| Product: |
H6 - Diary Of A Serial Killer (DVD) |
| Date: |
08/11/06 (324 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: The acting and photography
Disadvantages: The unrelenting nastiness of it all
H6 is a mess, a good looking mess maybe but it is a mess none the less. There have been a couple of good films of this ilk, the following and watching of the criminal activities of a serial killer, most notably Henry and Man Bites Dog. Since those two seminal 1990’s entries into the genre there have been a few attempts at making something similar but none have come even close to being as queasingly well made. The Last Horror Movie was the last attempt I saw, a British made one trying to emulate the Americans and the Belgians (Yes the Belgians made Man Bites Dog!) and it was a dismal failure exhibiting blood and violence rather than the unsettling moments the other two specialised in as you watched the killer in action. Sadly for the Spanish makers of H6 this falls more into the Last Horror Movie camp then the highs of Man Bites Dog.
H6 is a Spanish film, and therefore has subtitles) telling the story of Antonio (Fernando Acaso), a man just released from prison who finds he has inherited a boarding house while serving his sentence. He moves into his new abode only to find out that that he has a squatter living in the very top of the building. This annoyance re-ignites his old murderous streak and he embarks on a killing spree, always inviting people into his home and then torturing them before finally killing them.
H6 is a film that doesn’t entertain in any way at all; it is very stark and brutal. While Antonio tortures his victims he is cold and impassionate, even while raping the female prostitute he lures in he shows no emotion at all and this makes the whole thing very realistic and unpalatable.
In fact the scenes with the prostitutes being tied to a table and just left there for him to use as he wishes is something that really made me squirm, it was a step too far for me, it is one of those times when you are watching something but you really feel as if you shouldn’t be, that this is something that oversteps the bounds of decency. This isn’t because you see too much because you don’t, but you are left in no uncertain terms as to what is going on and how Antonio is brutally torturing the girl as she slowly dies.
They do try to humanise the character of Antonio a bit by having him romance a woman he meets and marry her. She moves into his house and lives what seems like a good life with him, but she is kept in the dark over what he does in the upper rooms while she works nights as a nurse. Her work shifts leave him free to prowl the nights searching for more victims.
From this point onwards you have that new edge to the film, Antonio has the calmness to carry on his torture and murdering while his wife is nearby and could find out. At the same time his wife, Francisca (Maria Jose Bausa), while having no knowledge of what is going on you think she is sure to discover at some time or other. How will she, and Antonio, react if that does happen?
H6 is a nasty, horrible film. That may appeal to some but not to most. Most will feel as I did I think and not want to have anything to do with this film. I am really struggling to think of anything good to say about it!
The only possible reason for watching this could be the acting of Acaso as Antonio, after all if he has managed to make me hate the character as much as I do then he must be doing something right! If he didn’t put in a great performance the film would fall apart and it would be laughable rather than nasty. Whether this means this is actually an advantage or not I don’t know as even thinking about the film leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. It is strange as I don’t think a film has had quite this effect on me before. I have seen many a film that offers the same kind of scenes (Hostel for example) but there is something very unsettling about H6, maybe it is that it is extremely well made and therefore you don’t have the laughable side to it. Maybe it is just because it is so realistic that it has more of an effect on you than something that is so far removed from our own limited view on things, something that is not likely to happen in our own part of the world. That when you see something that you can believe happens, and we read about in papers all the time, that it actually makes it a lot more nasty.
Maybe though it is just the unrelenting way the film shows it all, after Henry was incredibly hard hitting at the time of its release and that didn’t bother me at all. Though thinking about it that only has one real scene of brutal violent stomach clenching queasiness whereas H6 has far too many for my liking.
I don’t think I have seen a film that I have disliked as much due to its content as opposed to its story, dialogue or acting. This is different… the story is good, the acting is good and the dialogue is good… it is just the overall content that I hate.
H6 is not a nice film, even though it is well made, well acted and looks very vibrant at day and very claustrophobic at night and as such there is no way I would suggest any except the most hardened horror fans actually try and see this.
*Just in case anyone now starts worrying about my sanity I didnt choose to watch this as such. I saw it at a film festival I was working at and it was the 'best' choice when I had a couple of spare hours!*
Summary: A nasty, violent film about torture and murder
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