Visually speaking, this film is stunning. It has some delightful black comedic moments. But on the whole, the plot is very clichéd, as is its seeming message. If you're a fan of over-the-top violence in mainstream movies like hostel or saw, you'll love it. If you're looking for something at all high-brow, steer away. I saw it as part of the edinburgh film festival 06, and I only chose it because I was looking for something disturbing. Ultimately, it isn't disturbing. Just grinding and unpleasant to sit through. If you genuinely want to be challenged, go see something like The Lost. If you want to be grossed out, or tell your friends about a really messed up film, then this is for you.
20 Reviews
Clean towels! We need clean towels, room 6.
Coventry18 October 2007
With all the promising reviews warning about the morbidity & intense shock-value of this film, and especially with knowing what formed basic inspiration for the story , I can't help admitting I was a little disappointed after my viewing of "H6: Diary of a Serial Killer". Sure this Spanish effort is remotely gruesome and confronting, but not nearly as much as I expected (or hoped) and there are far more dull moments than shocking ones. As for the inspiration, the script (and even the main character Antonio Frau himself) often refers to Henri Landru. Landru was a French serial killer who murdered nearly a dozen of women during the years of World War one and carefully noted down his grim actions in a diary that eventually proved his guilt. Landru selected his victims randomly and killed without apparent motives, and maybe the character of Antonio Frau could have used a bit more sense of nihilism like that as well. His seemingly forced motives for killing young girls are (partly) what makes the film so implausible. Once freed from jail, where he did 15 years for murdering his girlfriend when he was a teenager, Antonio inherits an old and ramshackle motel in the middle of a prostitute-infested neighborhood. With his new wife working night shifts at the hospital, Antonio has plenty of free time to fulfill his new mission in life, namely the purification of sinners. He lures drug-addicted prostitutes to his motel and locks them up in room 6, where he rapes, humiliates and tortures them (talk about 'cleansing') before practicing his chainsaw dismembering skills on their scarcely dressed bodies. Antonio's modus operandi and motivations don't make the least bit of sense, but they do result in several nauseating and blood-soaked sequences. Totally gratuitous footage, of course, but suitably sadistic if you're interested in this type of cinema. But, like I mentioned before already, the film badly suffers from too many tedious moments as well. Antonio Frau really talks too much and insists on narrating all the things he writes down in his precious diary. Near the end of the movie and totally out of the blue, the script suddenly turns ambitious and actually attempts to make us believe the protagonist is a criminal mastermind, even more intelligent than the Jigsaw Killer or even Hannibal Lector. Yeah right. "H6: Diary of a Serial Killer" is nicely shot and benefices from macabre settings and a thoroughly grim ambiance. Fernando Acaso is fairly convincing as the twisted killer (at least during the first half of the film), Mariá José Bausá is bewitching as his voluptuous wife and Antonio Mayans (a Jess Franco regular!) makes a brief appearance as her lover. "H6" isn't nearly as sick and repulsive as some people claim, but nonetheless an interesting movie for Euro-horror fanatics to check out.
The sort of thing for an all-night horror fest
Chris_Docker26 August 2006
H6 - Diary of an Assassin opens with a dark screen. A domestic argument can be heard. Spilling out of the darkness of an apartment into murky, ochre light we see a man abusing and eventually throttling his wife. Hello Antonio Frau, before he learns the self-control needed to become a serious serial killer.
Several years later and he's out of prison, inheriting an old empty building that used to be a brothel. He also picks up a wife, who has corresponded with him in the nick and believes he has reformed. He has. Gone is the anger, the violent reactiveness to situations he can't control. He now has a finely honed mind, free of any non-psychopathic tendencies, and explains to the audience his new calling as a serial killer. He obligingly plans a diary that will include before-and-after Polaroid pictures - for posterity, you understand. We survey his collection of chain saws and other necessary equipment.
The portrait of an unemotional but ruthlessly clinical and intelligent killer hearkens to many movies of this ilk, or popular fiction such as We Must Talk About Kevin. It is not particularly new, but there is always room for a new approach and I was interested to see how the cinematography tackled the subject, whether the scenes of gore would be particularly extreme censor-bait, memorably artistic, or whether it would develop new psychological twists.
Intellectually, the film is fairly shallow, but could still appeal to gore-buffs. Antonio Frau's main raison d'etre is the old 'cleanse humanity of the scum' motive - rounding up prostitutes and other undesirables and purge them with pain before ridding humanity of their presence (all in the name of the Lord). The psychology mirrors the witchfinders of Roman Catholicism, aided and abetted then by a string of ingenious torturers, sexual perverts and willing official and non-official helpers. That age having passed (or at least transformed - the Church no longer having such power in modern day Spain), poor Antonio has to shoulder the divine burden all himself. "The Lord has chosen me for this very special task," he proclaims. The similarity, and the fact that Church brutality against 'witches' was mirrored on Old Testament torture, raises the question of copycat violence for the weak minded.
Antonio's preferred method is to seem kind and generous until he has his victims in his grasp. He has a special room in the old lodging house with a table where he binds women of the night spread-eagled (usually he feeds them first and explains his special sexual needs, offering lots of dosh). Once they are tied up, he rapes them repeatedly, starves them for days, and then (for the good of their soul) hacks them into bits and puts the body parts in black bin bags.
