When a director like Baskov Alex de la Iglesia announces a new project, journalists and film lovers take note. And it doesn’t matter if his next feature film or television series is like 30 coins (since 2020); we remain on the lookout to be able to discover the result on the screen with more or less patience. Because with his personal style of ascending to dramatic apotheosis and the hardships that entails, the good times he made us live through, and the intellectual respect he deserves, there is no doubt that he has earned our cinephile affection. For this reason, we could not tear ourselves away from watching Venicephrenia (2021), his fifteenth feature film, included on The Fear Collection label.
And it doesn’t matter if he rocks as in this case; This is not the first time this has happened, and it never occurred to us to turn our backs on it. Some recognize him for day of the beast (1995) or Community (2000); others prefer violent crime (2004). And if he has already given us similar works, then there is no reason to think that he will not be able to give them to us again.
Typical childish “slasher” murders
Indeed, from the very beginning Venicephrenia entrails same problem as the vast majority slasher: the killing rush is childish, the explanation of its origin is given in four strokes and without any psychological basis or depth – except for the fact that a sharp weapon is in the flesh of the victim – and the only interest of the cinematic story is focused on more or less imaginary forms of massacre and heaping of corpses, without original ingredients or captivating audiovisual device that justifiesn offer no, wow, your viewing.
Possibly libretto by Jorge Guerricachevarria (Cell 211) and Alex de la Iglesia himself, who have already collaborated on seventeen works, are trying to wrap the pickle really controversial situation. the environment in which this nightmarish story takes place; but it’s about justification. Like the sick social motives of those who hide behind the Ghostface mask in scream 4 (Wes Craven, 2011).
D Venicephrenia ends at dull bag films of that saga, the one that began with Friday the 13th (Sean S. Cunningham, 1980), Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) of A Nightmare on Elm Street (Craven, 1984) or Michael Myers (Nick Castle) to halloween kills (David GordonGreen, 2021). As much as they want to strangle him certain spirit and visible details from giallo Italian Mario BavaSix women for a killer) or Dario Argento (Dark red).
Good job that won’t fix Venice
sorry that the protagonist’s group of friends are very believable in their attitude and their interactions; not particularly brilliant, mind you, but Alex de la Iglesia managed to get a good naturalism out of the young actors in his treatment of familiar people. Both they and others do what their roles need.
By Ingrid Garcia JonssonBull), Alberto Bang (Iron), Nicholas Illoro (fence), White goyse (Minions of Midas) or Silvia Alonso (the one that will come) Enrico Lo Verso (Hannibal), Armand de Razza (Hey Carmela!), Cosimo Fusco (friends), Ekaterina Murino (Royal Casino), Alessandro Bressanello (Ghost) or Nico Romero (Riot Gear).
On the other hand, the composer Roque Bathswho was awarded the 2021 Maria Honorary Prize at the Sitges Festival for his seventh art musical career spanning almost a quarter of a century, including nine collaborations with Alex de la Iglesia since then. laugh to death (1999), performing nice work on notes from Venicephrenia. Another aspect that makes us regret that we can only consider it en slasher upset. Let’s hope that next time the director from Bilbao has a better ear.
Source: Hiper Textual
