A man accidentally kills his girlfriend. While in prison, he studies two things: law, and the life of serial killer Henri Désiré Landru. Upon release, he utilizes both of these new fields of study to turn an old brothel into a house of horrors.
This film tells a pretty simple story of a man who kills off (mostly) prostitutes one by one in his boarding house, one after another, in more or less the same way. This provides us with the film's biggest mistake: how many times do we need to see the same thing over and over again? While his methods are particularly cruel, they lose their edge after repeated viewings.
That aside, and the fact this repetition seems to slow the film down, the movie is quite nice. The acting, particularly from the main character and his wife, is top notch. I was somewhat disturbed by this one and would be hesitant to show other people (particularly ladies), which I will give them credit for.
The best thing about this movie is the blood splatter. We are not treated to actually scenes of chainsaw attacks, but views of these instances just off-camera. While I'm disappointed that they didn't go the extra mile, I must commend the special effects team: I can't say for sure what it looks like when blood sprays out of a leg being severed by a chainsaw, but I bet it looks almost exactly like what I saw in this film. Very realistic (probably).
Also ,I think this might be my first venture into Spanish horror. I've had "Pan's Labrynth" sitting on my desk for weeks now but haven't watched it. While I expect that one to be superior, I must say this was a great seminal choice for me. The Spaniards have something going for them and I would be able to easily place them alongside the Japanese, Chinese, Norwegians ("Naboer") and Belgians ("Calvaire") if this is any indication.
So yes, check this film out. I found many similarities between this and "American Psycho" (the plastic room and dismemberment, the spiral staircase, etc.) but that just seemed to make the film better for me. And you'll like where the story goes to (this is more of one man's crusade against the law and the world rather than just a horror story). I anticipate the eventual second viewing I'm sure this will receive.
This film tells a pretty simple story of a man who kills off (mostly) prostitutes one by one in his boarding house, one after another, in more or less the same way. This provides us with the film's biggest mistake: how many times do we need to see the same thing over and over again? While his methods are particularly cruel, they lose their edge after repeated viewings.
That aside, and the fact this repetition seems to slow the film down, the movie is quite nice. The acting, particularly from the main character and his wife, is top notch. I was somewhat disturbed by this one and would be hesitant to show other people (particularly ladies), which I will give them credit for.
The best thing about this movie is the blood splatter. We are not treated to actually scenes of chainsaw attacks, but views of these instances just off-camera. While I'm disappointed that they didn't go the extra mile, I must commend the special effects team: I can't say for sure what it looks like when blood sprays out of a leg being severed by a chainsaw, but I bet it looks almost exactly like what I saw in this film. Very realistic (probably).
Also ,I think this might be my first venture into Spanish horror. I've had "Pan's Labrynth" sitting on my desk for weeks now but haven't watched it. While I expect that one to be superior, I must say this was a great seminal choice for me. The Spaniards have something going for them and I would be able to easily place them alongside the Japanese, Chinese, Norwegians ("Naboer") and Belgians ("Calvaire") if this is any indication.
So yes, check this film out. I found many similarities between this and "American Psycho" (the plastic room and dismemberment, the spiral staircase, etc.) but that just seemed to make the film better for me. And you'll like where the story goes to (this is more of one man's crusade against the law and the world rather than just a horror story). I anticipate the eventual second viewing I'm sure this will receive.