SANTA SANGRE 4K Review – Worship At Severin’s Ultra HD Altar
Anthony Arrigo
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Starring Axel Jodorowsky, Blanca Guerra, Guy Stockwell, Adan Jodorowsky
Directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky
There are few filmmakers who can capture the essence of surrealism on film, steeping storylines in symbolism and presenting evocative imagery on the canvas of celluloid. The most famous example would be David Lynch though a name just as well known to cult cinema aficionados is Alejandro Jodorowsky, purveyor of weird and occult midnight movies like El Topo (1970) and The Holy Mountain (1973). Jodorowsky’s films are often notable for their visceral imagery and religious motifs, blending faith and flesh within a kaleidoscope of blood and sexuality. Santa Sangre (1989) is perhaps his most celebrated work; a living nightmare in which the son of a religious zealot finds himself committing murder in his deceased mother’s stead, acting as her arms to kill women “she” perceives as a threat to their complicated relationship. Tired of seeing the same old tropes in horror? This is as out-of-the-box as films come, challenging viewers to interpret the vague line between nightmarish fantasy and uncompromised reality.
A naked man sits perched on a threadbare tree within a room in a mental asylum, doing little to communicate with his overseers; his chest features a large phoenix tattoo. Through flashbacks we learn this man is Fenix (Axel Jodorowsky as an adult, Adan Jodorowsky as a youth), the son of carnival performers Orgo (Guy Stockwell), a knife-thrower, and Concha (Blance Guerra), a trapeze artist. To say Fenix’s childhood was abusive and full of torment would be an understatement. Orgo is a lush who spends his hours developing a kinky sexual relationship with the carnival’s tattooed woman (Thelma Tixou) while Concha is a devout follower of a cult that worships at the altar of an armless girl who was mutilated and raped, her “holy blood” filling a large pool at the base of the effigy. Concha quickly tires of Orgo’s cheating ways and attacks him and the tattoed woman during a tryst, leading Orgo to mutilate Concha in the same way as the patron saint of Santa Sangre – by chopping off her arms.
Returning to the present-day Fenix escapes his padded cell and reunites with his mother – well, a vision of his armless mother – who uses her son’s hands to assault and murder women, all of whom haunt Fenix’s dreams. The only hope for Fenix to escape the mental clutches of Concha is a reunion with Alma (Sabrina Dennison), the deaf-mute daughter of the tattooed woman and the only true friend he has ever known. Perhaps through her he can find the strength to disarm (pun intended) his mother’s vengeful spirit and take back control of his life.
Santa Sangre runs for 123 minutes and there is quite a lot to absorb over that stretch. Surreal films often take a couple viewings for me to fully appreciate because so much of the work is steeped in symbolism and metaphor that my brain needs more than one pass to unpack everything. Jodorowsky is a filmmaker who forces viewers to critically think and his pictures often resonate long after the credits have rolled. To be perfectly honest, this isn’t a film that immediately struck me as incredible, which its reputation suggests, but I knew in the coming days my mind would be wandering over scenes trying to make sense of what I had witnessed – and it did. Jodorowsky isn’t weird for the sake of weirdness; his lens is aimed with precision and there is deeper meaning behind what fills the frame.
This is a rare serial killer film in which viewers will find themselves sympathizing with the murderer. Felix’s childhood is the definition of traumatic, which would be reason enough for most filmmakers to evolve him into a killer – but he doesn’t kill on his own volition. Instead, that trauma he experienced turned him inward, causing whatever mental episodes drove him to the sanitarium. Felix only begins a killing spree when his ghostly mother reappears in his mind, forcing his own hands to commit these atrocities. Ostensibly he is the purveyor of these crimes but, really, the work is almost literally out of his hands. He is a tragic figure who has almost never known true peace during his lifetime – until he again meets Alma.
Severin Films released Santa Sangre onto Blu-ray ten years prior to this release, the debut of a new extensive 4K restoration from the original camera negative presented here on 4K Ultra HD disc. The 1.85:1 2160p picture is gorgeous, with Jodorowsky’s use of bold primary colors leaping off the screen with dense saturation. Film grain swirls and moves organically. Black levels are deep and rock solid. The image is filmic and alive, teeming with intricacies in every frame and full of life. Definition is sharp, maybe not razors-edge reference quality, but certainly an achievement on this format and yet another winner in the 4K category from Severin.
Audio is presented with many options: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 or 2.0, Spanish 2.0 mono, or Italian 2.0 mono – but the multi-channel original English track is the surefire winner. There are many musical styles to be heard, from carnival music to somber, reflective acoustic guitar melodies, all of which sound crisp. Dialogue is easily understood and always clear. Subtitles are available in English.
Special Features:
DISC ONE: 4K BLU-RAY
- NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM SUPERVISED BY DIRECTOR ALEJANDRO JODORWSKY
- Audio Commentary with Alejandro Jodorowsky and Journalist Alan Jones
- New Blood – Alejandro Jodorowsky on the restoration of SANTA SANGRE
- Deleted Scenes with Optional Director Commentary
- Theatrical Trailer
- Optional English subtitles for the main feature
- REGION-FREE
DISC TWO: BLU-RAY
- NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM SUPERVISED BY DIRECTOR ALEJANDRO JODORWSKY
- Audio Commentary with Alejandro Jodorowsky and Journalist Alan Jones
- New Blood – Alejandro Jodorowsky on the restoration of SANTA SANGRE
- Deleted Scenes with Optional Director Commentary
- Theatrical Trailer
- Optional English subtitles for the main feature
- REGION-FREE
DISC THREE: BLU-RAY
- Forget Everything You Have Ever Seen: The World of Santa Sangre – 96 minute documentary Directed by David Gregory with Co-Writer / Director Alejandro Jodorowsky, Actors Axel Jodorowsky, Blanca Guerra, Thelma Tixou, Sabrina Dennison, Adan Jodorowsky, Elenka Tapia, Teo Tapia, Co-Writer Roberto Leoni, Composer Simon Boswell, Tattoo Designer Sergio Arau and Unit Publicist Greg Day.
- Like A Phoenix – Interview with Producer Claudio Argento
- Holy Blood – Interview with Cinematographer Danielle Nannuzzi
- Mexican Magic – Interview with Executive Producer Angelo Iacono
- The Language of Editing – Interview with Editor Mauro Bonanni
- Innocence in Horror – Interview with Screenwriter Roberto Leoni
- Santa Sangre 30th Anniversary Celebration at Morbido Festival, Mexico City
- Goyo Cárdenas Spree Killer – Documentary on the Real Life Inspiration for SANTA SANGRE
- Jodorowsky 2003 Interview
- Jodorowsky on Stage Q & A
- ECHECK – Adan Jodorowsky Short Film
- Simon Boswell Interviews Jodorowsky
- “Close Your Eyes”- Simon Boswell Music Video
DISC FOUR: ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK
- Soundtrack presented on separate CD disc.
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Santa Sangre
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Special Features
Summary
Marvelously restored and absolutely packed with insightful and interesting bonus features, not to mention a CD of the complete soundtrack, Severin Films has delivered a true collector’s edition that is undoubtedly the definitive word on Jodorowsky’s celebrated surreal serial killer picture. A big recommendation.
