I didn't finish the movie first time round. It was pretty tedious going. The whole thing went on too long with nothing happening and unconnected events jumping around in a boring way. If you can put up with the tedium then this might just be a good film. There is one truly sick and brutal stabbing scene and some blood going everywhere but otherwise nothing to note except an unnerving sense that I had seen it before. The whole theatrical style was just painful. The ending did not validate anything and left me wandering what the hell what I just watched was about.

If you like obscure films with lingering images of so called social commentary which add nothing but then if you took them away then there wouldn't be much to see then this is for you....Its a real throwback - there are better ways of expressing an opinion and probably more importantly - there are more deserving causes to have an opinion on in the first place....This is just a hackneyed piece which explains away an unhappy ending - with an unhappy beginning...This is the first review that I've done which is unfortunate as...I don't think I can really pad out 10 lines trying to describe anything much about it....If you are at all tempted then try and find an excerpt on youtube or similar - what you see is what you will get - all the way through!

You will never see a film quite like "Santa Sangre"! It is a uniquely artistic and well made horror film that presents the viewer with some of the most graphic, yet visually stunning and artistic scenes imaginable. The film concerns a young man named Fenix (played as a child by the director's young son then as an adult by his older son) who was born the son of a religiously obsessed woman who is part of a strange cult that worships a woman who was murdered and had both arms removed. This woman soon meets up with a circus owner who takes her and her son in but then begins an elicit affair with a woman who works for the circus who is covered from head to toe with tattoos! When Fenix's mother walks in on the two of them doing the deed, she douses her philandering husband's private parts with acid and he retaliates by cutting both her arms off before slicing his own throat! A few years later, Fenix (who witnessed this entire spectacle) is now in a mental institution and there is an unusual scene involving his leaving the institution for a night and roaming the streets with several mentally deficient patients while high on cocaine! Fenix is eventually freed from the institution by his mother, who miraculously survived the previous attack but is now without her arms. She takes her son under her wing and the two create a strange illusion type stage show involving Fenix standing behind his mother during the performance using his own arms to simulate her missing arms! He becomes his mother's arms during their everyday life as well in some intricately thought out scenes involving the two of them playing the piano and performing other daily tasks! Anytime Fenix becomes to closely attached to any female his mother compels him to kill her using her body and his arms until eventually Fenix can take no more leading to the film's unusual and unpredictable ending. This film is an absolute assault on your senses and even though it is graphic it must be seen to be fully appreciated!

"Santa Sangre" is indeed, a film unlike any other you've ever seen, be it horror film or otherwise - thus, it is almost impossible to put it down in words, but I'll try. Director Alejandro Jorodowsky brings back art-house surrealism so predominant in the works of Fellini and Bunuel, to a new generation, combining it with the sleaze and over-the-top brutality of the 80's splatter. On top of it, Jorodowsky also makes plenty of references to silent cinema, so much so that the film has hardly any dialog, relying solely on body language and raw emotions rather than spoken lines, with some truly impressive and jaw-dropping performances by the whole cast. The final result is a truly unforgettable and visceral experience, filled with some of the most beautifully disturbing imagery and haunting poetry ever caught on celluloid. Granted, it's not a film for everyone, as some might be repelled by it's demented visual style, but those who will let themselves to get into the bizarre, disturbing and captivating world of "Santa Sangre", will surely be rewarded. 10/10