Being the forgetful fiend that I am, yours cruelly oft forgets that our pals South of the Border can deliver the gory goods among the best of them… and Unearthed Film’s new Blu-ray release of arcane anthology México Bárbaro II (the follow up to 2014’s México Bárbaro) reminded me with a nice, big, bloody open-handed slap right across my putrid puss!
Let’s put our eerie eyeballs on the sinister segments that comprise this fright flick one by one and see just what makes this picture tick!
La Leyenda De Juan Soldado: Coming from writer/director Abraham Sánchez; our first yarn concerns a soldier by the name of Juan (Uri Meza), who is accused of rape and left to die in the desert by his commanding officer.
The thing is, our hero is innocent… so naturally the denizens of hell give him a chance to settle the score with those that wronged him!
Entertaining, fast-paced, and full of a pseudo-EC Comics vibe (that supernatural revenge plot would fit perfectly in those pages), this segment is a strong start, and as a bonus features some rather awesome creature designs!
Next comes Diego Cohen Paidós Phobos which features a young woman who resides in a mansion with her sick child… but something decidedly more sinister lurks behind the locked doors of the mansion if her dreams are to be believed…
Comprised of little dialog, a dark streak a mile-wide, and psychotronic imagery, this is another strong entry, if a bit more on the fever dream side of the equation.
Next up is Fernando Urdapilleta’s Potzonalli, a nice lil’ account of a family preparing dinner for Daddy Dearest. Sounds fine n’ dandy except Pappy is an abusive pig (at times literally) and he’s in for the dining experience of a lifetime!
While undoubtedly pitch black in subject matter, this excursion is nonetheless filled to the brim with 4th wall breakin’, top-shelf effects work, and a truly deviously delightful sense of fun while taking one wild-ass stroll down Revenge Road!
Following that comes Christian Cueva and co-writer Ricardo Farias’ Bolas De Fuego…
When some horny dudes bring some ladies over for a filmed sexual encounter, our libidinous heroes find themselves balls deep in trouble as those wicked women take control of the situation with suitably off-kilter results.
A product of the live sex cam industry’s prevalence in the world of porn, this one is filled with wonderfully wonton women, scads of gore effects, and a found footage vibe loaded with satirical on-screen ads a la Verhoeven’s Robocop but with online trappings.
Continuing the solid winning streak we have ourselves here is Michelle Garza Cervera’s Vitriol which concerns the horrible effects of a woman desperate to improve her appearance via an experimental drug.
Vitriol takes a bit of a different tack as it presents a character that is infinitely sympathetic no matter the darkness that surrounds her and her actions… and while light on actual horror, the short is incredibly engaging throughout.
Next we get Sergio Tello’s No Te Duermas, which centers on a boy who simply can not fall asleep thanks to the plethora of wives tales his grandmother has told him about various horrible things that can happen to one if proper steps aren’t taken before bedtime.
Here’s a solid and creepy tale done to perfection with stylish cinematography, a mounting sense of dread, and a killer twist… a true gem in the crown of this anthology, which is really saying something given the high quality of the previous segments!
Carlos Meléndez and co-writer Adrian Garcia Bogliano’s Ya Es Hora which features a group of young women that have absolutely had e-fucking-nuff of the mean girls in their lives.
To that end, the girls summon a demon who executes a serious body horror nightmare on their enemies!
This one was a solid gold winner as well in my beastly book and features gobs of gross gore sure to satisfy the sweet tooth of you gore-hounds out there!
Finally comes Lex Ortega’s Exodoncia, which centers on a woman in the throws of an ever-growing heroin addiction… an addiction that comes with a penchant for some seriously gnarly self-harm.
This is by far the most “extreme horror” type tale of the bunch and comes fully loaded with exceptionally graphic, self-inflicted violent mayhem, a demon of sorts, and a brutal streak 666 miles long!
Along with all of the ghoulish goodness mentioned above, this release also features some bonus material in the form of behind-the scenes featurettes for La Leyenda De Juan Soldado, Bolas De Fuego, Vitriol, No Te Duermas, Exodoncia, a stills gallery (along with a separate gallery for Vitriol), and the film’s theatrical trailer.
One of the more solid entries in the horror anthology genre, México Bárbaro II is filled to the batty brim with enough gore, monsters, and madness to well and truly satisfy fanatics of the format!
