The life of boy raised in a circus by an abusive father and vengeful mother is told from childhood through adolescence to adulthood in this surreal horror-thriller.
The 1989 Mexican-Italian surreal horror-thriller from Alejandro Jodorowsky (El Topo, The Holy Mountain), Santa Sangre (Holy Blood) sort of defies any straightforward explanation. Told in both flashback and flashforward, the film stars Axel Jodorowsky as Fenix, a boy raised by his abusive father in a circus who his left to be raised by his vengeful mother Concha (Blanca Guerra) after she kills his philandering father when she catches him in flagrante with the Tattooed Woman. (Thelma Tixou). The story then follows Fenix through adolescence through adulthood through a series of strange and unusual events, as Fenix starts a spiral into his mind and the odd sides of life even as he becomes more like his brutal father. If you imagine yourself in an LCD-induced journey where the worlds of Lewis Carroll and Luis Buñuel collide with John Carpenter, then you may have something of an idea what this film is all about. Alejandro Jodorowsky with Claudio Argento and Roberto Leoni wrote Santa Sangre.
Gloriella and Axel Jodorowsky in Santa Sangre (1989)
Adan Jodorowsky and Faviola Elenka Tapia in Santa Sangre (1989)
Blanca Guerra in Santa Sangre (1989)
Blanca Guerra in Santa Sangre (1989)
Blanca Guerra in Santa Sangre (1989)
Santa Sangre Limited Edition (Severin Films)
Santa Sangre Limited Edition (Severin Films)
Santa Sangre Limited Edition (Severin Films)
The Video
Santa Sangre comes with a 1.85:1 HEVC 2160p (4K UHD) SDR encodement on 4K Ultra HD disc. The Blu-ray is also from the 4K restoration and in fact my player (I used my Pioneer LX500 for this) read the 4K and Blu-ray as the same disc and picked them up from the same timecodes. This film looks really good on 4K with a rich layer of consistent grain, lots of detail and natural colors. It would have been nice to see this with Dolby Vision to have a little more vibrancy in the reds or a bit of three-dimensionality in flames, or bit more flash in the glint on the throwing blades, but it still looks sumptuous without it.
The Audio
The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix sounds atmospheric, and some sounds seem to “leak” to the surround channels, but the stereo mix sounds more natural to my ears with good spread across the front. The Spanish and Italian mono tracks only have English SDH subtitles, so if that does not bother you, you can try those as well.
The Supplements
This limited edition release of Santa Sangre from Severin is loaded with interviews and the feature-length documentary on the film, Forget Everything You Have Ever Seen: The World of Santa Sangre. A CD with the original soundtrack of the film is also included along with eight collectible cards with stills.
Bonus Features:
Bonus CD with Santa Sangre Original Soundtrack
8 cards with stills
Feature 4K & Blu-ray:
Audio Commentary with Alejandro Jodorowsky & Journalist Alan Jones
New Blood: Alejandro Jodorowsky on the Restoration of Santa Sangre (1080p; 00:31:50)
Deleted Scenes with Director Commentary (1080p; 00:07:35)
Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 00:02:48)
Bonus Blu-ray:
Forget Everything You Have Ever Seen: The World of Santa Sangre – Feature length documentary 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 Roswell, tattoo designer Sergio Arau, and unit publicist Greg Day. (1080p; 01:36:38)
Like a Phoenix: Interview with Producer Claudio Argento (1080p; 00:38:22)
Holy Blood: Interview with Cinematographer Daniele Nannuzzi (1080p; 00:42:08)
Mexican Magic: Interview with executive producer Angelo Iacono (1080p; 00:36:06)
The Language of Editing: Interview with Editor Mauro Bonanni (1080p; 00:21:13)
Innocence & Horror: Interview with Screenwriter Roberto Leoni (1080p; 00:28:47)
Santa Sangre 30th Anniversary Celebration at Morbido Festival, Mexico City (1080p; 00:09:59)
Goyo Cárdenas Spree Killer: Documentary on the Real-Life Inspiration for Santa Sangre (1080p; 00:17:39)
Jodorowsky 2003 Interview (1080p; 00:32:39)
Jodorowsky on Stage Q & A (1080p; 00:25:39)
Echek – Adan Jodorowsky Short Film: with Optional Audio Commentary (1080p; 00:03:55)
Simon Boswell Interviews Jodorowsky (1080i; 00:07:57)
“Close Your Eyes” Simon Boswell Music Video (1080i; 00:05:47)
Blink Jodorowsky – Short by Simon Boswell (SD; 00:02:00)
The Final Assessment
Santa Sangre is like nothing you have seen before, blurring genre lines and presenting striking images. Severin’s 4K restoration is a reference release packed with bonus features.
Santa Sangre Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray is out in the UK July 29, 2024 from Severin Films
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The life of boy raised in a circus by an abusive father and vengeful mother is told from childhood through adolescence to adulthood in this surreal horror-thriller.Santa Sangre Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Review
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