Angoisse

This movie reminded me of many others at some points but at the same time seemed original. It was fun to watch and even though there was a lot of gore, I could stand it since I was so puzzled by the exact plot and motives. The movie inside of a movie plot worked wonders here and the appearances of Zelda Rubinstein made me want to give this an 8, since they made the characters seem as though twirling their hair would take too much intelligence.

Undoubtably one of the scariest and under-raved horror films of all time. Zelda Rubinstein is unforgettable, and if u liked her in the Poltergeist films she is even more stellar here. Known to horror buffs as the all-time movie within a movie... but its psychological mind-warp scene is as tense as it gets. The under-tones of the snails and doves contribute highly to the paranoia. A re-release definitely should be in order; this film deserves a second look by all. Anyone who has extreme phobia of "anything" to do with harm to the eyes- beware! Unfortunate that most mark this off as a "gore-fest" when its anything but. It is a brilliant study of the mind, and will blow you away with its oddity.

A demented mother telepathically directs her middle-aged son on bloody missions of revenge.And when he's finished murdering his victims,he gouges their eyes out and adds them to the bizarre family collection.But that's only a movie:The real horror is in the cinema where the audience watching this terrifying vision is being murdered one by one."Angustia" is a pretty bizarre Spanish horror film.The concept is certainly interesting and the director J.J.Bigas Luna perfectly mixes the line between the reality and the fantasy world of film.The acting is first-rate and there is plenty of gore and tension to satisfy fans of slasher films.The film is relatively unknown,but if you get a chance watch it.Highly recommended.8 out of 10.

After seeing Anguish, I know it will stay in the memory a while as it's not quite like anything else I've seen. However, outside of the central gimmick; there is unfortunately not a great deal to recommend it for. Bigas Luna's film is a horror movie within a horror movie, and as you can probably imagine from that description; it's a completely bizarre and surreal film. The title 'Anguish' seems to be a clue to the order of the day as both segments focus on putting the subjects in a state of anguish with a series of gripping occurrences. The film focuses on John Pressman; an optician with an eye problem and a strange mother. After losing his job, he goes out on a killing spree under the direction of his mother who apparently is using some sort of hypnosis. The spree goes on for a short while and then the film takes a turn for the bizarre as the focus pans out and we find ourselves in a movie theatre with a group of people watching the film we've been watching! However, it turns out all is not well there either, as one of the crowd is a maniacal killer.

The main problem I have with this film is simply that while the central idea is very good, the two segments of the story are actually quite mundane. They're both just your average 'serial killer' stories, albeit one featuring a great deal of eyeball violence. The director clearly wanted to excite his audience and get them on the edge of their seats, and while parts of the film are exciting - I didn't find myself in a state of anguish for the duration. I don't often find myself needing a particular point when it comes to serial killer flicks, but this film just feels a bit too intelligent not to have one. I can only assume that the director wanted to portray something along the lines of the idea that a potential killer could be influenced by what they are seeing on screen; although it's never really brought across. Distinctive performers Michael Lerner and Zelda Rubinstein are the pick of the cast and provide memorable leads. The film does deserve a lot of respect for going out and trying to do something a bit different and even though it doesn't come off as well as it might have; Anguish is still well worth seeing.

I was surprised to see some of the reviews of Anguish (Angustia). I had the opportunity of playing an L.A. cop in the film - it must have been 100 years and 25 pounds ago! As the film seems to have elicited some interest, I'll volunteer some background information.

The film was mostly shot in.... Barcelona, on an obviously shoestring budget. I was initially "signed on" as an ambulance attendant, but either my "delivery" or size turned me into a cop with a couple of lines, learned the same day as the shoot.

The exteriors for the "new movie" sequences were shot on a street created in a large parking lot in the "Zona Franca" of Barcelona. Apparently a stock background depicting Culver City Ca. was shipped to Spain, and a good portion of Barcelona's American cars were used to create the traffic background.

Did I mention the shoestring budget? Most of the scenes I participated in were shot at least twice - from different angles - because only one camera was used.

I don't say this as a criticism - if anything it is a tribute to Bigas Luna, who was able to create a piece of America on the Mediterranean, and to make a number of non-actors seem credible even with speaking roles (including yours truly).