Directed by:
Álex de la IglesiaCinematography:
Pablo RossoComposer:
Roque BañosCast:
Caterina Murino, Cosimo Fusco, Silvia Alonso, Ingrid García Jonsson, Enrico Lo Verso, Nico Romero, Alessandro Bressanello, Nicolás Illoro, Armando De Razza (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
Sick of the tourism that overcrowds and gentrifies their city, the inhabitants of Venice have a sinister plan to put an end to the foreign invasion they suffer year after year. A group of Spanish tourists, totally oblivious to this imminent threat, will soon see their vacation turned into a fight for survival. (Sitges Film Festival)
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Reviews (3)
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.
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A pretty decent B-movie that tries to appeal mainly on the visuals of the masks of the bad guys, but ultimately it's not worth much. A bunch of young tourists go to Venice, where they get an unpleasant welcome from the locals in the form of stalking and murder. The idea of Venetians killing tourists on sight is pretty dumb in itself, and when you add in the B-movie visuals, the cheap kills, the not-so-juicy gore, the acting performances and the overall skeleton of the story, all that's left is the sheer effort within the sub-genre and the fun creepy masks, but that's about it. Those who skip it certainly won't miss out, those who watch it won't be dazzled, but will probably somehow survive it in good health.
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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
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