Movie review: The Mansion of Madness

This Mondo Macabro dvd reissues one of the best and most misunderstood movies of the 70's. The director, Juan Lopez Moctezuma, worked with the cult director Jadarowsky (El Topo, Santa Sangre) in the 60's and 70's on a number of strange, non linear, but beautiful films that have to be viewed as performance pieces rather than stories. MM has previously reissued another Moctezuma film, Alucarda, which is a wild, LOUD horror film that combines nunsploitation and demon possession, which always makes for a potent cocktail of a flick. That one came out around 1975; this one was made around 1970 and issued a year later -- it is better known in the US as Dr. Tarr's Torture Dungeon. That title alone gives an indication as to why it was so ill received -- it was sent directly to the drive in circuit, and the people who went to see it, expecting gore and sex, must have walked away, confused. It's a story about a reporter who goes to an insane asylum to do a story, but little does he know that the inmates are running the asylum. Apparently it is loosely based on Edgar Allan Poe's "System of Dr. Tarr and Professor Feather." Very loosely! The movie is very theatrical; more about the spirit of the times, of performance art and theater, where anything goes, and visually, this movie is exciting -- Felliniesque, even. From the guards dressing in 18th century military uniforms, to the director of the asylum's daughter dressed in a Mara Hari uniform, performing in front of a psychedelic band in surreal makeup, to the asylum itself, with the vast room of glass cases with inmates (or the employees?) inside them, and the guest quarters made out of fabric and rope -- all brilliantly used and photographed, to give a real sense of absurdity. The three dancers dressed in black, covered in feathers, and menacing our hero at the end of the film is very memorable! The dvd reissue makes an apology for the quality of the remastering, however, the film is very sharp and detailed, and the color is vivid. Only 2/3 ito the movie is there a shift in language; they must have used the spanish dubbed version (this film was filmed in english), and subtitles appear. It is 85 minutes long, and the story is simple and to the point, unlike a lot of movies nowadays that clock at 2 hours. It's not really a horror film, yes there are some disturbing moments, but not outright gore, and some nudity. It's like watching a Theater of the Absurd, where everything is downright strange, and we see everything thru the reporter's eyes. Probably the find of the year for reissues, just when you think you've seen it all. I loved it!