For its economy of images, most of which are above-average though not quite outstanding, H6 - Diary of an Assassin deserves some credit. One of the victims puts in a remarkably good performance as she is raped - the expressions on her face are horrifying. But the film falls short of even its own modest ambition. The camera looks away as limbs are hacked off, and the blood spurts look a little repetitive from one dismemberment to the next. Even more worrying in terms of continuity is the explicit camera shots between the girls' legs that always show neatly arranged panties even as Antonio dismounts.
This film will be offensive to many people for the subject matter. For some horror buffs it will, ironically, be lacking in sufficient realism, at least by today's film-making standards, but there is enough to slake the blood-thirst of most fans of the genre. Others should probably stay away.
Several years later and he's out of prison, inheriting an old empty building that used to be a brothel. He also picks up a wife, who has corresponded with him in the nick and believes he has reformed. He has. Gone is the anger, the violent reactiveness to situations he can't control. He now has a finely honed mind, free of any non-psychopathic tendencies, and explains to the audience his new calling as a serial killer. He obligingly plans a diary that will include before-and-after Polaroid pictures - for posterity, you understand. We survey his collection of chain saws and other necessary equipment.
The portrait of an unemotional but ruthlessly clinical and intelligent killer hearkens to many movies of this ilk, or popular fiction such as We Must Talk About Kevin. It is not particularly new, but there is always room for a new approach and I was interested to see how the cinematography tackled the subject, whether the scenes of gore would be particularly extreme censor-bait, memorably artistic, or whether it would develop new psychological twists.
Intellectually, the film is fairly shallow, but could still appeal to gore-buffs. Antonio Frau's main raison d'etre is the old 'cleanse humanity of the scum' motive - rounding up prostitutes and other undesirables and purge them with pain before ridding humanity of their presence (all in the name of the Lord). The psychology mirrors the witchfinders of Roman Catholicism, aided and abetted then by a string of ingenious torturers, sexual perverts and willing official and non-official helpers. That age having passed (or at least transformed - the Church no longer having such power in modern day Spain), poor Antonio has to shoulder the divine burden all himself. "The Lord has chosen me for this very special task," he proclaims. The similarity, and the fact that Church brutality against 'witches' was mirrored on Old Testament torture, raises the question of copycat violence for the weak minded.
Antonio's preferred method is to seem kind and generous until he has his victims in his grasp. He has a special room in the old lodging house with a table where he binds women of the night spread-eagled (usually he feeds them first and explains his special sexual needs, offering lots of dosh). Once they are tied up, he rapes them repeatedly, starves them for days, and then (for the good of their soul) hacks them into bits and puts the body parts in black bin bags.
For its economy of images, most of which are above-average though not quite outstanding, H6 - Diary of an Assassin deserves some credit. One of the victims puts in a remarkably good performance as she is raped - the expressions on her face are horrifying. But the film falls short of even its own modest ambition. The camera looks away as limbs are hacked off, and the blood spurts look a little repetitive from one dismemberment to the next. Even more worrying in terms of continuity is the explicit camera shots between the girls' legs that always show neatly arranged panties even as Antonio dismounts.
This film will be offensive to many people for the subject matter. For some horror buffs it will, ironically, be lacking in sufficient realism, at least by today's film-making standards, but there is enough to slake the blood-thirst of most fans of the genre. Others should probably stay away.
Claustrophobic and eerie film with a lot of grisly murders committed in an old lodging house
ma-cortes16 May 2020
I deals with Antonio Frau : Fernando Acaso, a criminal who after 25 years in prison for killing his fiancee, he is then freed. Later on , a public
notary tells him he has inherited an old boarding house from an unknown aunt. At the room number 6, of his motel he carries out grisly activities, by coping his admired French killer "Landru" and using a chainsaw , too. Meantime , he marries a nurse woman called Francisca : Maria José Bausa who deceives him with a doctor : Antonio Mayans , and both of whom live at the motel, going on their ordinary marriage life while Frau executes astonishing slaughter . Along the way he writes his self-biography and diary, detailing his ominous and dark exploits. Come in, dont be afraid.
Terrifying films with brief elements of black humor about murders with a series killer proceeding a criminal spree, about 18 victims cutting them in piezes, usually prostitutes, including lots of intercourses, gore and blood . A little known cast as Fernando Acaso playing a formerly convicted murderer who in freedom becomes a series killer as well as a women rapist. His wife is played by Maria Jose Bousa, in her only film, as a nurse who cheats him with her older doctor and she isn't aware his sinister activities. An un unknown support cast exception for short apperances from Alejo Sauras, Miguel Fernandez and Antonio Mayans who was regular actor in Jesus Franco or Uncle Jess films and his usual collaborator.
The movie contains an atmospheric musical score from Gaby Kemp and Jose Sanz, adding classic music by prestigious composers as Vivaldi : 4 seasons, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Requiem, Johannes Brahms : Concert no 2, Ludwig Van Beethoven : Sonata no 14 Moolight, Giacomo Puccini : Tosca , Frederic Chopin : Valse in Flat Major Minute, among others . The picture was regular but professionally directed by Martin Garrido Baron. He is a multiple artist, as he is actor/producer/photographer/director/composer. He has directed a few films as Vidas Tenebrosas , Nos veremos en infierno, El monstruo, and Mediterranean blue. Rating 5/10. Mediocre but entertaining.
Terrifying films with brief elements of black humor about murders with a series killer proceeding a criminal spree, about 18 victims cutting them in piezes, usually prostitutes, including lots of intercourses, gore and blood . A little known cast as Fernando Acaso playing a formerly convicted murderer who in freedom becomes a series killer as well as a women rapist. His wife is played by Maria Jose Bousa, in her only film, as a nurse who cheats him with her older doctor and she isn't aware his sinister activities. An un unknown support cast exception for short apperances from Alejo Sauras, Miguel Fernandez and Antonio Mayans who was regular actor in Jesus Franco or Uncle Jess films and his usual collaborator.
