A few years ago, I began attending horror conventions on a regular basis. As primarily a socially awkward individual, I felt right at home being around other people who shared the same obsessions with the genre. I’ve made some new friends as a result from out of town, but make it a sure thing to reunite during cons. My friend Josh and I have the same routine: show up at opening hours, meeting our favorite cast and crew, then spend the rest of the time checking out vendors. It was during the vendor browsing that we stumbled across the Severin Films table (or at least a vendor selling primarily Severin merchandise). I love using that time to browse through the movies like back in the video store rental days, often asking Josh what I should watch as he is far more familiar with the retro titles. Severin was offering one of those “the more you buy, the better the price” type of deal so I wanted to take advantage.

While I knew that Cathy’s Curse was going to be one of those purchases (as I kept reading how batshit it is via social media), I hadn’t heard of many of the titles they offered at the time. I asked one of the guys behind the table to recommend titles. He handed me one and advised it was a crazy movie. I looked at the cover which did not look familiar at all but was intriguing with an image of what looked like a ballerina with white clownish makeup. I glanced at Josh and asked if he had seen it. He nodded and advised it was a fucked up and really weird movie about a circus. “So yeah, I think you’ll probably love it.” That was my introduction to director Alejandro Jodorowsky and SANTA SANGRE.

SANTA SANGRE is one of those movies that feels like a deep cut, but is crossing that line rather quickly. While die-hard horror fans are familiar, it is still finding that audience as Jodorowsky isn’t the most accessible filmmaker. The film opens with Fenix, a naked adult sitting on top of a tree in a mental asylum. He is hesitant to go near the food they provide him and we begin a flashback into his childhood. Fenix grew up as a child magician in a family of circus performers. After his mother witnesses his father cheating, she pours acid on them in revenge, leading to a murder-suicide caused by his father. This eventually leads to Fenix losing his mind and, as an adult, suffers hallucinations of his dead mother ordering him to kill anyone (mainly women) who she perceives to be threatening.

Severin has ported over archival special features as well put together new ones. “New Blood” is described on the back as Jodorowsky discussing the restoration. While he does touch on the new 4K treatment, he actually spends most of this 30-minute interview speaking about his creative process. He takes pride in being a rebel in the filmmaking world and is one of the few directors where that reflects in his work. Discs one and two make up the movie in UHD and Blu-ray formats and include the mentioned interview as well as commentary with Jodorowsky and journalist Alan Jones. Deleted scenes with commentary and a theatrical trailer are also included.

Disc three is where the fresh meat of the release lies. The original feature-length documentary Forget Everything You Have Ever Seen: The World of Santa Sangre is ported over from the previous Severin release and a must-see for fans. New interviews are included with producer Claudio Argento (Dario’s brother) who discusses how he had a different project in mind when wanting to work with Jodorowsky. Cinematographer Daniele Nannuzzi recalls how Jodorowsky hired him so he could “capture the shit out of Mexico City.” Coming off of Dario Argento’s Phenomena, executive producer Angelo Iacono delves into how his connections led to Jodorowsky being allowed back into Mexico to film after controversial experiences with his previous films.

This same disc includes several other interviews including more with Jodorowsky, editor Mauro Bonanni, and screenwriter Roberto Leoni. As a con fanboy, I loved the short feature filmed at the Morbido Festival in Mexico City. Not only was there a special screening of SANTA SANGRE with the cast, but it had a circus vibe and included appropriately themed performers.

SANTA SANGRE is not a movie for everyone, but this new Severin release will hopefully push it further into the horror lexicon. Love it or hate it, there isn’t anything else like it.

You can now acquire the Blu-ray and DVD of SANTA SANGRE here.