Rosso sangue

I first saw this in the mid 80s on a vhs. Revisited it recently on YouTube. The quality is fine n it is totally uncut. Eastman once again plays a killer but this time he ain't no cannibal but a product of scientific experiment gone wrong in which he turns into an invincible nutjob who can heal itself n somehow makes weird snorting voices towards the end. Compared to Anthropophagus, this film is fast paced with lots of gory kills. Comparison to Halloween is inevitable, acting n editing wise it is horrendous. The short hair blonde is cute but her death sequence is terrifying. The nurse's drill scene made me squirm.

While I've seen over a dozen of Joe D'Amato's films, this was my first foray into his horror films (unless you count Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals, and his Caribbean Horror/Porns, which I have seen.)

For the first half of the movie I wasn't that impressed. But, the second half was relentless, suspenseful, brutal and agonizing. I've seen hundreds of horror/gore/splatter/slasher films, but the infamous 'oven scene' (which I won't spoil) had me literally covering my mouth to keep from making too much noise.

The rampage of the second act works well because the horror comes from the THOUGHT of what is happening, rather than the more visceral deaths of the first half. There is blood and gore, to be sure, but Joe D'Amato shows a modicum of restraint, letting the suspense build in a way it was unable to in the first act.

So, if you decide to give this film a try, and I hope you will, stick with it. Not only does the film really get going in the second half, the final shot of the film has to be one of the most unexpected, shocking and unexpected moments I've ever seen.

Luigi Montefiori aka George Eastman is definitely one of the scariest movie villains I've ever seen. His sheer size alone just makes him creepy. He obviously doesn't mind being violent; it seems to come naturally to him. If you've ever seen Bava's "Rabid Dogs," you should know what I mean. His role in "Rosso Sangue" is no exception. He delivers the goods here.

Transformed into an unstoppable machine by an experiment gone awry, the bad guy makes his way through the countryside in search of his next victim. His next victim is basically anyone who gets in his way. He eventually lands at the home of a family and stalks them down.

For the gorehounds, there will be a lot to love here. The scene with the band saw was sweet. For the lovers of Italian shock, there will be little we haven't seen before, but it is still worth a viewing.

Ultimiately, this one could have been as triumphant as "Buio Omega" if there had been a few added killings. There are really only a handful. I wish there had been twice as many. I would have given this one at least a nine.

Aficionados of Italian horror soundtracks will recognize a few of the tunes from other flicks.

Worthy of a viewing for fans of D'Amato. Also recommend, if you like this one: "Tenebre," "Anthropophagus: The Grim Reaper," and of course "Beyond the Darkness." 7 out of 10, kids.

It's no Anthropophagus, but it's still worth a watch.

If Anthropophagus is a symphony of terror than Absurd is more like chamber music. It's a smaller cast. The majority of the horror takes place in one house. This has a more claustrophobic feel than Anthropophagus. Also, you get to know the characters better here which is nice.

This killer lacks the intensity of the madness from Anthropophagus. But there is at least one violent scene that's sure to grab your attention. It's worth checking out.

Joe D'Amato and George Eastman's follow-up to the notorious "The Grim Reaper" (Antropophagus) is sick, twisted and – oh yes – deliciously absurd! There's no real story and the amount of genuine chills is limited, but the gory murder sequences are sensational and they easily rank among the craziest stuff ever caught on film. Eastman once again portrays a Greek psycho-killer, though a different one than the fetus-munching monster in Antropophagus (love that title!), cheerfully butchering half the population of a small American town. Nikos isn't your ordinary madman, but a scientific guinea pig whose blood coagulates much faster and hence he instantly recovers from severe wounds, like gunshots or impalement. He's pursued by an unintelligible priest, a chain-smoking copper and his black assistant who isn't allowed to talk without permission. No wonder none of these blokes is capable of catching or even tracing Nikos and the body count increases immensely. Whenever George isn't barbarically killing someone using band saws, surgical devices or axes, "Absurd" is rather dull, slow-moving and borrowing story ideas as well as direct quotes from John Carpenter's landmark slasher Halloween. There's babysitters in peril, young kids spotting the bogeyman everywhere around the house and dangerous killers escaping from hospital beds. Still, if you're looking for really good horror cinema, just wait for the climax which is quite suspenseful and it makes the popular title "Absurd" all the more meaningful.