The movie contains an atmospheric musical score from Gaby Kemp and Jose Sanz, adding classic music by prestigious composers as Vivaldi : 4 seasons, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Requiem, Johannes Brahms : Concert no 2, Ludwig Van Beethoven : Sonata no 14 Moolight, Giacomo Puccini : Tosca , Frederic Chopin : Valse in Flat Major Minute, among others . The picture was regular but professionally directed by Martin Garrido Baron. He is a multiple artist, as he is actor/producer/photographer/director/composer. He has directed a few films as Vidas Tenebrosas , Nos veremos en infierno, El monstruo, and Mediterranean blue. Rating 5/10. Mediocre but entertaining.
Nasty and pointless
john-souray19 February 2007
Warning: Spoilers
(Only minor spoilers except as noted).
I've enjoyed a lot of Spanish cinema recently; both the actual Spanish cinema of people like Almodovar, and the Latin American cinema of directors like del Toro, whose superb "Devil's Backbone", set in Civil War Spain, was the finest horror film of the last decade. It's no surprise, then, that this film is both well-made, well-acted, and manages to sustain that distinctively different Spanish atmosphere. But it's also as nasty and pointless a film as one could hope not to have to see.
What actually is the purpose of all this? We have no real idea what caused the creepy central character to embark on his killing spree, despite the fact that large amounts of narrative voice-over are drawn directly from his own narcissistic journal. In a routinely unpleasant opening sequence, set more than a decade earlier, we see the central character killing his girlfriend in a rage of jealousy and control-freakery (" if I can't have you nobody can ."). Oddly enough, that is perhaps one of the best sequences in the film, but it has no discernible relation to his subsequent killing spree, which appears completely different in both motivation and execution. What happened to him in jail to cause this change? We have no idea, though we do later discover, as an absurd sort of afterthought, that he obtained a law degree while imprisoned.
In Britain, in several of our notorious "serial killer" or "sex killer" cases, the terrible question arises; what about the wife? Did she know, or suspect what was going on? This is a question that this film could have asked, and indeed the wife does begin to emerge as one of the more intriguing characters. But banally, the answer to the question is quite clearly: "No, she didn't". Even when a dramatic opportunity like this is presented on a plate, the film still manages to bungle it. All we actually get, sketched perfunctorily out at the end, is her slightly amoral preparedness to cash in on the proceeds after the event. Compare this to the awful revelatory moment in Ten Rillington Place, where Christie's wife says "you know what I mean ." thereby sealing her own fate and allowing us an appalled glimpse into unimaginable chasms of suppressed knowledge and horror.
(Major spoiler in this paragraph). In the meantime, we are supposed to believe that the killer himself is a criminal mastermind who comprehensively outwits the police, thereby securing the briefest of incarcerations in a mental hospital before being released so that he can kill again. How exactly did he achieve this? The plot gets extremely sketchy at this point; something to do with deliberately leaving certain clues for the police; but how this all works or why, or how the subsequent court case actually proceeds, remains a mystery.
I actually don't believe serial killers are like this. The Silence of the Lambs may be comic book stuff, but Lecter aside it gets its serial killers right. They are deeply disturbed, deeply dysfunctional, deeply inadequate people; not the creepily charming mastermind presented here (closely related to the equally implausible suave killer of The Last Horror Movie, or indeed even Man Bites Dog, though it appears not to have been noticed that that was a satire).
This film has little suspense, and bungles what little intrigue the plot might have generated. It has nothing useful to say about the motivations of serial killers, either generally, or in the specific cultural milieu of Spain. This is nothing more than a poorly plotted excuse to show some pretty misogynistic violence to women. And oddly, what makes that violence even more repulsive is a certain prissy failure of nerve even in how it is presented. The soft core character of what is actually shown just makes it seem even more repellently titillatory. Just one explicit shot, properly timed, would have been infinitely more shocking, and would have rendered all the rest completely unnecessary, freeing up more film time to flesh out the gaping holes in plot and characterisation. Instead we just get endless shots of young women vulnerably spreadeagled on a table in their pretty but slightly revealing underwear. Very, very creepy. I'm sorry to be rude; I love horror films, and can tolerate even the most extreme, to the extent even of worrying my partner. But I think anyone who finds this film good, or interesting, even I'd find myself edging away from. The purpose of a horror film is to scare you; this is just lascivious.
It leaves a very bad taste in the mouth indeed. I have to give this film more than one star just because it's competently executed, but morally it deserves none at all and should never have been made.
I've enjoyed a lot of Spanish cinema recently; both the actual Spanish cinema of people like Almodovar, and the Latin American cinema of directors like del Toro, whose superb "Devil's Backbone", set in Civil War Spain, was the finest horror film of the last decade. It's no surprise, then, that this film is both well-made, well-acted, and manages to sustain that distinctively different Spanish atmosphere. But it's also as nasty and pointless a film as one could hope not to have to see.
What actually is the purpose of all this? We have no real idea what caused the creepy central character to embark on his killing spree, despite the fact that large amounts of narrative voice-over are drawn directly from his own narcissistic journal. In a routinely unpleasant opening sequence, set more than a decade earlier, we see the central character killing his girlfriend in a rage of jealousy and control-freakery (" if I can't have you nobody can ."). Oddly enough, that is perhaps one of the best sequences in the film, but it has no discernible relation to his subsequent killing spree, which appears completely different in both motivation and execution. What happened to him in jail to cause this change? We have no idea, though we do later discover, as an absurd sort of afterthought, that he obtained a law degree while imprisoned.
