Arrow Video, out now

All you want is to get out of the rain and watch a good film at the cinema. But who else is in there, hiding in the dark?

Maxi Contenti’s Spanish language retro horror wears its love for slasher and giallo movies on its sleeve, and for fans of these genres there’s much to enjoy. But ultimately this is an exercise in style over substance, and there’s nothing new.

It’s Montevideo, Uruguay in 1993 and a mysterious, gloved man skips into an old cinema. He’s joined by a young kid who snuck in to watch the horror movie they’re playing, a horny couple, some drunk teens and a handful of other colourful characters. Projection duties have been assigned to young student Ana, covering her sick father’s shift… and then the screaming starts.

Slo-mo, low angles, primary colour filters – all manner of filmic devices are thrown in to the gory mix, which showcases multiple stabbings and eye gougings.  Part Demons, Cinema Paradiso, Stage Fright, Opera and Popcorn, it’s a magpie of a movie that would rather recycle better titles than create its own identity. Oh, and the movie they’re watching in the cinema is 2011’s Frankenstein: The Day of the Beast (even though the film is set in 1993) and was directed by the actor who plays the killer in this movie – Ricardo Islas; it doesn’t get more meta than that.

Arrow’s Blu-ray release includes a commentary with director Maxi Contenti, VFX featurette on the special effects of the film, an interview with director and a discussion between him and star Ricardo Islas. There’s also features on the film’s premiere, a music video, Contenti’s first feature (Puppet Pal V) and six of his short films, and a whole bunch of deleted and extended scenes, trailers and teaser and image galleries.

Verdict: As an introduction to Maxi Contenti, this is a packed disc from Arrow. The main feature is fine Friday night fare but don’t expect anything new. 6/10

Nick Joy