Directed and written by Alberto Sedano — who produced Jess Franco’s 2010 Paula-Paula — Severin goes deep into Spanish cinema — well, at least the kind we all want to watch — with this doc. Here’s what they have to say for themselves: “Under the Franco dictatorship, Spain’s rigid censorship laws had repressed any form of sexuality outside of Catholic marriage. But following Franco’s death and the consolidation of democracy, Clasificada “S” films–restricted to those over 18 years old, with the warning that their content may offend the sensibilities of the viewer–embodied a period in Spanish history when sex went from being a sin to becoming a cinematic expression of political freedom.”

This film “…explores the history behind the rating, the battles it fought, and the distinctive dramas, thrillers and horror shockers that subverted the values of the former dictatorship. Narrated by Iggy Pop, featuring revealing interviews with actors, directors and historians, and showcasing clips from films by Jess Franco, José Ramón Larraz, Ignacio Iquino, Eloy de la Iglesia and many more, Exorcismo tells the incredible true story of a film movement that rocked Spanish culture, changed the face of genre films, and left its transgressive mark on global cinema forever.”

If the names of any of those directors got you all hot and bothered — look, I’m cuckoo for Franco and lunatic for Larraz — this is for you. And even if you have no idea who they are, there’s a lot to learn here about how sometimes extreme cinema can have a lot to say about the world that it escapes from.

From euro horror like The Awful Dr. Orloff and Horror Express, which played American screens, to the films of Naschy, the Blind Dead and Eugenio Martín and Eloy de la Iglesia, this hits the expected notes before surprising you with stuff like The Killer of Dolls, Bloodbath and Human Animals.

As much as I love Italy, and it will always have my perverted movie heart, Spain has been neglected too long. Italy’s violent films of the 1970s often were reactions to Anni di Piombo. Spain was finally emerging from a time when everything was forbidden, when two versions of nearly every movie had to be filmed—one for Spain, where women were nearly fully clothed, and where violence was held back, and another for the rest of the world.

Where this film really sings is when it allows the talking heads to expand on movies that they love from Spain—Bloody Sex, Beyond Terror, Satan’s Blood, Morbus, Mad Foxes—and three of the country’s most unique directors, José Ramón Larraz, Ignacio F. Iquino and Jess Franco.

Maybe you won’t feel like you’re seeing uncles you haven’t heard from in too long when Jack Taylor and Antonio Mayans show up to speak, but if you do, again — this was made for you. You will also come back with a list of movies you need to check out. Mine are Poppers, Morbus and Dimorphic.

Also: Holding back from showing Jess Franco until an hour and forty-four minutes in is the very definition of edging.

You can watch this and many other films at CFF by buying a pass on their website. Over the next few days, I’ll be posting reviews and articles and updating my Letterboxd list of watches.