Symbols of Horror in Santa Sangre

Santa Sangre begins at the titular church run by Concha (Blanca Guerra). As Alejandro Jodorowsky's sole horror film, he uses tropes and imagery common in the genre to craft his most plot heavy film yet, while simultaneously bringing spectators into an understanding with him about his life through symbols and visceral impact.

Santa Sangre (dir. Alejandro Jodorowsky, 1987) could easily be considered the last great film Jodorowsky made in the 20th century, but it may also be his most unique. His previous films, including Fando Y Lis, El Topo, and The Holy Mountain were surrealist films before any other identifiers. Of those, only El Topo truly could be categorized as something of another genre, namely a Western. With Santa Sangre, Jodorowsky decided to make his first and only horror film, and with that gained a whole new world of tools and ideas to utilize. For the first time in Jodorowsky’s career, his surrealist artistic sensibilities worked with the film instead of in tandem, allowing Santa Sangre to be a psychedelic reflection of himself while simultaneously helping the story develop and blossom.

Aesthetically, surrealism, and more specifically Jodorowsky’s brand of surrealism, shares many aspects with the horror genre. Horror imagery including severed limbs, skinned animals, pools of blood and even sexual violence are common in both Jodorowsky’s filmography and those of other surrealist auteurs. Even the most famous scene Un Chien Andalou (dir. Luis Bunuel, 1929), one of the most well known early surrealist films, consists of body mutilation. Works from other prominent directors, including The Neon Demon (dir. Nicolas Winding Refn, 2016), Hausu (dir. Nobuhiko Obayashi, 1977) and Eraserhead (dir. David Lynch, 1977), all also incorporate and blend the surreal with the horrific. Yet, Jodorowsky’s films have a very specific style, and Santa Sangre is no different. Horror is fused with the bizarre and religious to create a very particular atmosphere, one that is both terrifying yet sacred.

Unlike his previous films, Jodorowsky relies heavily on common horror tropes and imagery, but with a psychological bend. Here, Fenix (Axel Jodorowsky) dreams as the corpses of his victims rise from their graves, questioning their fate.

In previous essays, I wrote about Jodorowsky’s tendency to use film as a mirror or a window into the psychological identity of both the audience and the director himself. His usage of surrealist symbolism and design was meant to make the audience interpret what they were viewing in a personal way, while also shedding light on Jodorowsky’s own ideals. Some major examples include the rapid shifts in framing and content of El Topo, and the tarot card connections of The Holy Mountain. Now, it would be presumptuous to say that those aspects don’t make the transition into Santa Sangre. Jodorowsky is an auteur, and as such his approach to filmmaking will always provide a backbone to any of his works. However, as we try to analyze and understand the connection behind Santa Sangre, we must assume that the techniques of the horror genre also translate accordingly, which leads to the emphasis on the body.

Horror’s connection to the physical nature of the body cannot be understated, as the genre thrives on the viewer’s ability to fear what is on the screen. That fear doesn’t simply appear out of nowhere, but is a visceral reaction the carnage depicted. The reaction stems from a response to the screen, which is itself a message sent from the filmmaker to the viewer via the film itself, an experience shared betwixt the two minds. Thomas Elsaesser suggests that this communication between the three filmic planes is enabled by these shared perceptions. “We take in films somatically, with our whole body, and we are affected by images even before cognitive information processing addresses and envelops us on another level.” [127]

Santa Sangre often uses common horror imagery to connect to the themes. In this scene, Fenix (Axel Jodorowsky) enacts his mother's revenge on the tattooed woman, using the same knifes his father used in the circus.

This idea centers on the bilateral communication between physical and emotional responses, as visuals create a distinct physical reaction in the viewer attune to primal emotions. Fear is a prominent reaction, but of course other physical emotions like sadness or arousal are also applicable. These, unlike most other emotions, are connected to bodily functions: Sweating, crying, etc. They are bodily emotions, which further blurs the line in interactions between reality and the screen. Those emotions are tied to horror, melodrama, and pornography, of which film theorist Linda Williams refers to as the ‘body genres’. Elsaesser poses the idea that these body genres, while often considered shallow in critical circles, have a direct and immediate connect to psychoanalysis.

In this process, fascination as well as fear aroused by these genres are reconnected to fundamental tropes in psychoanalysis, such as castration anxiety (horror films) the incestuous attachment to the mother (melodrama), and the primordial scene involving the parents (pornography). [132]

Psychoanalysis, and most predominantly the works of Sigmund Freud, are founding aspects of surrealism. Symbols, when perceived by the viewer, give a look into the psychological state of the viewer and often more importantly the director themself.

Santa Sangre deals heavily with the relationship between Fenix (Axel Jodorowsky) and his mother Concha (Blanca Guerra). Incestual overtones are abundant, like in the scene where Fenix massages his mother as she wakes.