In Britain, in several of our notorious "serial killer" or "sex killer" cases, the terrible question arises; what about the wife? Did she know, or suspect what was going on? This is a question that this film could have asked, and indeed the wife does begin to emerge as one of the more intriguing characters. But banally, the answer to the question is quite clearly: "No, she didn't". Even when a dramatic opportunity like this is presented on a plate, the film still manages to bungle it. All we actually get, sketched perfunctorily out at the end, is her slightly amoral preparedness to cash in on the proceeds after the event. Compare this to the awful revelatory moment in Ten Rillington Place, where Christie's wife says "you know what I mean ." thereby sealing her own fate and allowing us an appalled glimpse into unimaginable chasms of suppressed knowledge and horror.
(Major spoiler in this paragraph). In the meantime, we are supposed to believe that the killer himself is a criminal mastermind who comprehensively outwits the police, thereby securing the briefest of incarcerations in a mental hospital before being released so that he can kill again. How exactly did he achieve this? The plot gets extremely sketchy at this point; something to do with deliberately leaving certain clues for the police; but how this all works or why, or how the subsequent court case actually proceeds, remains a mystery.
I actually don't believe serial killers are like this. The Silence of the Lambs may be comic book stuff, but Lecter aside it gets its serial killers right. They are deeply disturbed, deeply dysfunctional, deeply inadequate people; not the creepily charming mastermind presented here (closely related to the equally implausible suave killer of The Last Horror Movie, or indeed even Man Bites Dog, though it appears not to have been noticed that that was a satire).
This film has little suspense, and bungles what little intrigue the plot might have generated. It has nothing useful to say about the motivations of serial killers, either generally, or in the specific cultural milieu of Spain. This is nothing more than a poorly plotted excuse to show some pretty misogynistic violence to women. And oddly, what makes that violence even more repulsive is a certain prissy failure of nerve even in how it is presented. The soft core character of what is actually shown just makes it seem even more repellently titillatory. Just one explicit shot, properly timed, would have been infinitely more shocking, and would have rendered all the rest completely unnecessary, freeing up more film time to flesh out the gaping holes in plot and characterisation. Instead we just get endless shots of young women vulnerably spreadeagled on a table in their pretty but slightly revealing underwear. Very, very creepy. I'm sorry to be rude; I love horror films, and can tolerate even the most extreme, to the extent even of worrying my partner. But I think anyone who finds this film good, or interesting, even I'd find myself edging away from. The purpose of a horror film is to scare you; this is just lascivious.
It leaves a very bad taste in the mouth indeed. I have to give this film more than one star just because it's competently executed, but morally it deserves none at all and should never have been made.
Hello Woman!
kosmasp5 May 2007
The name (Frau) of the main character is the German word for "Woman". I don't know if that was intentional or not, but if sure got some giggles from the German audience at the Fantasy Film Festival last year, when it was shown.
But those were the only giggles the movie got. Not that it was aiming for giggles, it's a horrible movie for heaven's sake! A horrible movie in more than one meaning. It's a shame that a premise like that was wasted with horrible even unbearable moments for the viewer (definetely not for the faint of Heart!!)! And it wasn't even necessary to show all the things that are shown. I'm not even going into a moral obligation (because movies don't really have that kind of task or function) discussion of what is shown here, but this is a new low on the whole "torture movement" that has grown in the last few years!
But those were the only giggles the movie got. Not that it was aiming for giggles, it's a horrible movie for heaven's sake! A horrible movie in more than one meaning. It's a shame that a premise like that was wasted with horrible even unbearable moments for the viewer (definetely not for the faint of Heart!!)! And it wasn't even necessary to show all the things that are shown. I'm not even going into a moral obligation (because movies don't really have that kind of task or function) discussion of what is shown here, but this is a new low on the whole "torture movement" that has grown in the last few years!
Disappointing,but suitably grim serial killer movie.
HumanoidOfFlesh20 March 2007
Antonio Frau is a cold-blooded killer.Frau has just been released from prison after serving 14 years for killing his girlfriend.He has inherited a run-down former brothel from a late aunt and married Francisca,who he met through a dating service and started writing to while inside.He lures prostitutes,most of them drug addicts,into his hotel at night where he ties them to a table,tortures and rapes them for days then cuts them into pieces using a chainsaw."H6:Diary of a Serial Killer" is occasionally pretty grim,but mostly uninteresting serial killer movie.It is not as extremely intense as my all time favourite Austrian "Angst",but there are some mildly shocking moments including rapes and chainsaw dismemberment.Fernado Acaso is pretty believable as a misogynistic killer and there is a bit of gore.Give it a look.
Ugh...
Leofwine_draca2 October 2015
Low budget serial killer films repulse me, I can't deny it. When I watch films like this, or THE LAST HORROR MOVIE, I can't help but be offended by the constant degradation of women. The director asks you to wallow in filth and depravity and what do you get out of it? A film like H6: DIARY OF A SERIAL KILLER is hardly disturbing, it's just cheap and sleazy, and rather pointless at the end of the day.
Comparisons have been made between this and HOSTEL, but H6 has nothing of the suspenseful storyline of that film. It's been described as the Spanish answer to American PSYCHO, but it misses that film's black comedy and assured performances. There are superficial similarities to HENRY: PORTAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER, but that was a masterpiece of quiet realism and mind-numbing brutality by comparison. What we get instead is a grotty, no budget production in which half the running time consists of an ugly middle-aged guy raping and murdering women in his basement.
