Review of Bloodlust

Bloodlust (1976)
8/10
Welcome to the morbid Dollhouse!
2 October 2006
Apparently there are more export products coming from Switzerland than just fancy watches, pocketknives and cuckoo clocks! For instance this harrowing and severely devastating exploitation gem, which undoubtedly WILL affect you in some way. Superficially, "Mosquito The Rapist" appears to be another load of sick-spirited & extreme 70's trash, but if you make the effort to observe the film closer, you'll discover that it's actually an intense and tragic drama rather than just euro-smut. Werner Pochath portrays an anonymous deaf-mute man in his early twenties, working as an accountant and living in a ramshackle studio that he decorated with uncanny dolls. Flashbacks show that his father was very abusive and he regularly witnessed how his little sister was sexually assaulted, so naturally he carries a truckload of childhood traumas with him. He keeps his perverted "desires" under control by regularly breaking into morgues and mutilating girls' corpses as well as slurping their blood through a homemade glass straw. This particular device has two little points at the end, which makes it look like vampire's teeth. When his secret love-interest (a hippie-girl that lives in his building) tragically dies, the mutilations become far more sadistic and he eventually turns to brutal murder. The scenes showing "Mosquito" inside the morgues are quite repulsive. He pokes out the eyes of corpses, cuts open their torsos and sucks their blood while lying on top of them. Yet, even more impressive is the constantly grim & disturbing atmosphere director Marijan Vadja manages to sustain! This boy's entire existence is so sad and so depressing that you simply can't bring yourself to fully abominate him. It's probably the only film I've seen in my whole life where I felt compassionate for a depraved pervert. There's a minimum of dialogue, but tons of saddening music and unpleasant images of a pauperized society. These are all aspects that emphasize the dramatic themes of the film and NOT the exploitative sleaze & violence. "Mosquito The Rapist" is also a shockingly well-made and even stylish film! The camera-work and editing are competently handled and even the acting performances are adequate. Those who're expecting a cheap, bottom-of-the-barrel exploitation flick will surely be (pleasantly?) surprised. You can always raise questions regarding what's the point of making such a movie and/or what the added cinematic value is. Of course, there's none… But still this shouldn't keep fans of cult films from purchasing this obscure baby! It's at least a dozen times better than it looks!

* Note: this user comment is dedicated to IMDb-user Scott-from-Modesto. Without his help, I probably never would have found this movie.
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