On the other hand, if you do not want to watch the film as a meta experience, you can be content to watch a seriously surreal horror movie. The movie bends reality and dream to the point where they become intermingled. There are moments where you think you are seeing an actual murder, only to learn it is a vision and vice versa. It is filled with wall to wall gore, some of it well done, some of it not so, but it is all heavy on the red stuff.
Technically, the movie is quite flawed. The story is not terribly clear, although that may be by design since it is not so much about plot as it is about atmosphere and the overall experience. With footage coming from multiple sources, there is an issue of matching, but that is not the only problem. It seems the film was shot "Ed Wood style" with many shots being done in one take regardless of coverage quality; for example, during an early doctor kill you can see one angle was shot during the day and the reverse at night. Still, it is still a lot of fun.
Audio/Video. The film is presented in its original widescreen aspect ratio. The transfer is not the best, but I do not see this film as being one that had much of a budget, nor do I think it was taken care of all that well, so we should be thankful for what we are able to get. Grindhouse Releasing has done a fine job of getting it into as a good a shape as it is. To that end, the video is always clear, but very soft and does not have much in the way of fine detail. Definitely watchable, but do not expect crystal clarity.
The audio is in the same boat. There are two tracks of equal quality, English and Italian, both in mono. The film was shot with English and Italian speakers, all speaking their native language, necessitating the two dubs. It is a little odd to watch, but it is not an uncommon occurrence in Italian horror, especially in the '70s and '80s. Neither is great, but they both get the job done.
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