Yes, that's all the story this film has. Sure, the filmmakers attempt something more by including a friendly voice-over narrative and a seemingly disconnected ending, but it really is trash. The performances are bad, with the protagonist underacting to the point of being non-existent, while the women are just forced to strip down and scream a lot. H6 is a graphic, brutal horror flick, but other than repulse it does nothing for the viewer. I hated it. If you want to see a decent Spanish killer film check out something like SLEEP TIGHT which is masterful by comparison.
Comparisons have been made between this and HOSTEL, but H6 has nothing of the suspenseful storyline of that film. It's been described as the Spanish answer to American PSYCHO, but it misses that film's black comedy and assured performances. There are superficial similarities to HENRY: PORTAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER, but that was a masterpiece of quiet realism and mind-numbing brutality by comparison. What we get instead is a grotty, no budget production in which half the running time consists of an ugly middle-aged guy raping and murdering women in his basement.
Yes, that's all the story this film has. Sure, the filmmakers attempt something more by including a friendly voice-over narrative and a seemingly disconnected ending, but it really is trash. The performances are bad, with the protagonist underacting to the point of being non-existent, while the women are just forced to strip down and scream a lot. H6 is a graphic, brutal horror flick, but other than repulse it does nothing for the viewer. I hated it. If you want to see a decent Spanish killer film check out something like SLEEP TIGHT which is masterful by comparison.
pretty good Spanish serial killer movie, predating Hostel
FieCrier26 March 2008
A man out of prison for strangling his girlfriend inherits an uninhabited "guest house" that had been used as a house of prostitution. Inspired by the unexpected gift and by real life serial killer Henri Désiré Landru, he prepares room 6 to starve, interrogate, humiliate, rape, and kill prostitutes he invites in from the street. He thinks he can somehow purify them, but his motives aren't all "good," as he's interested in money and fame for himself as well. Like Landru supposedly did, he keeps a detailed diary with Polaroid photographs (now a thing of the past) as evidence of his crime, since he manages to destroy all the other evidence he doesn't care to have discovered.
Meanwhile, he also manages to be a loving husband to his new wife, even tolerating her open affair with a doctor at her hospital where she is a nurse. The inspector who had arrested him for his first killing is the one who comes to suspect him of the recent ones.
There is plenty of blood spray in the movie, and some cannibalism, but the cuts themselves are not shown, so if that's your bag, you'll be disappointed. I found the movie to be engrossing enough and very well-shot for it to hold my attention.
Meanwhile, he also manages to be a loving husband to his new wife, even tolerating her open affair with a doctor at her hospital where she is a nurse. The inspector who had arrested him for his first killing is the one who comes to suspect him of the recent ones.
There is plenty of blood spray in the movie, and some cannibalism, but the cuts themselves are not shown, so if that's your bag, you'll be disappointed. I found the movie to be engrossing enough and very well-shot for it to hold my attention.
Awful, stupid, unnecessary
rothsindel11 August 2006
This self proclaimed "very talented artist" have directed easily the worst Spanish film of the 21st century. Lack of emotion, coherence, rhythm, skills, humor... it repeats the same situation over and over again. It shows no character development. It does not even show any violent and/or sexual content, and it does not add anything new to the psycho-killer sub genre. So lame it should be shown at film schools as an example of "what not to do" in a first movie.
BTW where the hell is the "talent"? there are scenes which have been shot almost identically; there are scenes which have two or more master shots and it is quite awful to see the action jumping from one master shot to another without a reason. The camera almost never moves, as if the "very talented artist" was afraid of showing his lack of visual skills. The actors playing the main roles act like amateurs, and the supporting cast is hardly believable. There are more holes than plot in the script (if ever there was one)...
A really disheartening movie, and a whatsoever talented director.
BTW where the hell is the "talent"? there are scenes which have been shot almost identically; there are scenes which have two or more master shots and it is quite awful to see the action jumping from one master shot to another without a reason. The camera almost never moves, as if the "very talented artist" was afraid of showing his lack of visual skills. The actors playing the main roles act like amateurs, and the supporting cast is hardly believable. There are more holes than plot in the script (if ever there was one)...
A really disheartening movie, and a whatsoever talented director.
Brutal...just brutal
Smkeeley11 September 2006
Man, just when you think you've seen all the brutal, messed-up scenes you can, along comes a movie like this to shake you up. What's in the water over there in Spain? Antonio Frau is a recently-paroled killer who served his time but hasn't been very well rehabilitated. He inherits an old brothel from some relative and he decides this is a sign from God to kill hookers...and pretty much anyone else who he deems "unclean". Of course, he doesn't just kill them, he "purifies" them, which consists of a lot of torture and drawn-out pain until finally dropping the chainsaw on them.
Admittedly, you don't see all the blood and guts, a lot of it is insinuated, but in a way that's better. It sticks with you, the mental images of what he does.
If you liked Hostel or are a big fan of really sick torture scenes, this is a must-see!
Admittedly, you don't see all the blood and guts, a lot of it is insinuated, but in a way that's better. It sticks with you, the mental images of what he does.
If you liked Hostel or are a big fan of really sick torture scenes, this is a must-see!
A Worthy Addition to my Extensive Horror Collection
gavin694223 February 2007
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.
Brutal horror film....
