"I ask of film what most North Americans ask of psychedelic drugs. The difference being that when one creates a psychedelic film, he need not create a film that shows the visions of a person who has taken a pill; rather, he needs to manufacture the pill." – Alejando Jodorowsky
Surrealist. Provocateur. Heretic. These are but a few of the many superlatives utilized to describe Chilean filmmaker and maestro of the bizarre Alejando Jodorowsky. Director of such cult classics as EL TOPO, THE HOLY MOUNTAIN, and an unrealized adaptation of DUNE that would’ve been the most audacious and expensive film in the history of movies, Jordorowsky, who began his career as a mime and the co-founder of the performance art collective The Panic Movement, bravely follows in the footsteps of such surrealist masters as Luis Bunuel, Fernando Arrabal, and Man Ray. On July 17th at 7:30 pm, THE WELL and Michael Wheeler, local film programmer and host of the Fine Arts Theatre’s Wheeler Wednesday series, will proudly present his 1989 magnum opus SANTA SANGRE in a one-time-only limited capacity screening.
SANTA SANGRE, a psychedelic slasher film co-written by Claudio Argento (Dario Argento’s younger brother), is a madcap co-production between Mexico and Italy and thematically takes on oppression, religion, the circus, and mental illness in a florid and lavish way unseen previously by denizens of any genre. Violent, transgressive, and downright funny, Jordorowsky’s masterpiece is a one of a kind overwhelming experience that leaves viewers - first-timers and repeat offenders alike - in a paralytic haze and fugue state of uneasiness. Roger Ebert, legendary critic of The Chicago Sun-Times, defined it as "a horror film, one of the greatest, and after waiting patiently through countless Dead Teenager Movies, I am reminded by Alejandro Jodorowsky that true psychic horror is possible on the screen – horror, poetry, surrealism, psychological pain, and wicked humor, all at once."
Come see for yourself if the hyperbole holds it own (it does) when Michael presents this incredible and idiosyncratic movie on 7/17/26 at 7:30 pm. Similar to his Wheeler Wednesday screenings, there will be both an introduction before the film and a discussion after as he details Jodorowsky’s career, his legendary stories involving the Panic Movement, the influence of the Beatles on AJ’s career, and other topical and insightful diatribes. Tickets are $10 (if a lack of funds is an issue, we will not be turning anyone away regardless) and available online or at THE WELL proper. Remember that this is a one-time-only event and that there are LIMITED seating options. We’re excited to kick off this series of monthly screenings with something truly unique!
