Atroz Blu Ray Review (Unearthed Films)
Atroz (aKa Atrocious) is a 2015 serial killer film directed by Lex Ortega (Barbarous Mexico, World of Death, & Mexico Barbaro II). Produced by Italian legend Ruggero Deodato (Cannibal Holocaust, Cut and Run, Jungle Holocaust, & House on the Edge of the Park). It starts off with Comandate Juárez showing up to a crime scene. An accident turned deadly, two drunken men hit & killed a young woman while driving under the influence. He finds a camera & a gun inside the car. It shows a video of them filming, stalking, torturing, & killed a transvestite prostitute. Juárez & his crew take them to a undisclosed location. They torture the two psychos for answers about the killing on their snuff video. They are beaten almost to death & shocked until they confessed the location of the body. A crime scene unit goes to collect evidence. They find another video tape there. It shows Goyo hooking up with a stripper on her period & he seems to enjoy the added bonus of blood.
Soon after that he dresses in women’s underwear & adds some erotic asphyxiation to the mix to add some more excitement to the experience. He goes down on her & asks if she is still on her period she replies “no” so he loses his shit. He beats her to the point she’s barely alive & stabs her pussy repeatedly to make his blood fantasy happen. She dies & he has a little necrophilia fun with her fresh corpse. They officers find another video tape at gruesome scene. Comandate Juárez starts to interrogate him. He plays the evidence for him to view. He was much younger & it shows his surroundings as his family is introduced. It full of confused sexual orientation, humiliation, revenge, torture, incest, & murder. Juárez gives him some bad news to shake him up but it doesn’t flinch. He shows the serial killer photos of other unsolved murders that resembles his killing style & he denies it. He finds out the motivation of the Comandate & it ends with something he will never forget!
Let’s discuss the film, high definition presentation, & special features from Unearthed Films! Not going to lie, produced by Ruggero Deodato SOLD me on this! It was the first thing I noticed & I was instantly curious about this. Atroz is not for the squeamish, it’s extremely graphic & brutal. It pushes almost every boundary possible. I don’t really like this term but it’s known to most so I’ll use it here. If you are into the torture porn sub genre then you will love this! It’s a basically a full length snuff film that explores the mind of a disturbed monster. I’ve seen similar cinema with the same subject but it wasn’t executed as well as this. The p.o.v & found footage style is very hit or miss but this pulls it off. Director Lex Ortega gives it a more of a original visual approach so it stands out from others alike. So after saying that, the picture quality & camera work from this really pulls your eyes to the screen while viewing. The way it’s shot grabs your attention & leaves you wanting more.
This 1080p (1.78:1) transfer isn’t meant to be pretty. The way it was shot, it feels like a real life snuff video so it has a gritty feel to it. It’s in Spanish (DTS-HD MA 5.1 & DTS-HD MA 2.0.) with English subtitles. Unearthed Films provides this standard blu ray release with some solid extras! You get an audio commentary from the director in either English or Spanish. I haven’t seen too many done like that, very cool. The 14 minute original short for Atroz. Almost 4 minute crowdfunding video. 4 minute behind the scenes featurette. 4 minute music & sound featurette. Almost 4 minute practical effects featurette. A production gallery to show you a little more from this film. Last but not least Unearthed trailers for this, American Guinea Pig series, Sheep Skin, Francesca, Flowers, & Faim De Mort. Atroz fits perfect with the Unearthed Films catalog & I have to agree about it being the most graphic & goriest film ever made in Mexico. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!