MovieGuy0116 October 2009
I thought that H6: Diary Of A Serial Killer was a good but brutal horror film. H6 tells the story of Antonio Frau, a serial killer set free after serving 25 years in jail for the murder of his girlfriend. After inheriting and old motel from a relative he never knew, he sees this as a place where he is able to do his tasks of relieving the grief of those who have lost the will to live. He takes his victims to room Number 6 in the motel where he 'purifies' them, while, at the same time, continues his everyday life next to his wife. I thought that this was a very brutal, but a good horror film. The film contained quite a lot of strong violence and torture.
Brad Garrett's a Spanish Psycho!?
Ralphus220 May 2010
Warning: Spoilers
As most of the other reviews here suggest, this isn't terrible movie, but it isn't a great one either. What I did like about it is the way it treats its main character. His serial killing is presented in a kind of run-of-the-mill way; like it's all just part of his day: chat with the wife, cup of coffee, maybe some ham, pick up a prostitute, torment torture and dismember her, then greet the wife when she returns. For what it's worth, I'm not sure if I've seen a psycho movie that takes quite this approach. Having said that, I did find it a tad dull. This pseudo-mundane, quotidian approach also tends to make everything seem a little unremarkable (outside the torture and dismemberment, that is). The killer's fascination with the diary of Landru, a notorious French murderer from the early 20th century, and his wish to emulate him, had the potential to be interesting, but nothing much comes of it, other than certain events at the very end of the film (which I won't give away; I'll let the viewer be underwhelmed without my *spoiling* it).
The single most irritating thing about the movie--and this may seem really shallow and dumb--is that the lead character REALLY looks a lot like Brad Garrett (you know, the big dopey brother from Everybody Loves Raymond). He even kind of sounds like him! (in Spanish, of course!) Profile, hair, even certain mannerisms--Brad Garrett! As you may imagine, it's pretty hard to take 'Robbie' seriously as he wields a chainsaw over a strapped-down Spanish prostitute in a splatter-proof room.
Overall, it's not SO bad a flick, but there's no way it belongs on your must-see list. 4 apathetic stars.
The single most irritating thing about the movie--and this may seem really shallow and dumb--is that the lead character REALLY looks a lot like Brad Garrett (you know, the big dopey brother from Everybody Loves Raymond). He even kind of sounds like him! (in Spanish, of course!) Profile, hair, even certain mannerisms--Brad Garrett! As you may imagine, it's pretty hard to take 'Robbie' seriously as he wields a chainsaw over a strapped-down Spanish prostitute in a splatter-proof room.
Overall, it's not SO bad a flick, but there's no way it belongs on your must-see list. 4 apathetic stars.
A Modern Spanish Adaptation of the Trials and Tribulations of Henri Landru
CelluloidRehab30 January 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Sometimes we think, due to our limited circumstances, that as a species we have evolved to a level beyond the animal. That we are somehow more developed and more advanced. How much "evolutionary difference" is there between defecating in the fields and creating a special "place", with water, where one goes to defecate? Also think about how sometimes it is of a communal nature (sometimes even doing it side-by-side, separated just a couple of feet apart from each other by incomplete walls). The most prude of us, the English, even went as so far as to disguise it with language,as if perfuming the air. They called it a water closet. George Carlin would have something funny to say about that subject right about now. I'm definitely no George Carlin, but I can press play. If you are ready to deal with the baseness of the human species, then this movie might be right for you.
The movie starts brutally in a darkened stairwell, where we witness a most violent break up. Antonio Frau, in the most extreme act of machismo, strangles his girl friend/ wife. This movie tries very hard to make you feel extremely uncomfortable with what is happening on the the screen. It would easily qualify as grind house, except that it is way too dark, stylized and imposes too much seriousness to be campy. It resembles more of a "From Hell" in the type of a demi-hero, demi-villainous character it employs. Antonio Frau (Fernando Acaso), after being released from prison years later, inherits an abandoned ex-whore house from his aunt. This becomes the scene of the fun house experience at Freddy Kruger's house. Fernando Acaso does an amazing job of creating a Jeffery Dahmer like demeanor. It is cold on the outside, yet charming somehow. Throughout, however, is this creepy feeling like you are being surgically sliced into bits (in his mind).
The storyline follows a modern piece of historically inspired fiction. Historically speaking, Henri Landru was a French serial killer that preyed mostly on widows, during World War I in Paris (10/11 of his victims were women). Henri kept a detailed log of all the women and all of the aliases he used on each. At one point a relative of one of his victims shows up looking for them. This stirs up the police, which leads to Landru and his journal (which was used as evidence to convict him). Landru eventually is guillotined a few years later. Antonio Frau actual speaks about Landru in the movie. He is considered a flawed inspiration. Henri was in it for the money, however, Antonio has another agenda as well (a Saw-like agenda). There is such a duplicity to the character of Antonio Frau. Some of the really graphic scenes had very little actual gore, but actually maintained a somber and terrifying style which helped it from falling back into grind.
The style is eerily single X snuff-like. There is some guilt in watching, yet it feeds the voyeuristic and bass tendencies in humankind to continue to not look away. It is hard to recommend this movie to anyone, considering the nature of the violence. This is why I gave it a 5/10. Depending on the type of person watching this movie, I can easily see it going either way. Much like someone once said of Kronos; You either find it interesting or strongly, wrenchingly dislike it. There is no love.
