CERT: TBC / RELEASE DATE: TBC

Brazil isn’t the first place you’ll think of when it comes to horror films, save for the brilliant lunacy of Coffin Joe (José Mojica Marins, who passed in February this year). However, writer/directors Armando Fonseca and Kapel Furman have created a film as rich in mythology as it is in blood and guts. Oh, and there are a lot of guts.

A prologue in 1944 shows us Nazis attempting to harness the power of the Mask of Anhangá, only to suffer a bloody fate. Flash forward to the present day, and the Mask has been unearthed and there are several people who want it in their possession: to either misuse it or destroy it. Detective Beatriz Obdias (Natallia Rodriques) is on the trail of some brutal murders, each victim disembowelled and missing their heart. Destitute fruit packer Manco Ramirez (Wilton Andrade) is a descendant of one of the slaughtered Nazis and brandishing the severed hand of his ancestor also wants to end the bloodshed.

With so much bloody violence, it’s a pleasure to report that Skull: The Mask moves at a wonderful pace, with impressive (and fun!) effects and amazingly choreographed fight scenes. One thing’s for sure, when someone puts on this mask, it’s not going to be Jim Carrey-esque japes! The preposterous story is the right side of silly, containing slasher qualities, as well as some neo-gallio. It’s a brilliantly colourful affair with the contrast of the slums of São Paulo awash with crimson light. The Mask monster is a foreboding figure, wielding a cleaver with intestine extensions that bring the blade back to him. A costume party massacre is a particular highlight. With fantastic performances all round, this is fun, gory ride.