Santa Sangre

Jodorowsky's unforgettable masterpiece of the macabre finally gets a welcome Bluray release, fully restored and remastered for UK cinephiles.

Traumatised by childhood tragedy, a former circus magician struggles to overcome his crackpot mother's influence. To say anything more risks spoiling the journey, one which continually surprises and delights. Cultists, murders, drugs, bizarre hallucinations. This has it all and none of it is dead weight or feels like filler.

Jodorowsky's brilliance lies in the way he understands that the gruesome can sit alongside the beautiful and that a film for adults can allow itself to be childish. It's a horror film, it's sad, it's cruel, it's often very funny. It commits to every moment on the screen and its passion puts lesser films to shame.

Fans of the weird and wonderful will love this, but everyone else shouldn't miss out. Put simply, it's one of those rare films that remind us why we bother with cinema in the first place. [Scotty McKellar]