Visceral: Between the Ropes of Madness – Unearthed Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Chile, 2012
Director: Felipe Eluti
Writer: Felipe Eluti
Cast: Felipe Eluti, Carolina Salles, Felipe Ruiz, José Manuel García, Gabriela Arancibia

Release Date: May 13th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 76 Minutes 37 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Stereo Spanish
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $34.95

"A boxer loses the biggest fight of his life. He slowly finds himself, giving up his dream and finds that life is not worth living. At least, those lives around him are not worthy of life. He steps through and unleashes an entity that torments him and guile's him to do unspeakable acts of torture and murder. As body counts rise and lives are diminished, will he have any hope? Any way to fight back to what he once was?" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Visceral: Between the Ropes of Madness comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 20 GB

Feature: 19.3 GB

The source used for this transfer looks great. Colors and flesh tones look correct, image clarity and black levels are solid, and compression is very good.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM stereo mix in Spanish, and removable English subtitles. The audio sounds clear and balanced, and ambient sounds are well-represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release include reversible cover art, a behind the scenes image gallery with music from the film playing in the background, a teaser trailer (53 seconds, LPCM stereo with English text, no subtitles), a featurette titled Cineteca Nacional's Massacre in Xoco 2013 (3 minutes 24 seconds, LPCM stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with director/screenwriter/actor Felipe Eluti in Spanish with removable English subtitles.

Summary:

A boxer becomes a vessel of pure evil that indiscriminately tortures and kills.

It is clear that the protagonist suffered a psychotic break that connected to his environment. Though there is minimal exposition, there is some time devoted to his backstory, which divulges his tumultuous relationship with his mother. That said, the narrative relies heavily on its visuals, which propel things forward.

The visuals take on an observer role as they let you view the full scope of the carnage inflicted by the protagonists. These moments are brutal, gory, and excessive, and they do a superb job putting you in the protagonist's state of mind. When it comes to the special effects, they are well-executed and extremely effective.

Sound plays a significant role when it comes to creating an environment. Besides ambient sounds, the score does a phenomenal job with its piercing notes that land like body blows. That said, Visceral: Between the Ropes of Madness is a film that fully maximizes its resources. Ultimately, Visceral: Between the Ropes of Madness is an assault on the senses that never lets up.

Visceral: Between the Ropes of Madness gets a first-rate release from Unearthed Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and an informative audio commentary.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer