Veneciafrenia

Alex de la Iglesia and his Spanish slasher is a mediocre one-off that had more potential. The director probably won't go beyond his 2010 highlight The Last Circus (The Bar was also solid), but the rest of his output falls more into the average range, and his new release, though attractive for its setting, lacks substance for my taste in terms of horror. A group of Spanish tourists in Venice (the setting is probably the biggest attraction) are terrorized by locals who don't like tourists much, and the bad guys have nice creepy masks (the joker is the best). In terms of acting, the film doesn't really engage, the viewer doesn't form a relationship with the characters, the plot is too straightforward; I definitely expected a bit more ambitious genre film from a director who already has experience. The atmosphere doesn't really work and the gore isn't worth much either, the murders aren't that few but they aren't very audience-appealing. The finale definitely deserved more of a twist. As a one-off, however, it's okay, and as a slasher film it impresses thanks to the unusual setting and costumes. Story 3/5. Action 2/5, Humour 2/5, Violence 3/5, Fun 3/5 Music 2/5, Visuals 3/5, Atmosphere 3/5, Suspense 2/5, Emotion 3/5, Actors 2/5. 5.5/10 (20.06.2022)

I liked the premise, I liked the location and I liked how it looked. I was already reaching for the fourth star, but the finale (all after the sequence in the old theatre) brings the final impression down. I absolutely don't get it, it feels like Álex de la Iglesia is trying to throw horror fans as much of an anticlimax ending as possible. We already know de la Iglesia knows how to get loose, so the expectations of a final carnage are warranted (and it actually is where the story heads towards), and then nothing. (03.06.2022)