Atroz

 

 

Splat’s Synopsis…

Goyo and Gordo are two sick fucks into recording their rapes, tortures and executions. 

Unfortunately for them they are involved in a car accident that left a woman with her brains splattered across the bitumen.

Police lock them up in the back of their patrol car. Soon Commander Juârez arrives and takes charge of the scene. Looking through the car he finds a pistol and a video camera. On tape…a transvestite is being tortured. 

Soon the interrogation is commenced…justice in Mexico is sometimes just as brutal as the crimes! Tortured they offer up information that leads to more tapes. On the scene forensics examine one to discover yet another victim. An older VHS tape is discovered that leads to clues on the nature of these killings. 

After Gordo commits suicide it is just Goyo to suffer the consequences of making that one wrong victim suffer and die. As he soon finds out elements of what he had been doing had been under the control of Commander Juârez all along. And why that one victim was a big mistake!

Three scenes of cruelty and murder caught on tape!

Three incidents that uncover the psyche of a serial fiend and what makes him tick! 

When it comes down to it it is all about control!

 

Atroz aka Atrocious is the debut feature length experience in extreme horror cinema from Mexican writer, director and actor Lex Ortega. Before this Lex has been a short filmmaker along with being involved with two (as of now) anthologies; Barbarous Mexico (2014) and World of Death (2016).

In fact Atroz started life as a short film, and one I have heard is just as hard hitting as it’s namesake in the feature length version. Would love to check that out if given the opportunity. As of now Lex is filming a new feature, Aztech. From reading my review and doing yourselves a favour and checking out Atroz you will have a new awesome filmmaker to keep your eyes on. 

Atroz came to the attention of the larger Underground Horror community thanks to Stephen Biro and his Unearthed Films, where Atroz recently got released. It’s also thanks to Stephen for giving me the opportunity to experience this terrorific film.

Before going into Atroz I read an interesting quote posted on the thread here http://extremehorrorcinema.com/index.php?topic=4037.msg51416;topicseen#new made by gore hound and friend of a few of us on Face Book, Daniel Camhi. It was a bold statement predicting that quite possibly Atroz could be the new August Underground.

Possibilities ran through my head!

As I am sure some of you have also done I sometimes contemplate on how AU4 could play out. Then upon having my Atroz experience I was like fuck this was one of the scenarios I had dreamt of. Peter and Crusty are caught and the tapes revealed. Upon watching Atroz I felt it would work if magGot came in at some point to play some form of revenge.

Alas this is all mumblings of a UG fanboy so will leave it at that. Now back to why you are reading this review…

Lex Ortega‘s Atroz!

Can understand Daniel‘s statement that this could be the new AU. Two killers with a camera kidnapping, torturing and killing their prey. But that is where the similarities end. Atroz is FAR from some movie thrown together by a fan, it is more than it’s own beast! A beast it is! Intense, brutal characters, and not just the Goyo and Gringo. But also the Police with Commander Juârez and his interrogators. Then there is that ending which has an intensity all of it’s own with its final movement. But I won’t deal with that to avoid any spoilers.

Three segments of POV camera work / tapes populate Atroz and tell their own stories of brutality. But also they tell of behind the psych of Goyo. At first it isn’t obvious but by the third video and what happens in it it all comes together.

Tape #1. Involves the stalking, kidnapping, torture and execution of a transvestite. Goyo is determined to get her. At first thwarted they finally get their victim. Brutal they bash, use a knife on her then finally out of a fit of anger shoot her. By the third tape you get the understanding of Goyo’s homophobic anger towards his victim.

Tape #2. Involves going to a strip club and end up fucking one of the girls. She is on the last vestiges of her period but the blood turns Goyo on so he doesn’t mind. Here we also get asphyxiation. When they fuck again later on there is no blood. He ends up smashing her head in and stabs her in the pussy. Blood flows and so does his excitement. He has regrets here as he likes her. But his blind passion for blood took over and is what turns him on.

Tape #3. The VHS tape. One that guys back to Goyo when he was in his late teens. Abuse that opened the door to the man he becomes. Also what brings everything together and shows the depth of what we have watched. Parents were brutal and even had me tear up. Father was an absolute cunt and his mother wasn’t much better being on the sidelines doing nothing. Goyo is accused of being gay, including gay porn being ‘discovered’. At first his Dad takes him to a prostitute. Not getting it up just proves the point to his dad. Then his Dad did something really fucked up and rapes him with a dildo and sends him to school dressed as a girl. Goyo seeks revenge. Buys a black market pistol then sets things into play. Dildo covered in barbed wire and a blade at it’s tip then turns it into a strap-on. Drugging the family coffee soon his parents are unconscious. When they wake it is time for a whole heap of pain as he makes his mum fuck his dad with the strap on. Then he cuts off her breasts etc. Then it all comes out with his sister, She knew he was masturbating while watching her and she liked it. They go to fuck but he still cannot get it up. On her laughing he lashes out and cuts the side of her neck. Blood turning him on her fucks her.

In the interrogation Commander Juârez says he gets off on sexual mutilation and Goyo gives an evil smile. So in effect it wasn’t his parents cruelty that created a monster, it was the key to let him act on his dark fantasies. He wasn’t going to hide it anymore and had the opportunity to act when his father did what he did.

At the least this is how I viewed the proceedings in Atroz anyway. All the clues build up to this final revelation of what the true beast is and comes from.

There is more in the end then just the underlining motivations of a killer!

Also there is a conspiracy as well. Of control, murder of anyone that is deemed to deserve to die or is in the way of said control. Of who is behind it all along with the revelation of who is the tool of this destruction. Here we also discover that if it wasn’t for one of Goyo‘s choices he might just of had a part to play and use his talents. That to a point he was part of a social experiment of sorts but because of a certain choice in the end he fucked up and has to pay a price.

Atroz is far more than just simple torture fucking porn! Along with the amazing effects, intense acting from all the cast there is a story to be told. Told smartly as well, it slowly gets unveiled to the final conclusion. Any film that gets the grey matter flowing is a winner in my books…and natural all the awesome effects to convey what is happening is a major plus as well obviously! Lex Ortega did a fantastic job as writer, director and actor. He brings something special to the screen in his portrayal of evil. Fantastic film that well deserves all the applause it has received so far within the underground. With such all round talent keep an eye on Lex and what he brings to us in the future!

Dare I state an Underground classic reached us in 2016!