Reviewing the Video Nasties is like travelling down a long and winding road with stops at unexpected destinations on the way. I hadn’t seen Bloody Moon before and was wondering what kind of horror film it would be. It turns out that it’s a slasher film.

This Jesus Franco film concerns Miguel, who has a prominent facial disfigurement. We see him put on a mask at a masked party and try to pretend that he is the boyfriend of a very hot young woman. They escape to her room to get it on, but when she unmasks him she obviously freaks out and rejects him. He retaliates by stabbing her to death with a pair of scissors. He is sent to a mental facility for five years and on his release goes to live with his sister and their wheelchair bound aunt at a language school. A series of murders then commences. Is Miguel to blame?

As I stated earlier, this is Franco’s attempt at a slasher movie. There are even scenes that he’s stolen from Halloween and Friday the 13th to hammer this home (the arrangement of the victims at the end, the scene in which a woman barricades herself in but then has to dismantle the barricades to let someone in).

But, Bloody Moon, being set in Spain feels like a refreshing twist on the genre. Also, the fact that it’s batshit crazy also distinguishes it from more generic fare. There are twists, turns and genuinely gruesome kills (maybe this made it’s entry onto the Video Nasties list more justifiable by the DPP).

The version that I saw contains dubbing that seems to have lost something (or maybe gained something) in translation. Some lines seem so overbaked and exaggerated that they are genius. One such example is when a good looking male character is introduced to others with the line ‘and he’s a fantastic lover!’ Add to this ‘disco’ scenes that are unintentionally hilarious and a colour palatte that could make your eyes bleed (this is the brightest and breeziest horror film I’ve ever seen) and this adds to the enjoyment.

But theres other material here that adds another layer to proceedings. For one, Miguel and his sister are in an incestuous relationship. These scenes instantly made me think of the sleazoid classic, Burial Ground. And they made me want to jump into the shower and scrub myself down with bleach.

Also, the film shows that Miguel freaks out other characters merely because he has a facial disfigurement which isn’t very kind and is very indictative of attitudes during this era. I’d like to think such attitudes have changed now.

But, Bloody Moon’s status as a frantic and demented film was assured near the end when I thought to myself, ‘Can this movie get any crazier?!’ I don’t want to ruin any surprises for anyone but lets just say that events escalate very quickly indeed.

Bloody Moon is highly recommended.

4 out of 5 stars