SANTA SANGRE (1989): CULT FILM PERFECTION!!!

HORROR 101 with Dr. AC

SANTA SANGRE (1989) d. Alejandro Jodorowsky (Mexico/Italy)

Visionary filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky cultivates one brilliant sequence after another, employing a staggering use of color shades, sensational aural cues, disturbing themes, and some of the most original onscreen imagery ever laid to celluloid.

Hypnotizing and enticing, repugnant and crude, Santa Sangre is a thoroughly absorbing and unforgettable experience. It is at once a character-based drama, a psychological thriller, a social commentary tract rife daring symbolism, and a bona-fide musical featuring trance-inducing tunes and haunting ballads. It’s also Jodorowsky’s greatest and most accessible masterwork.

The Chilean-born actor, writer, director, composer, producer, etc. already had two legendary 1970s “midnight movie” achievements to his name with El Topo (1970) and The Holy Mountain (1973), but had been absent from the director’s chair for nearly a decade following his rarely seen 1980 elephant drama, Tusk.

Claudio Argento, the younger brother of (and frequent producer for director Dario Argento, made a side trip to Mexico in the late 1980s, eventually co-writing the Santa Sangre screenplay with Jodorowsky and Roberto Leoni, as well as producing.

Santa Sangre’s promotional tagline states, “Forget everything you have ever seen.” While an admittedly tall order, it’s unlikely you have ever witnessed anything like it before, with brilliantly choreographed sequences, fascinating camera angles, vibrant colors, extraordinary characters, and spellbinding onscreen action. It is at once grotesque and gorgeous, unsettling and nightmarish, touching and achingly human.

Tonight, join AC and his amazing panel of guests (Neil Calderone, Raul Benitez, Dave Kosanke, Nicole Mikuzis) as we celebrate the 35th anniversary of Jodorowsky’s crowning cinematic achievement, ever-thankful for his unique vision and unquenchable passion. ------------------------------------------------- RAUL BENITEZ is a film programmer in Chicago for over 15 years. Raul currently is the Senior Programmer at the Midwest Film Festival, and the After Dark programmer at the Chicago International Film Festival. Raul also programs at Comfort Station Logan Square, Full Spectrum Features, and the Nightingale Cinema.

NEIL CALDERONE is the founder of The Chicago Cinema Society, a 35mm print collector, film programmer, musician, science educator and former chemist.

DAVE KOSANKE wrote, edited, designed and published Liquid Cheese fanzine for 25 years. During that time, I also freelanced for HorrorHound and Ultra Violent magazines. I currently write for Late Night Snack, a fanzine dedicated to cult cinema.

NICOLE MIKUZIS has been working for Severin Films since 2011 after starting her career in the horror film industry with Dark Sky Films in 2006, with jobs ranging from pre-and post-production, and seeing through physical and digital releases. ---------------------------------------- Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, Most of All, Keep Sharing the Scare!