Visceral: Entre las cuerdas de la locura

Finally getting his big break, a washed-up boxer is instead shocked to learn that he has become a vessel for a demonic entity intent on carrying out extreme torture and punishment to any who stands in his way, setting off a torrent of madness and bloodshed in the community.

Overall, this was a rather fun if one-sided genre effort. The main selling point here is the series of relentless and brutal attacks that take place here, turning this into a full-on assault of gruesome carnage. The gore is mixed nicely between the victims of his rampage and the various demonic forces dishing it out to his body so that he can be equipped for the battles to come later, resulting in a series of impressive torture scenes spread across both targets that leave quite a strong impression. As the demonic beings are shown to target him in stripped-down, barbaric sequences mutilating his body to the point of testing whether he can handle the stress of the job, it brings about a fantastic series of graphic mutilations, tortures, and more carried out by the scarred creation that helps to add to the whole experience. That leaves everything here with the never-ending series of encounters involving him taking apart and brutalizing his targets. The experience continues the series of ultra-brutal and highly effective torture scenes involving the brutal treatment of the various targets he's been sent out to destroy, bringing about the introduction of various BDSM-style tortures that not only bring the bloodshed but also utilize that environment to make the experience that much more uncomfortable. The whole thing, though, highlights the main issue here in how aimless the story is, with pretty much no real storyline other than finding a way to keep bringing up bodies to disfigure and mutilate, so there's little about it that keeps interest low in between moments where none of that is happening. That's the main issue holding this back.

Rated Unrated/R: Extreme Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, Full Male and Female Nudity, and sex scenes.

Not for the squeamish. It's an intense gore-fest that blends boxing with complete psychotic breakdowns, and it doesn't hold back. The violence is extreme, and the plot gets lost in the chaos. It feels like it's more about shock value than telling a cohesive story. The practical effects were impressive in their gruesomeness, but at some point, it became hard to care about the characters. I could see how this might appeal to hardcore fans of extreme horror, but for me, it leaned way too far into torture and madness without much substance to balance it out. The constant overdone gore and disjointed scenes left little room for actual tension.

This an extreme graphic horror art film from Chile, and I say art, because you have to figure out on your own, what is going on. This is like two movies running at the same time about Felipe. Felipe is a boxer training for his first big fight. Now his alter ego, or whatever you think, is a sadistic killer of random people that are tortured and killed in the most graphic and gory ways. this extremely gory movie will test those that like these kind of films. If you are turned off by graphic violence, then you will wish you never watched this, and on the other hand, gorehounds will take quite delight in just how far this movie takes the torture and mutilations that are very very graphic, and well done. As I said, you have to figure this out for yourself, because there is not much dialogue, but you still need the subtitles. This is one very sick movie, and I loved it even though it's hard to figure out. Are these serial killer scenes just going through his mind, or something else. I don't know, but regardless, the graphic nature of the film is done so well, I'm fine with it being basically a visual experience. It does, have some of the best gore effects I've seen, so I recommend it to those fans, and only those fans. The rest of you, just stay clear of this one, it's way too much for you. 4/5

My review from 2013: The synopsis that was released back then was "A Gore Bondage Film". Yes, that's the SYNOPSIS they gave us! What can you expect from a movie after that? Gore and bondage, of course! The movie does have more to offer than that, even if the plot is your average "character falls into madness" plot. We jump back and forth in time following a boxer who lost his most important match. After the match ended, his manager was through with him and his dream of winning the champion gloves was over. He falls into an abusive life of alcohol-fueled pain and sorrow, and he is visited by a female figure that is forcing him to kill. Several innocent women fall victim to his bondage torture, but the main target remains - the boxer he lost against.

The movie promises a whole lot of torture and violence, and that's basically what you are getting. There are a number of unsettling scenes, some which could disturb those with weaker stomachs. I think the creativity in the bondage is quite fascinating, and the way the ropes were used made the movie memorable on its own. The kind of violence we're talking about is stuff like the following: stabbing out the heart through someone's back, impalement through two bodies and a bed (possibly my favorite kill), human punching bags, being tied mouth-to-mouth to someone who is slowly rotting, and skullhumping. This is the kind of stuff you can expect, and there is more of it than that.

My problem with "Visceral: Between the Ropes of Madness" is mainly in some of the effects and the editing of the violent scenes. While the effects aren't always the best, some are still great. A movie can be effective even if the effects aren't the best (some of my favorite movies have cheesy effects). The effects are often made worse by the editing, though. Certain scenes are too short, which makes them hard to believe: it should take a little while and some struggling to cut through a back to reach the heart. It shouldn't just take a few seconds. This is a re-occurring problem in the movie. Once you look past that, if you can, then you're basically good to go. "Visceral: Between the Ropes of Madness" says it all in the title - that's what you're getting. In the end, a movie like "Schramm" has reached notoriety even though it's rather silly in certain moments - I'm a fan myself - and that should be proof that low-budget can get away with things once in a while.

It's not all just shock and torture, as I must say this is probably one of the better flicks I have watched from Chile. I mean, the movie's goal is shock and torture, but still has some sweet cinematic candy to hand out. There are several parts of the movie where you can feel influences from filmmakers like Gaspar Noé. The movie is pretty raw, but you still get several visually interesting scenes and some great setups (usually the ones involving bondage). Not to mention the great credits, which I think is safe to say is in the veins of Noé.

"Visceral: Between the Ropes of Madness" is a low-budget movie, made in a country that has just recently started making horror, and you can tell. There are some weak spots here and there, but the movie is both entertaining and often brutal. You can prepare for a lot of blood, boobs and bondage, and even when the movie goes over-the-top I was entertained. The acting works for the most part. For a movie like this it could be detrimental if the actors playing the victims weren't believable, but in this one they might even be the best actors.

It's a joy to finally see the movie. Could it be better? Sure it could. It could be more disturbing too, no doubt. Still, the movie manages to be more brutal, creative and... visceral (heh), then the majority of torture/extreme films out there. I definitely recommend "Visceral: Between the Ropes of Madness" to you readers, just don't let the 4 years of anticipation ruin it for you. They have made a solid shock-for-shock indie debut, and I am excited for their future. More reviews at FilmBizarro.com