Santa Sangre (1990)

 Santa Sangre (1990)

As soon as Santa Sangre finished, I was in a state of shocked silence for about ten minutes. What on earth did I watch? Classified as a horror movie, it is not a horror movie in any typical sense. There are no haunted houses, or demons, or ghosts. Instead, we are immersed in a world filled with surreal psychological horror. There are people that believe the term “horror” is not the correct word because of its content. I was a bit overwhelmed when the film ended. It was my first taste of what Alejandro Jodorowsky can do with images and a story. His films are known for being violent or showing bodily images one would not be accustomed to. Yet, they serve a purpose. The images are not meant to be gratuitous. I felt like I was immersed in a dream. Jodorowsky created many scenes that captivate you and hold you tight. A prime example is the elephant scene. The elephant dies and a funeral procession is held. Then its body is dumped off a cliff into the ravenous hands of people ready to eat its carcass. The scene makes no sense on its own, but if looked at on a grand scale, you see what Jodorowsky is aiming for. In the most simple terms, this is a revenge story but told in an artsy way. Danielle Nannuzzi’s cinematography is stunning. Simon Boswell created a dreamy score that fits in very well with the story. When it comes to detail, Jodorowsky has one keen eye! If one felt like this was a weirder, stranger remake of Psycho, I would not fault them.

The story was developed by Roberto Leoni, who worked at a psychiatric hospital’s library. He used his experiences to come up with a story, in which he told producer Claudio Argento. They thought it was a good idea to search for a director with the right sort of mind to direct this material, and they thought of Jodorowsky. Jodorowsky had a few films under his jacket but mainly worked in France as a comic book writer. Being a person who is creatively weird, this was a perfect story for him to tell. He was given liberty to tell the story the way he wanted. That resulted in the American rating of NC-17, which was fine by him. It was only released in a handful of American theaters. It took years for people to watch the film as intended which resulted in its status as a cult classic. As someone who has heard of Jodorowsky but not familiar with his works, it was overwhelming. I was surprised by how violent some scenes were. But that is how Jodorowsky works. I would not have it any other way. “Images of grotesque beauty,” as one reviewer writes, is a perfect description. They allow for such discussions that need to be had.

Fenix (Axel Jodorowsky) is a young man confined to the walls of a mental hospital. He, along with other residents, are taken on a field trip to one of the city’s districts where he encounters a person from his past, which results in some flashbacks. He experienced heavy trauma as a child. He and his family worked as circus performers. He witnessed a really gory scene where his father, an American living in Mexico (played by Guy Stockwell) cuts off the arms of his mother, Concha (Blanca Guerra). His mother was a religious fanatic who was a leader of a church named “Santa Sangre” which worships a martyred girl that embraces suicide. Jolted to the present by these flashbacks, he escapes from the hospital to rejoin his armless mother as he “becomes her arms” as they work together to enact revenge.

I found it interesting that Jodorowsky had two of his sons play Fenix at different ages. Axel plays the older Fenix and does it well. He worked seamlessly with Bianca Guerra. Personally, Biana Guerra as the controlling wife/mother is something else. A character I have not met in any movie. Okay, maybe I need to readd that “horror” label because her character is downright terrifying. She is involved with some of the most vivid sequences. That church scene, though. Is that a pool of blood or red paint? I also liked Sabrina Dennison as the older Alma. Alma is one of the only friends that Fenix has. She is deaf and mute, but her character is still very important.

Santa Sangre was my first experience watching something from the mind of Alejandro Jodorowsky. It is a visually strong movie that is dreamlike and surreal. It is not your typical revenge story. My brain was on high alert for so long after the film ended, enough so where I thought he may have gone a little overboard with the vivid imagery. I will say this. It is an unforgettable movie that deserves to be talked about. I felt like I was watching Psycho but on acid. I will always remember my roommate walking into the living room where this movie was playing and asked, “What on earth is this?” Yeah, it is definitely weird.

My Grade: B+