The movie starts brutally in a darkened stairwell, where we witness a most violent break up. Antonio Frau, in the most extreme act of machismo, strangles his girl friend/ wife. This movie tries very hard to make you feel extremely uncomfortable with what is happening on the the screen. It would easily qualify as grind house, except that it is way too dark, stylized and imposes too much seriousness to be campy. It resembles more of a "From Hell" in the type of a demi-hero, demi-villainous character it employs. Antonio Frau (Fernando Acaso), after being released from prison years later, inherits an abandoned ex-whore house from his aunt. This becomes the scene of the fun house experience at Freddy Kruger's house. Fernando Acaso does an amazing job of creating a Jeffery Dahmer like demeanor. It is cold on the outside, yet charming somehow. Throughout, however, is this creepy feeling like you are being surgically sliced into bits (in his mind).
The storyline follows a modern piece of historically inspired fiction. Historically speaking, Henri Landru was a French serial killer that preyed mostly on widows, during World War I in Paris (10/11 of his victims were women). Henri kept a detailed log of all the women and all of the aliases he used on each. At one point a relative of one of his victims shows up looking for them. This stirs up the police, which leads to Landru and his journal (which was used as evidence to convict him). Landru eventually is guillotined a few years later. Antonio Frau actual speaks about Landru in the movie. He is considered a flawed inspiration. Henri was in it for the money, however, Antonio has another agenda as well (a Saw-like agenda). There is such a duplicity to the character of Antonio Frau. Some of the really graphic scenes had very little actual gore, but actually maintained a somber and terrifying style which helped it from falling back into grind.
The style is eerily single X snuff-like. There is some guilt in watching, yet it feeds the voyeuristic and bass tendencies in humankind to continue to not look away. It is hard to recommend this movie to anyone, considering the nature of the violence. This is why I gave it a 5/10. Depending on the type of person watching this movie, I can easily see it going either way. Much like someone once said of Kronos; You either find it interesting or strongly, wrenchingly dislike it. There is no love.
Awful and very very boring...
tschatton30 January 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I read some comments on the internet about this film like "...harder then Hostel...", "the camera never screens of when it's getting really brutal...". But none of them is true. The camera never screens of, because there is nothing to screen of. The same scene is repeated hundred and hundred times again. Women lies on a table, killer rapes women a few times, killer cuts women into pieces (you never see this during the whole film!). Police come and arrested him. Killer fools the jury. Film over. In Germany we would say :"Viel Lärm um Nichts". All in all, one of the most boring films I ever see. Absolutely non-recommendable.
Sometimes less is more.
parry_na14 January 2022
This Spanish horror does exactly as it says on the tin. Featuring the bizarre and bloody activities of serial killer Antonio Frau (Fernando Acaso), released after 25 years in prison, he rids the world of the prostitutes he clearly feels need 'cleansing'.
The failures of the leniency of the judicial system are explored and exploited here. Why the police don't swoop on Frau the moment the killings begin is a bit of a mystery, but he's living a respectably double life, seemingly as a cover. The ending comes as a slight disappointment after the terrors of the 95 minutes running time.
Other than that, this is a very well played, stylishly directed and compelling film. The acting is terrific, with some particularly enthusiastic torture scenes - we don't actually see any graphic cutting or slicing, but we see the reactions to it, which might even be more disturbing; sometimes less is more. There's a nice cameo from veteran actor Antonio Mayans too; it would have been nice to have seen more from him.
The setting is also a big part of why the film is so effective. Run down and evocatively filmed - lots of seedy greens and yellows - and frequently spattered with a lot of blood. My score is 7 out of 10.
The failures of the leniency of the judicial system are explored and exploited here. Why the police don't swoop on Frau the moment the killings begin is a bit of a mystery, but he's living a respectably double life, seemingly as a cover. The ending comes as a slight disappointment after the terrors of the 95 minutes running time.
Other than that, this is a very well played, stylishly directed and compelling film. The acting is terrific, with some particularly enthusiastic torture scenes - we don't actually see any graphic cutting or slicing, but we see the reactions to it, which might even be more disturbing; sometimes less is more. There's a nice cameo from veteran actor Antonio Mayans too; it would have been nice to have seen more from him.
The setting is also a big part of why the film is so effective. Run down and evocatively filmed - lots of seedy greens and yellows - and frequently spattered with a lot of blood. My score is 7 out of 10.
Brutal, cruel, insane entertainment. 10/10
Kanzaman-26 July 2006
Brutal film. I watched it at a press screening and I was as shocked as was the rest of the press! Everybody was dead silent as we left the screening room and the female audience there looked quite rattled. It is hard to comment on the film as it is so different and unclassifiable. And I had to remind myself that it was indeed fiction... Not recommendable for a first date unless she is into bondage... Or if you want to brag about how you can spot a cult film from a first time director...(Judging by the fantastic reviews worldwide)... Also, I think that the film has been selected for the Edimburgh Film Festival this year... - - - - 10/10
Dear Diary, Today, I sliced up a hooker with a chainsaw.
BA_Harrison14 March 2010
"The Spanish answer to Hostel" boasts the sleeve of the DVD for H6. But whilst it's true that this film's relentless scenes of torture and violence might possibly appeal to the audiences of such modern horror, I suspect that fans of that particular franchise could feel cheated by the description used on the packaging. This isn't mainstream splatter for indiscriminate teens; it's a study of a psychotic serial killer that bears far more resemblance to a handful of other, perhaps lesser-known horror films than to the work of Eli Roth.
Sure, certain aspects of director Martín Garrido Barón's brutal chiller can be compared to The Silence of the Lambs and the Saw films, but other parts are more reminiscent of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, American Psycho, The Last Horror Movie, nasty low-budget crap-fest Scrapbook, and even recent French shocker Martyrs. One thing is certain though: there's not a single sadistic East European in sight.
