lazarillo Brazilian horror/exploitation films are most famous for the unique visions of director/actor Jose "Coffin Joe" Marin (firstly), and perhaps also the whacked-out 80's soap opera/sexploitation flicks known as "pornochachada" (a very distant second). Well, it turns out the Brazilians also made quite a few cheapo gory horror flicks back in that decade known for cheapo gory horror flicks, the 1980's. This is one of them.The plot (wait a minute--gotta stop rolling around on the floor laughing hysterically) involves some kind of ritual human sacrifice performed for both Egyptian and South American gods. Some dimwitted theater students steal an ancient book of these rites in order to put them on as a play (they couldn't have just done "The Music Man"?). Naturally,the dark Egyptian/Latin American gods are not pleased, and all breaks loose--in the most confusing and cheap-jack way imaginable.The only thing that really sets this apart from a ultra-cheap Americam horror film of this era is that it manages to be even more inept and certainly more non-sensical. The incredibly wooden acting is matched by the even more wooden English dubbing. And speaking of wood, the luscious "pornochchada" princess Vanessa Alves shows up in a role that consists entirely of her splashing around naked in a bloody bathtub with a severed goat's head (perhaps a waste of her talents, I'm not sure). Anyway, she's the closest thing to a name actor in this.None of this is to say, movies like this don't have their low-rent charms. The ones here are just even more low-rent than usual.

trashgang Director Fauzi Mansur is one of those Brazilian director's which movies are extremely hard to find. None of them are out on DVD. Fauzi was known for his porn flicks but the last two flicks he directed immediately became cult because he tried to make some kind of horror. Ritual Of Death do pops up sometimes on ex-rental VHS but his Satanic Attraction (1990) is harder to find.You don't watch this flick for the acting because that's as wooden as it can be. This flick is hunted down for it's gore and secondly for it's nudity. Made in 1990 it more looks like an early eighties flick due the cheap effects used but it's still worth watching. It even reminded me of those old Italian horrors because they also used the lighting to give some scary effects and they also overdubbed the track with sound of the wind or whatsoever. It never is frightening but the killings makes it all worth searching. Green goo is coming from hands and faces but that's what makes it a bit cheesy at times. But the face ripping scene is still one for the gorehounds but the drowning of a man and his eyes coming out of his face is really cheesy. Between the gory parts girls do go naked or having sex in a bath full of blood together with a goat's head chopped off. If you are a collector surely one to pick up if you can find it. About the actors I can only tell that the main leads, Karina Palatnik did her final appearance in this flick (only did 3 flicks) and Olair Coan died in a car accident in 2007. None of the others made it in the international scene. Gore 3/5 Nudity 1,5/5 Effects 3/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5

HumanoidOfFlesh The story of Fauzi Mansur's "Ritual of Death" concerns a teenager named Brad,who starts having some weird hallucinations about ancient Egyptian/Indian Satanic rituals.It all has to do something with some sort of a devilish book.Brad enjoys eating raw and bloody goat liver and there is a bloody bath of Brazilian babe with a severed goat head.Brad becomes possessed by an ancient spirit and goes on a bloody killing spree.Cheesy Brazilian slasher flick with lots of gore and naked female flesh.The acting is terrible and the characters are incredibly dumb,but if you are in the mood for some graphic grue "Ritual of Death" will satisfy your bloodthirst.7 goat heads out of 10.

Bloodwank I always had a feeling that Brazilian horror had more to offer than just the shenanigans of good 'ole Coffin Joe, but only recently did I get to experience this glorious proof of my suspicions. Ritual of Death makes a beeline straight for the most deliriously inspired of territory and more or less sticks there, seekers of sense and coherence can pretty well not bother but for fans of the kookier side of foreign trash horror, its made of win. It charts the grisly craziness that befalls when an amateur theatre group gets a hold of a translation of an Egyptian manuscript detailing sacrificial rites to the god of death, rites that have led to ghastly happenings in the past. Suffice to say, the past awakens and actor Brad starts to come under some pretty bad influence… Now the script may not make a whole lot of sense, but director Fauzi Mansur sets about business with near magical intuitions about how to keeps things awesome. The first half has more of a supernatural vibe, so we get visions, ritual sacrifice as reality, dream and theatre and a whole bunch of stuff that may or may not be real but certainly makes for fun viewing. Colorful costumes, cheap and cheery set designs, score that fixates on powerful drums, alarmed synths and rudimentary eerie tunage (kudos Michael Kelly), a sweetly overwrought atmosphere of compelling unhingement howls bug-eyed at the viewer and it's really something to behold. Mix in boobs, pus oozing decay, jump cuts to a sinister bowler hatted man and a totally off the hook bloody bathtub fornication/severed goats head love scene and you got something close to purest bliss. Unexpected toads and messy eating get in on the action too! Then as things go on, the film works in some plot developments and sidles into slasher mode, so we get some gruesome slaying as things build to the inevitable daftoid finale. Zonked out dubbing provides unintentional humour, as does what sounds suspiciously like a misplaced fart at one point and the sillier effects will surely get some giggles too. Not much to say about the acting, but Sergio Hingst is suitably menacing as the aforementioned bowler hated menace, Olair Coan is a decently distressed leading man and the women are often pretty attractive, so its all good. Its been a while since I was this entertained by a trashy horror film, all bar hardy trash fans will likely find it terrible but I straight up loved it. Obscur-amongous, but dopey and gored up trash lovers would do well to hunt this sucker out I'd say.