In the case of Jodorowsky’s films, those three body genres and their psychoanalytic tendencies are fused together in a surrealist collage. Surrealism is known for its grotesque and unconventional imagery, utilizing both social taboos and freudian symbolism, which can span from body mutilation to sexual imagery to incestual overtones. With El Topo and The Holy Mountain, that imagery was used to provide symbolism and a connection between the viewer and Jodorowsky’s own philosophy. In Santa Sangre, the physicality is integral to the film’s themes and story.

Santa Sangre is arguably the most plot-heavy film from Jodorowsky, nearly completely disconnected from his usual avant garde non-linear storytelling format. It tells a concrete story about Fenix (Axel Jodorowsky and Adan Jodorowsky) and his upbringing in the circus, his relationship with his mother, and subsequent descent into madness. The first act of the film introduces Fenix as a young and innocent child, whose father is a knife-thrower in the midst of a tryst with the circus’s tattooed woman, and whose mother is both a trapeze artists and the leader of a cult. The cult, in particular, sets the stage for the film’s primary themes. The cult considers a young girl who was raped and subsequently had her arms cut off as their patron saint. This imagery is stereotypical for Jodorowsky’s work, but unlike most of his films, the imagery returns with a plot basis at the end of the first act. Fenix’s mother Concha (Blanca Guerra) catches her husband Orgo (Guy Stockwell) in the act with the tattooed woman, and in a panic throws sulfuric acid on his genitals. He responds by severing her arms, no different than her cult’s patron saint. The action is swift and visceral, but it brings up an important comparison. When a catholic priest arrived in the first act, he dubbed the cult’s patron saint nothing more than an idol; the connection to spirituality is nothing more than a fantasy.

These two scenes, showing the idol from the titular church and Concha's (Blanca Guerra) demise show Jodorowsky use of matching symbolism to compare meaning. It forces the viewer to make connections, with the primary one here being that Concha has suffered the same fate as her idol, and in turn appropriates her tragedy.

It is unlikely that Jodorowsky would use this transitive imagery for simply shock value. Even in his more abstract films, the symbolism did have a meaning, though it was often governed solely by unwritten rules than written rules. His prior symbolism was meant for a very specific audience: Those with intimate knowledge of the psychedelic and spiritual counterculture of the 1960s and 70s. Here, the symbolism is thematic, and obvious when considering the second act of the film.

In the second act, Fenix is now an adult who lives with his mother. His mother, now without arms, uses him as her arms. She controls him, and he gladly accepts the role. Even when she sends him off to kill women, he is compliant up until the final few kills of the film. Much like the patron saint of the cult, Concha becomes a sort of idol; an immovable force looked on with reverence and blind adoration. Here, Fenix is relegated to a dependant protagonist role. He might be the primary plot force, but he is constantly being controlled by his mother, and in doing so acts as a gate into the psyche of Jodorowsky’s mind.

Jodorowsky often utilizes repetitious framing in Santa Sangre to connect and further his intent. Here, these two shots featuring Concha (Blanca Guerra) and Fenix (Axel Jodorowsky) show the two sides of their relationship: Fenix's immense care for his mother, and his mother's abusive and controlling role in enacting her revenge on women like the one who betrayed her.

His relationship with his mother, which he stated in many interviews, was tumultuous. In an article in The Washington Post, Jodorowsky said, “I don’t remember my mother touching me, and not even my father.” In the same story, he discussed his desire to be accepted and praised by his father, which comes more into play in his 2011 film Dance of Reality, but also has some resemblance to Santa Sangre’s Orgo. In the first act of the film, Orgo is the center of Fenix’s attention. He strives to become a man like his father and confirmation of his growth as a person. This culminates in the phoenix tattoo scene, where Orgo takes a knife to Orgo’s chest and carves a phoenix into his chest. This tattoo, Orgo states, makes Fenix a man, just like himself.

Now, if you look at that last scene, you can notice that it too takes on a visceral physical format. Direct carving of a person’s skin can easily be considered body mutilation, which lands is squarely in the realm of horror imagery. But in doing so, Jodorowsky also forces the imagery to have a more haptic response on the spectator. Skin, like any other direct sensory plane, is something any spectator will be able to relate to. They understand the sensation of a cut, a gash, or a wound. By literally carving that symbolism on Fenix, Jodorowsky furthers the sensory connection for the spectator, creating a distinct physical sensation and, in addition to seeing the agony of Fenix as he receives the symbol, sears the image into the spectator’s mind. It gives the audience another layer of connection to the mimetic nature of surrealism and surrealist imagery in particular.

Throughout the film, this sort of haptic interaction between spectator and screen occurs repeatedly. The bleeding mouth of a young elephant, carved corpses rising from the dead, pseudo crucifixion, etc. While the visual style of Jodorowsky always pushes toward the physical and unconventional, the constance of bloody and horrific imagery in Santa Sangre is imperative for its understanding. It, unlike his earlier films, thrives on making the symbolism effective for all viewers, instead of just those with deep knowledge for Jodorowsky and his work. By focusing on the physical nature of many of the major recurring symbols and themes, character development and emotion is thrust into the center.

