Trauma

TRAUMA is a late entry in the career of Spanish horror director Leon Klimovsky. Like A DRAGONFLY FOR EACH CORPSE and BLUE EYES OF THE BROKEN DOLL, it's a Spanish-themed giallo, although the actual inspiration is much more obvious: like SISTERS before it, this is a film which owes its existence to Hitchcock's PSYCHO.

The setting is rural Spain and a slightly run-down boarding house occupied by the usual oddballs including a writer and a couple of sexed-up couples (well, it was the 1970s). Before long a series of brutal razor slayings are taking place, and the viewer is left wondering who's responsible. Well, not really; the identity of the killer is blindingly obvious from the outset, but this doesn't detract from the film's entertainment value. Brutal murders, violent flashbacks, and a sedate pace follow.

The huge bonus here is Klimovsky's exemplary direction; this is a guy who could take a low budget and always make his film look fantastic. A succession of effective establishing shots and an emphatic, low key score combine to give the whole film a sinister atmosphere. The photography is good enough to keep things interesting despite the slow pace and lack of action. The gore is a bit shoddy, but the film feels very brutal nonetheless, and the climax is worth waiting for.

A writer stops off at a secluded bed and breakfast run by the battered wife of a mysterious man who spends all his time upstairs in his room. That is except when he's killing off the lodgers downstairs.

If you've seen more than 3 horror movies in your lifetime, the big twists in Trauma won't come as any big surprise, but it's not the worst film of its type and it keeps things entertaining. It features a lot more sexuality than expected with just about everyone in the film getting naked and having sex at some point. The gore effects are of the cheap variety with some razor slashes that don't completely convince.

Trauma is very similar to Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho in that we're given an outsider who shows up to a strange secluded hotel where the owner has a big secret and people are getting murdered. For a European horror film, it's low on style and gore and feels more like a cheapo exploitation film from the U. S. around that time. There's not enough insanity to make it a worthwhile watch except for completeists.

This Spanish thriller from 1977 tells the story of a writer, who takes some days off to write his new novel. He's coming to a guesthouse at a lake in the midst of Spain's countryside. The owner of the guesthouse is an attractive woman with a problem: her sick husband that nobody is allowed to see except for her. Truth is that the husband doesn't exist (anymore), but she's schizophrenic. And while the author is spared, other guests fall victim to a gloved killer with a razor. Is it the schizophrenic owner or someone else?

Director Leon Klimovsky is best known for his low-budgeted straight horror films, so this solid thriller is quite an unusual work in his oeuvre, and also one of his less known efforts. Even though it's not very original and borrows heavily from films like Hitchcock's "Psycho" or even the cool Spanish horror thriller "Una Vela Para el Diablo" (1973), it's still quite thrilling and boosts some scary moments. The murder scenes are done in Italian Giallo-style and, even though simply done, quite gory. The unknown cast is not first rate, but also give solid performances. The end of the film is a bit irritating and a lowdown in a way. All in all, "Violación Fatal" is an interesting little thriller for aficionados of European horror and thriller films. Rating: 6 out of 10.

An accomplished writer arrives to a guesthouse near the lake in the middle of nowhere.Its owner is a young and obviously troubled woman.During the night a sexually active couple is slashed to death by a mysterious black-gloved killer.More savage murders follow.Who is behind them?"Trauma" by Leon Klimovsky reminded me a little bit S.F Brownrigg's underrated "Keep My Grave Open".All the killings via razor are vicious and bloody.There is plenty of sex and nudity-in fact "Trauma" is perhaps the sleaziest horror film made by Leon Klimovsky.The plot offers some genuine suspense and a bit of perversion and nasty misogyny.I enjoyed this rare and utterly forgotten slasher/giallo.8 razors out of 10.