• 177.873 movies
  • 12.196 shows
  • 33.962 seasons
  • 646.802 actors
  • 9.369.469 votes
Avatar
Profile
 
banner banner

Santa Sangre (1989)

Drama | 123 minutes
3,48 183 votes

Genre: Drama / Horror

Duration: 123 minuten

Alternative title: Holy Blood

Country: Mexico / Italy

Directed by: Alejandro Jodorowsky

Stars: Axel Jodorowsky, Blanca Guerra and Guy Stockwell

IMDb score: 7,5 (25.349)

Releasedate: 24 November 1989

Santa Sangre plot

"Forget Everything You Have Ever Seen."

Little Fenix works as a magician in a circus in Mexico City. His father is a hot-tempered knife thrower in a leopard skin that is too small. His mother, a trapezist who is also the high priestess of a religious cult, dedicated to a virgin without arms. When the father plunges into a voluptuously tattooed Fellinian wench, he is emasculated by his wife with nitric acid. Before slitting his throat, he demonstrates his knife dexterity one last time by chopping off her arms. Enough to inflict some trauma on the young son. At the age of twenty, Fenix is allowed to leave the institution, but he is enslaved by his mother. The two perform a grotesque pantomime number, where he lends her his arms and their bodies become one. Together they tread a bloody path of revenge. But are we dealing here with delusions or is it all happening for real?

logo tmdbimagelogo tmdbimagelogo tmdbimagelogo tmdbimagelogo tmdbimagelogo tmdbimagelogo tmdbimagelogo tmdbimage
All Media

Trailer & other videos

Reviews & comments


avatar

Guest

  • messages
  • votes

Let op: In verband met copyright is het op MovieMeter.nl niet toegestaan om de inhoud van externe websites over te nemen, ook niet met bronvermelding. Je mag natuurlijk wel een link naar een externe pagina plaatsen, samen met je eigen beschrijving of eventueel de eerste alinea van de tekst. Je krijgt deze waarschuwing omdat het er op lijkt dat je een lange tekst hebt geplakt in je bericht.

* denotes required fields.

Pay attention! You cannot change your username afterwards.

* denotes required fields.
avatar van Halcyon

Halcyon

  • 9952 messages
  • 0 votes

A colorful and at times clownish tale of a serial killer with mommy issues. Fenix is a circus magician who involves promiscuous women in his show and then, on his mother's orders, slaughters them. As is so often the case, childhood traumas underlie a disturbed love-hate relationship with women and, in this case, transvestites. The question, of course, is what is real and what isn't. Jodorowsky turns every scene into a dream, a nightmare, a hallucination, or something in between, shrouded in warm colors and an atmosphere that borders on the absurd. The score is a mishmash of organ music, Mexican hits, and touching yet chilling melodies composed by Simon Boswell. It's especially those last pieces—combined with the visuals (the young Fenix getting an impressive chest tattoo or the adult Fenix as a knife thrower)—that are most impressive, because the rest leans a bit too much towards kitsch for me. Sorry.

dutch flagTranslated from Dutch · View original

avatar van Shadowed

Shadowed

  • 11345 messages
  • 6677 votes

Intriguing.

The first Jodorowsky I've ever seen. He's made several other films I want to see as a director, but this was clearly his best. That's subjective, but it gave me enough motivation to start watching this film. It was an experience, and one that's probably not watchable without brainstorming some theories.

However, I found the acting terrible, to start my review on a negative note. Guerra is absolutely terrible, and instead of an intimidating mother role, I found it a very irritating and theatrical performance that failed to convince me at all. The same goes for Jodorowsky's son. Annoying, overblown performance, and unfortunately, the rest isn't much better.

Cinematically, I find this film to be a mixed bag. I do like the colorful scenes, and the crowd scenes sometimes work out well, but it often feels like a regular film with some colorful backdrops. I also miss some better camerawork that would better capture the surreal stylistic exercises.

The story probably isn't watchable without some input from your own brain. You'll really have to add something yourself to flesh out the film, and I was glad I could watch it with a group that took it seriously. It makes the experience much more educational and enjoyable than just shouting things out at random.

I found it a mixed film with a surreal edge. The murders are beautifully shot, and the creativity certainly shines through. I found the theatrical acting—and I mean truly theatrical—a major turn-off. I'd hoped this film would be more of an overwhelming experience, but it doesn't come close.

dutch flagTranslated from Dutch · View original

avatar van scorsese

scorsese

  • 13150 messages
  • 11067 votes

A good film about a boy growing up among the circus performers where his father and mother also work. An original film. Colorful and eccentric characters. The set design is also quite colorful and here and there a nice burst of violence. Visually, there's plenty to see. The dialogue is a bit sparse and at times a bit long-winded.

dutch flagTranslated from Dutch · View original