Ironic that I ended up liking this Spanish giallo/slasher better than the actual Italian giallo I logged a few months back (an Argento joint, no less!). The giallo formula benefits greatly from having bombastic moments peppered throughout - and this has plenty! Lots of awkward hammy acting and topless women to perfect the trashy atmosphere. Feels like a perfect blend between 70s weirdness and 80s gorefests. It withholds on the gore until the right moments, and when it hits, oh boy does it hit!
Now, was it worth the $37.25 I paid for the Grindhouse Releasing blu-ray? Debatable honestly, but it comes jam-packed with special features and a CD of the soundtrack, which is awesome since I usually do end up seeking out the soundtracks for movies I enjoy. I'll always like funding indie boutique blu-ray labels, though, and their release here was very impressive. Did you know one of the founders of Grindhouse Releasing is the son of Sylvester Stallone? Wild. Already ordered their blu of Cannibal Holocaust, another classic I haven't seen yet somehow. I have a feeling I'll dig that one a bit more. Not to say this was bad! It's just not the revelation some of my fellow horror enthusiasts had hyped it up to be for me. Still definitely worth a watch if that gory giallo slasher vibe seems up your alley.
Have to ask though, genuinely wtf was the deal with the kung-fu scene? What was that guy trying to do? Was he trying to mug the lady or something? It took me several minutes to stop trying to process it and just move on 😂