Director – Leon Klimovsky (Devil’s Possessed, Strange Love of the Vampires)
Starring – Alexandra Bastedo (Batman Begins, The Ghoul), Narciso Ibanez Menta (The Beast Must Die, The Night of the Werewolf), and Gemma Cuervo (Midsummer Dream, Rain for a Dusty Summer)
Release Date – 1974
Rating – 3/5
Blu Release – 4/5
Boutique labels do a lot for cinema history and preserving it. They do so much for the horror community by restoring and releasing many forgotten films that either found themselves stuck in VHS or DVD era technology. These labels also bring long forgotten foreign films to us as well.
Several weeks back Mondo Macabro and CAV sent over the press release for the 1974 sci-fi horror flick from Spain titled I Hate My Body. I was recently sent a box set from Severin featuring films from Spain around the same time so this release from Mondo Macabro really peaked my interest. Like always, I want to thank Mondo Macabro for sending this one over for review.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a business man who is out of town for work when he suffers an accident. He soon finds himself in a living nightmare when the doctor, a defacto Nazi doctor, places his brain inside the body of a beautiful young woman. This completely changes his life for him. His wife leaves him, he faces misogyny from his former peers, and his sex life is turned upside down. **Spoiler Alert**
I went into I Hate My Body completely blind and enjoyed the movie for the most part. I don’t typically care for the brain transplant style horror and sci-fi films but this one had some fun moments. It’s not a movie that I see myself revisiting but it was a solid first time watch.
The acting in this one is a bit clunky at times and very overdramatic at others. The film is not grounded at all and the cast is inconsistent throughout.
The story for this one is more in line of an exploitation flick that points out the injustices that many women faced especially in the early 70s. It’s not really a horror film in a traditional sense but I’m sure it’s a nightmare to live through. The film has some solid pacing but a few of the scenes does drag on due to the stiff and awkward acting. A little tighter editing would have went a long way.
Finally, this is not a bloody flick. The film uses the story to get to the viewer. With have some skin, a little practical effects for the hospital scenes and that is about the extent of it. Fans expecting the red stuff going into this one will surely be disappointed. Overall, I Hate My Body is a strange yet truly unique early 70s sci-fi horror flick that almost feels like a pro-feminism film. It’s not a movie that has great replay value but it’s enjoyable for what it is. Mondo Macabro did a fantastic job bringing this one to us uncultured heathens. Check it out.
Special Features:
Brand new 4K restoration from the original negative
Interview with actor Manuel de Blas
Interview with Spanish film expert Ángel Sala about the film
Victor Matellano on actor Narciso Ibanez Menta
Audio commentary by Rod Barnett and Troy Guinn of the Naschycast
Trailer
