ATROZ (Atrocious) (2015)-Can You Handle It?-Fitz of Horror Review

Written by Bryan Fitzgerald (Fitz of Horror) February 19, 2018

I know I’m late to the party on this one but in my defense it has been sitting patiently on my shelf for a while prior to me finally watching or should I say “witnessing” this hard to watch (in a good way for hardcore gore horror fans) Mexican extreme horror gem from Ruggero Deadato (Cannibal Holocaust) and Unearthed Films and directed by Lex Ortega. As a reviewer, it is frowned upon to just use the phrases “Holy Shit”, “What the Fuck!!?” or “Oh My Fucking God” to describe a movie but these were basically the only words going through my mind while viewing this film that is the recent equivalent to other shocking films like A Serbian Film, American Guinea Pig: Bouquet of Guts and Gore or Cannibal Holocaust. 

Synopsis-A woman has been brutally struck down by a car and the two drivers have been obtained by the police. The unorthodox commander-in-chief decides to check out the assailant’s car for himself and makes a gruesome discovery on a camcorder. The video recorder features the relentless torture and murder of a prostitute. The police decide to deal out some justice of their own — justice that would make even the criminals cringe — by interrogating their perpetrators, they discover more videotapes exposing even more sexually deviant torture and murder.

From the very beginning of the movie the tone of unstoppable and unsolved murder is set with opening shots of the very busy and crowded nature of Mexico. We are also made privy to a fact that 98% of all of the nearly 23,000 murders in Mexico remain unsolved. As the images on screen go back and forth from standard to “found footage, we get an idea of what film style will be incorporated to give this grisly story a very real feeling experience.

I pride myself in giving spoiler free reviews so you can go into a movie somewhat fresh. Atroz is a movie that if watched, needs to be “experienced” so I will keep it short and sweet.

The film opens on a car crash and a female victim lying dead in the road in front of the car. When detective Juarez shows up to assess the scene he finds a video camera in the glove box that contains footage of the two me that were driving the vehicle carrying out atrocious acts of violence on a woman that include but are not limited to beatings, cutting and burning. As messed up as this first tape is, the detective realizes that he has two serial killers on his hands and that there are more tapes to be viewed.

Cut to officer Juarez and his fellow cops beating and torturing the pair to find out where they shot the original video. After some cringe inducing torture tactics Goyo (Lex Ortega himself) breaks and gives up the location. After cops arrive at the crime scene the discover 2 more tapes.

One of the tapes contains Goyo stalking a stripper and eventually getting her to have consensual sex with him but given his primal and sadistic nature that in itself is not good enough. In this tape we are witness to some very hard to watch acts and crimes of an explicit sexual and very violent nature. Each tape thus far has given the viewer a little more insight into the wicked and barbaric nature of these men but the final tape shows us WHY Goyo is the way he is.

Now we are back at the police station with Juarez interviewing a cleaned up and very intimidating looking Goyo. After some mind games and attempted belittlement of Goyo, Juarez plays the final tape.

The final tape, in grand fashion, is the most fucked up of them all and that’s saying a lot. We are introduced to a young Goyo who is shamed and beaten badly by his sadistic father as his mother watches and his crazy sister does nothing, because of the  porno mags that they found in his drawer. This is the act the drove young Goyo over the edge. This is a VERY gruesome segment that involves barbed wire, a large dildo, an anal cam, body parts being cut off and switched from person to person, incest, murder and an abrupt end to the tape.

As we cut back to the interrogation room, it is revealed that Goyo killed the wrong damn person (Juarez’s family member) and that he must pay for his mistake. This is where the “Social Experiment” aspect comes into play and the movie takes one hell of a turn and gives us a “Shyamalan-esqu” twist that will leave your jaw on the ground when the credits start to roll.

Atroz is available on Amazon and at Unearthed Films website.

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