Santa Sangre

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Santa Sangre

NC-17

Released Mar 30, 1990

2h 3m

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

89%

Tomatometer

44 Reviews

87%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

In Mexico, the traumatized son (Axel Jodorowsky) of a knife-thrower (Guy Stockwell) and a trapeze artist bonds grotesquely with his now-armless mother (Blanca Guerra).

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Critics Consensus

Those unfamiliar with Alejandro Jodorowsky's style may find it overwhelming, but Santa Sangre is a provocative psychedelic journey featuring the director's signature touches of violence, vulgarity, and an oddly personal moral center.

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Carrie Rickey

Philadelphia Inquirer

You can say this: It is never boring.

Rated: 2.5/4

Nov 15, 2013

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Michael Upchurch

Seattle Times

Santa Sangre's content puts it beyond the call of duty for even the most slavishly devoted art-house denizen.

Rated: 2/4

Nov 15, 2013

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Tribune

What Jodorowsky lacks is a sense of humor, in the absence of which his films turn ludicrous.

Rated: 2/4

Nov 15, 2013

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Robert Martin

Starburst

You don’t often come away from a film thinking that there’s not much else that’s quite like, but you just might come away from Santa Sangre with that feeling...

Rated: 4/5

Aug 6, 2024

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Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

A sumptuous feast for the eyes wrapped around a tragic character study, Santa Sangre is not to be missed.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 5, 2024

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Soham Gadre

Vague Visages

Santa Sangre’s themes of empathy and hope are uniquely personal for Jodorowsky, and they help bring the film’s horrors and bloodshed into perspective…

Jan 9, 2024

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Audience Member

there is nothing like santa sangre

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/30/24

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Lloyd S

Random nonsense. I highly recommend you avoid this waste of time.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

11/24/24

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Jay A

Like watching a stage act doing horror while on hallucinigens. It was interesting to watch, just very very weird.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/29/24

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Teddy B

Alejandro Jodorowsky's magnum opus thrillingly combines ultra-violence, themes of revenge, abusive family, and mental deterioration, and heavy inspiration by silent films ('The Hands of Orlac' especially) in terms of acting and atmosphere. 'Santa Sangre' is a film that seems destined not to work; destined to end up as a forgettable exploitative diatribe, but it does. I don't know how, but it does.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/15/24

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Joe B

Trust me, I want to like movies like this, but my goodness it was bad. The first hour is an unbelievably long and dragged out backstory explaining why the protagonist is a sick man. The rest is "almost" watchable... and I'm really struggling to even say that, because I don't want to be cruel to those that seem to enjoy it. Which brings me to the real thing that stays with me after watching this movie, which is: how in the F is it possible that this has an 87 viewer rating? How?

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

05/04/24

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Mauricio R

Una brillante ejecución narrativa por parte de Alejandro Jodorowsky en lo que muchos refieren esta cinta como la más accesible. Llena de simbolismos y elementos que son evocadores y, en gran medida, desconcertantes, Jodorowsky encuentra la manera de que el espectador se asombre con este surrealismo mágico que sólo México conoce. Por momentos recae en algo onírico y con interpretaciones viscerales que denotan la estricta dirección de actores que hace mancuerna de un guión sofisticado logrando así que, 35 años más tarde, envejezca de una manera adecuada y también que con la corrección política actual reciba un análisis a la misoginia, la discriminación y el imperialismo moderno.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/07/24

Full Review

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Synopsis

In Mexico, the traumatized son (Axel Jodorowsky) of a knife-thrower (Guy Stockwell) and a trapeze artist bonds grotesquely with his now-armless mother (Blanca Guerra).

Director: Alejandro Jodorowsky
Producer: Claudio Argento
Screenwriter: Alejandro Jodorowsky, Roberto Leoni, Claudio Argento
Distributor: Republic Pictures
Production Co: Produzioni Intersound
Rating: NC-17
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 30, 1990, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 18, 2016
Runtime: 2h 3m
Sound Mix: Dolby
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Flat (1.85:1)

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