Actors: Sergio Acosta, Gizeht Galatea, Carlos Gallardo
Directors: Eduardo Rodriguez
Rated: R (Restricted
Studio: Lionsgate
DVD Release Date: March 12, 2013
Run Time: 92 minutes
Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 1.5 out of 5 stars
A curandero is “a traditional Native American healer or shaman in Latin America, who is dedicated to curing physical or spiritual illnesses” (thanks Wikipedia).
“Curandero: Dawn Of The Demon” was made back in 2005 and I have no idea why it sat unreleased almost for almost 10 years. This supernatural horror pic is a quite impressive with no shortage of gore and some decent action as well. Be sure not to blink though as some of the “grisly images” are gone in a flash but they will stick around as nightmares. “Curandero” also comes presented by Robert Rodriguez (“Sin City”, “Machete”, “Planet Terror”), who wrote and co-produced this film. This is must watch for horror fans and fans of Robert Rodriquez.
Official Premise: “Curandero: Dawn of the Demon” is an action-packed horror flick that takes a couple on a horrifying journey through the deepest bowels of the Mexican underworld. When beautiful federal agent Magdalena calls upon the local curandero (Gallardo) for his services to purify a police station, the two of suddenly find themselves immersed in a satanic cult’s blood-thirsty battleground.
Fans of Robert Rodriquez’s “El Mariachi” will be glad to see Carlos Gallardo in the title role. He is a long time collaborator with Rodriguez also on “Desperado” and “Planet Terror”. I am proud to say that I picked him out right away. Eduardo Rodriguez, no relation to Robert, did a very nice job directing. He is also the director behind last years “Stash House” and this year’s upcoming “Fright Night 2”. So this guy knows his horror and is becoming a force to reckon with quickly.
Lionsgate is releasing this film only on DVD. There is an option of either English or Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 audio tracks. I prefered the Spanish since the English dub is extremely laughable. This release also comes with an Ultraviolet Digital Copy and only comes with the Spanish version, which is good. But I was unable to redeem at time of review since the webpage stated on the coupon is not accessible. The only special feature here is a audio commentary track with director Eduardo Rodriquez and director of photography Jaime Reynoso. Decent and worth checking out but I would have loved to seen more including some featurettes or cast interviews.