Review of Santa Sangre (1989) by Walter M — 22 Sep 2012

In "Santa Sangre," Concha(Blanca Guerra) runs away from the circus to start a cult that is centered around a murdered girl with no arms. Since all things must end, their church is being threatened by developers. Luckily for them, a monsignor(Sergio Bustamante) intervenes but is shocked when he finds out that the supposed pool of blood is really filled with paint. Without his support, the demolition proceeds and since nobody else has the courage of their convictions, Concha is left alone in the path of the bulldozer. But her son Fenix(Adan Jodorowsky) comes to her emotional rescue, reminding her that there are more important things to live for. As she rejoins the circus, she is none too thrilled to see her husband's(Guy Stockwell) eyes wandering to the tattooed lady(Thelma Tixou).

All of that really is just a setup for an adult Fenix(Axel Jodorowsky) to climb the walls naked in a mental hospital before eating some raw fish that is not sushi. And as much as I admire Alejandro Jodorowsky for trying something different from his usual symbolic religious works, why did it have to be a garden variety horror film, albeit one with some underlying psychological meaning? In any case, the circus setting is by far the best part of the movie and more could have done to explore that.