV shows and about an hour a night to watch anything at all.

At least it bodes well for a DVD release in the UK and no doubt that's where I'll see this. I hear the series is a bit uneven but I'll make my own mind up thank you very much.

Victor

You can receive BBC4 without a subscription: all you need is a freeview box.

These are all available in a rather nice Spanish box set.