Body horror and mutilation, specifically that of severed limbs, is used throughout the film to convey meaning. These two scenes, of which the first occurs at Concha's (Blanca Guerra) death and the second during the hallucination of Fenix (Axel Jodorowsky), draw lines between the two moments. Yet, Jodorowsky doesn't shy away from adding to the symbol, in this case  the additional coffin lid posed as a trap.

 In psychoanalytic film theory, there is something called the ‘symbolic order’. This, based on the writing of Sigmund Freud, is one of the most important aspects of deciphering Jodorowsky’s style. The symbolic order can be split into two sectors: That based off of written rules, and that based off of unwritten rules. The written rules are the more obvious comparisons, like direct metaphorical symbols and obvious connotations. The unwritten rules are more abstract, and film theorist Todd McGowan calls them particularly involved with the filmmaker’s own ideals and psychology:

The symbolic order unites subjects not through what it officially proclaims but through unwritten rules that provide a secret code for those who belong and always trip up those who don’t. The unwritten rules are more important than written laws in forming social cohesion because of their exclusivity. Anyone can access and learn the written laws, but only those with inside knowledge and years of experience can master the unwritten rules. [32]

The unwritten rules function as walls to keep some subjects out, while letting those that understand the laws have a sense of belonging. Jodorowsky’s early films, up through The Holy Mountain, are very much based around the unwritten rules. The philosophical and spiritual makeup of those early films were not in the mainstream, but instead a part of the growing psychedelic counterculture. Conversely, Santa Sangre fuses the written and unwritten, giving context to both the average viewer and the insiders.

In this scene, featuring Fenix's (Axel Jodorowsky) religious hallucination, Alejandro Jodorowsky uses common religious symbolism fuses with his own avantgarde tendencies to make plain his thematic intent.

The written laws are easily noticeable on two fronts; common ideological symbols and physical comparisons. For instance, near the end of the film Fenix hallucinates an image of himself walking through a sea of birds, with his hands held out in a cross formation as the stigmata is plainly visible on his hands. The image of the crucifixion is commonly attributed to that of resurrection, sacrifice, and redemption, in this case, it represents the redemption of Fenix after his past mistakes. Another late film symbol is that of Fenix bleeding from the nose and mouth. Earlier in the film, during his childhood, Fenix witnesses an elephant bleeding out in front him, mere minutes from death. This connection via repetition connects the two, showing an old Fenix powerless to change his current fate. Both methods have very few barriers for interpretation due to their inherent lucidity. Compared to his earlier films, Jodorowsky’s surrealist tendencies are exponentially easier to understand.

In conclusion Santa Sangre succeeds as a narrative film where his past films failed for three intrinsically linked reasons. First, the film is a close representation of Jodorowsky’s own familial life, a cinematic symbol of his problems with his parents and his drive to become an accepted member of his own family. The second is the fusion of unwritten and written laws, allowing a wider audience to understand and relate to Jodorowsky’s message. Finally, the third piece is the physicality and body-focused nature of the symbols within the film. By focusing solely on the interactions of the body, the symbols become coded closely with the human condition, which forces the viewer to draw more significance from them.

Without any of these three aspects, Santa Sangre would not be a successful film. However, Jodorowsky understands what makes the human mind tick. He once said,  “What I am trying to do when I use symbols is to awaken in your unconscious some reaction. I am very conscious of what I am using because symbols can be very dangerous. When we use normal language we can defend ourselves because our society is a linguistic society, a semantic society. But when you start to speak, not with words, but only with images, the people cannot defend themselves.” His knowledge of surrealism and consistent usage of horror-oriented symbols allows the plot to function, and blur the lines between the spectator and the filmmaker, and in more complete way than he had done prior. That said, Santa Sangre is by no means a deviation from his style. In fact, it is an evolution.

[1] Freud, S. A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis. Garden City: Garden City Publishing, 1948.

[2] Elsaesser, T., & Hagener, M. Film theory: an introduction through the senses. p.124-140. New York: Routledge, 2015.

[3] Williams, L. “Film Bodies: Gender, Genre, and Excess.” in Film Quarterly 44, no.4. P.2-14. 1991.

[4] McGowan, T. Psychoanalytic film theory and the rules of the game. New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2015.

[5] Dollar, S. Alejandro Jodorowsky's 'Dance of Reality' takes a look at his painful childhood in Chile. The Washington Post. WP Company, 23 May 2014.

[6] Fando y Lis. Directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky. Mexico: ABKCO Records, 1968.

[7] The Holy Mountain. Directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky. Mexico/United States: ABKCO Records, 1973.
[8] Santa Sangre. Directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky. Mexico/United States: ABKCO Records, 1973.

[9] El Topo. Directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky. Mexico/United States: ABKCO Films, 1970.

[10] Hausu. Directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi. Japan: Toho, 1977.

[11] Eraserhead. Directed by David Lynch.United States: Libra Films International, 1977.

[12]  The Neon Demon. Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn.United States: Amazon Pictures, 2016.