Instead, there's a deranged Spaniard, with a plastic sheet covered room and a shiny new chainsaw ready for action.
Said sicko is Antonio Frau (Fernando Acaso), who has recently been released from prison after serving 15 years for killing his girlfriend. Almost immediately after gaining his freedom, Antonio finds himself a wife (buxom nurse Rosa, who is desperate to escape life at her parents' home), inherits a rundown guest-house in a sleazy part of town, and begins writing a diary in which he catalogues every detail of his new hobby: killing drifters, prostitutes, pimps and junkies!
While his wife is at work (she does the night-shift at a hospital, where she carries on her affair with a married doctor), Antonio is busy luring drug-addled hookers and other losers into his home, killing the men and taking the women to Room 6, where he 'purifies' them through repeated rape (amusingly 'working around' their knickers), torture, and finally, dismemberment. Meanwhile, the police inspector who previously arrested Antonio is hot on the case, and soon suspects that his old acquaintance is responsible for the area's lack of hookers.
Very grim and brutal in tone, but surprisingly light on the explicit violence (plenty of blood, but not much graphic gore—not that it needs it to offend), H6 is definitely not a film for all the family (unless that family sits in armchairs made from human remains). The awful treatment to which Antonio subjects his victims is extremely harrowing, and is recommended viewing only for hardened horror fans who are numb to the sight of petrified young women pleading for their lives before being sawn into tiny pieces (some of which get served up as dinner for Rosa).
The only thing that prevents H6 from being one of the best 'extreme' horrors to come out of Europe in recent years is the weak ending, which attempts to convince viewers that Antonio is a genius of Hannibal Lector proportions who has concocted a clever ruse to ensure that he receives a lighter than expected sentence. I can't help but feel that the film deserved a much more nihilistic denouement worthy of all that had gone before.
7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.
Sure, certain aspects of director Martín Garrido Barón's brutal chiller can be compared to The Silence of the Lambs and the Saw films, but other parts are more reminiscent of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, American Psycho, The Last Horror Movie, nasty low-budget crap-fest Scrapbook, and even recent French shocker Martyrs. One thing is certain though: there's not a single sadistic East European in sight.
Instead, there's a deranged Spaniard, with a plastic sheet covered room and a shiny new chainsaw ready for action.
Said sicko is Antonio Frau (Fernando Acaso), who has recently been released from prison after serving 15 years for killing his girlfriend. Almost immediately after gaining his freedom, Antonio finds himself a wife (buxom nurse Rosa, who is desperate to escape life at her parents' home), inherits a rundown guest-house in a sleazy part of town, and begins writing a diary in which he catalogues every detail of his new hobby: killing drifters, prostitutes, pimps and junkies!
While his wife is at work (she does the night-shift at a hospital, where she carries on her affair with a married doctor), Antonio is busy luring drug-addled hookers and other losers into his home, killing the men and taking the women to Room 6, where he 'purifies' them through repeated rape (amusingly 'working around' their knickers), torture, and finally, dismemberment. Meanwhile, the police inspector who previously arrested Antonio is hot on the case, and soon suspects that his old acquaintance is responsible for the area's lack of hookers.
Very grim and brutal in tone, but surprisingly light on the explicit violence (plenty of blood, but not much graphic gore—not that it needs it to offend), H6 is definitely not a film for all the family (unless that family sits in armchairs made from human remains). The awful treatment to which Antonio subjects his victims is extremely harrowing, and is recommended viewing only for hardened horror fans who are numb to the sight of petrified young women pleading for their lives before being sawn into tiny pieces (some of which get served up as dinner for Rosa).
The only thing that prevents H6 from being one of the best 'extreme' horrors to come out of Europe in recent years is the weak ending, which attempts to convince viewers that Antonio is a genius of Hannibal Lector proportions who has concocted a clever ruse to ensure that he receives a lighter than expected sentence. I can't help but feel that the film deserved a much more nihilistic denouement worthy of all that had gone before.
7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.
Hannibal Lechter, Patrick Batman, Jigsaw, and now Antonio Frau
akuma63418 February 2007
This is an amazing horror thriller. The only downer would be that there is really no gore, gallons of blood splatter all over but there is nothing on screen. What makes up for it is a script that is pure genius, great actors, a great set, beautiful women, and it's something different. Antonio Frau really is in league with Hannibal Lechter, Patrick Batman, and Jigsaw, I really see him as a mix off all of them.
Like Jigsaw he wants to weed out the people who ruined their own lives and don't deserve to live. He really is great with psychological torture. The tag line on the case was "The Spanish answer to Hostel." This was nothing like Hostel, I would call it the Spanish Answer to SAW or Hannibal. They story and the acting were enough to keep me entertained, which is very rare for me since when I bought this I also got 4 Troma movies so that really says quite a bit about the quality of H6. If you like independent and foreign movies that go places Hollywood wouldn't dare to go then H6 is worth your 20 bucks.
Like Jigsaw he wants to weed out the people who ruined their own lives and don't deserve to live. He really is great with psychological torture. The tag line on the case was "The Spanish answer to Hostel." This was nothing like Hostel, I would call it the Spanish Answer to SAW or Hannibal. They story and the acting were enough to keep me entertained, which is very rare for me since when I bought this I also got 4 Troma movies so that really says quite a bit about the quality of H6. If you like independent and foreign movies that go places Hollywood wouldn't dare to go then H6 is worth your 20 bucks.
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