One of the great Spanish horror actors, Paul Naschy plays the role of Pablo Thevenet as if it is autobiographical, and it may very well be.He is washed up as an actor. Current directors want only pretty faces and lots of silicone. He lands a job as a doorman that allows him to use his prodigious talents as he was meant to.It is obvious that Pablo is entering a deal with the devil, but when the devil's assistant looks as good as Bibiana Fernández (Almodovar's Matador & his La Ley del Deseo), who cares? Apparently Pablo had some unpleasant experiences in life besides his downward fall as an actor and he snaps. This is where the horror begins. He is to spill blood copiously to get revenge.Christian Molina, in his first directorial project has managed to give us a new view of horror in a very stylized way, almost as good as Argento. I am looking forward to seeing his other films.

Paul Naschy is certainly a big contender for Spain's biggest ever horror star; with a great deal of cult films under his belt, most notably his "Homo Lobo" series. However, since the seventies his fame has dwindled somewhat; but on the evidence of this film, his acting and writing talent certainly hasn't! Rojo Sangre is a strange and wayward film that won't appeal to all tastes; but it's certainly an interesting cult film and the fact that it's a semi-autobiographical film for Paul Naschy makes it all the more interesting. The plot focuses on Pablo Thevenet; a down and out actor with nothing but bad luck. His daughter was murdered and his wife left him, and despite once being a big star; he now can't find any sort of acting work. He gets something of a break when he's offered a job as a 'living statue' at a Stag club, and although he finds the role demeaning; he takes it because the money is good and no other offers are coming his way. His hatred for the modern movie business is overwhelming, however, and it's not long before he begins a murderous tirade against all those that have stopped him from getting work.The thing I liked most about this film is the way that the plot moves. It's never obvious where the film is going and Naschy's script always allows some surprises. The direction is taken up by Christian Molina, and I'm sure the last name will be familiar to Naschy fans as it's his son! Molina's direction is always assured and he manages several stylish moments. The film is perhaps a little too flashy, but everything in the direction bodes well with the way that the story is presented. The film is bolstered courtesy of an excellent performance by Paul Naschy; perhaps even the best of his career. The fact that the role reflects upon his own career aside, you can't fail but be impressed with Naschy here; he absolutely becomes the central character and you can never doubt him for a second. One of the many subplots of the film features the central character slashing up various people while dressed as historical characters and this provides the film with some of its best moments. The gore is actually quite restrained but it's still nice to see. There's not really a defining point to the film and the ending contains more questions than answers but it does at least bring some closure to the plot. Overall, Rojo Sangre is an excellent swan song for Naschy's career and I'm sure that fans of the great Spanish actor's career will appreciate it.

Rojo Sangre is one more of those garbage films that Spain has been pumping out like donuts in the name of the emerging young directors. The birth of a horrible phenomenon that has been a practice in Spain in order to claim a spot in commercial film making.It is all wrong.A film with a huge budget (ab)used to trick the amateur viewer and make him believe the film deserves a chance to be watched. High production values with absolutely no motivation to consolidate them with the story line.Overdone stylistic artifacts.Expensive effects that belong more in a hard rock music video then on the big screen. No character development.Dialogues to make you twist up out of embarrassment. I could go on describing the "horrorific" experience I had watching this pretentious film but I'll leave it to you to take over from here. Please , "young Spanish directors" try to go to film school and above all work before you ask daddy to give you money to make a film.

When I started to watch "Rojo Sangre", Jacinto Molina's aka Paul Naschy ("The Spanish Horror Legend") last movie, on a beautiful Spanish DVD transfer, I didn't know I was in for a big and pleasant surprise. I just got "burned" by "Tomb of the Werewolf" (2003), which I couldn't bear for more then 10 minutes and ended up straight into the trash-can. I wasn't sure I should give Jacinto a second chance during the same evening... I'm glad I did! If not his best movie, this is certainly one of his most important works and, for sure, his most personal in many ways. He gets involved here as the leading actor, scriptwriter and I suspect, he also exercised some influence on young and talented Director Christian Molina (no relation to Jacinto), at his first and, so far, only directing experience (lets keep an eye on this fellow). The main character: Pablo Thevenet, an aging and struggling actor, who is not getting jobs anymore, has no money left, is turned down by friends, directors and his own agent, tries to convince an arrogant casting director what a good film and stage actor he was and still is. He starts mentioning movie titles which, in reality, belong to Naschy's own filmography. A part from that, Jacinto Molina is also an "aging actor" in real life. It may break your heart to see, what has become of the guy which, in his prime-time, was an athletic and handsome typical "Macho Latino", as he appeared, for instance, in "Blue eyes of the broken doll". Now he is almost bald, wrinkled and walks with the help of a cane... but, as an actor, believe me, he is alive and kicking big time! Surely he can fully relate to the Thevenet character and understand, better then anybody else, what it would mean, for a once famous actor, loosing his audience and being forced to go from one humiliating and hopeless casting-call to the other, just to survive. This knowledge helped him to craft this complex and powerful character. There is no intention from my side to spoil your pleasure, if you decide to watch this movie, by giving you in advance the whole plot or too many details. I will only say that he keeps sinking towards his final humiliation, until he finally snaps and the inside growing rage pushes him to kill all the scumbags in the entertainment industry, he considers responsible, in one way or the other, for his misery. As a skilled actor, he does it however in a stylish manner, impersonating, one after the other, a gallery of infamous madmen, like Ivan the Terrible, Jack the Ripper, Rasputin and others. He "gets busy", using mainly a precious collection of assorted Japanese sharp blades, just perfect for the gory slashing, but a handgun comes also handy at times. The killings are bloody and brutal but, cinematographically, exceptionally well crafted. Gore-hounds will love them and love this movie. In his descent to the lowest level of dignity, he gets also involved in the production of a "snuff-film". I consider this horrifying and savage sequence being, cinematographically, one of the best of the whole movie. Earlier in the movie, he signed a "Contract" with a bizarre character named Mr. Reficul (read it backwards...does a bell ring?), who offered him a humiliating but well rewarded job. This will be the starting point of his brutal career as a deadly agent of the Dark Side. A part of Naschy's acting performance (which I consider superb), it is worth to mention a young fellow named Miguel del Arco, who delivers a remarkable mean-spirited performance as Mr. Reficul. The dialogs are clever and, sometimes, very amusing. Right in the opening scene, Thevenet gives to a friend a detailed description of an odd sexual-aid technique he finds quite effective..... His friend is embarrassed to death and his face shows it all. This monologue is absurd but Naschy is capable to make it sound almost logical and perfectly acceptable. The scene is a blast! Beware, unless your copy has subtitles (avoid dubs at all costs), you need to be in full control of the Spanish language, to completely appreciate the dialogs and the movie in his entirety. The cinematography and the visuals are awesome. Director and cinematographer have probably seen Argento's "Suspiria" and Bava's "Kill, Baby Kill" and have learned the lesson. They successfully apply all the technical marvels available from today's technology, to create a kaleidoscope of dizzying chromatic visuals, in which "reds" and "yellows" provide an extra kick, during the most atmospheric and dramatic sequences. The camera moves rapidly, morphing from one sequence to the next, the accurate and swift editing ads tension, all this supported by an appropriate and atmospheric original soundtrack. To me this is a highly recommendable stylish and gorgeous "fantastic-horror" movie. So please, grab your pop-corn (or cup of Spanish Brandy if you prefer), sit back, relax and go for the ride but please, don't forget Thevenet's words, concluding his "El Murillo Movie Award" acceptance speech:"...be very careful with what you sign...!!!" I give it a 9 out of 10.