I Hate My Body – Mondo Macabro (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Spain/Switzerland, 1974
Director: León Klimovsky
Writers: Solly Wolodarsky, León Klimovsky
Cast: Alexandra Bastedo, Narciso Ibáñez Menta, Gemma Cuervo, Manuel Zarzo, Eva León, Manuel de Blas, María Silva, Blanca Estrada

Release Date: February 3rd, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 99 Minutes 11 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Spanish, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.99

"Lecherous businessmen Ernest and Peter go out for an evening of fun with two girls from work. There’s a lot of drinking and dancing and more than a little suggestion of frolics to follow, particularly when Ernest has the idea they swap partners. With the willing Rita by his side, he sets off in his car, roaring with laughter as they speed into the dark night. Momentarily distracted as he glances at his attractive passenger, Ernest loses control of the car. They crash into the side of a bridge and the vehicle bursts into flames.

The bodies are rushed to the nearest hospital where both Ernest and his passenger are certified dead on arrival. However, the hospital’s surgeon, Dr. Adolf Berger, a former medic in a Nazi death camp, discovers that Ernest’s brain is still intact. Encouraged by his female assistant, Lydia, Berger decides to try out his long cherished experiment- transplanting a brain from one body to another. However, the only body available is that of a young woman, Leda Schmidt, also technically dead in the hospital morgue. Casting aside all scruples, Berger begins the operation!" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Brand new 4k restoration from negative."

I Hate My Body comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 42.5 GB

Feature: 28.4 GB

The source looks excellent, free of any debris or imperfections. Flesh tones and colors look correct; image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image looks organic.

Audio: 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono Spanish), 3.5/5 (DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Spanish and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. The Spanish-language track sounds clean, clear, and balanced, while the English-language track sounds restrained and has some instances of background hiss. Included are removable English subtitles for the Spanish-language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an interview with film historian Victor Matellano, who discusses actor Narciso Ibanez Menta (25 minutes 12 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), an interview with film historian Angel Sala, who discusses I Hate My Body (20 minutes 14 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), an interview with actor Manuel de Blas (41 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles); and an audio commentary with the podcast Naschycast.

Summary:

León Klimovsky directed I Hate My Body. He’s known for Dr. Jekyll vs. The Werewolf, Werewolf Shadow, Vengeance of the Zombies, A Dragonfly for Each Corpse, and The Vampires’ Night Orgy. He spent most of the 1970s working in the horror genre; he was one of the most in-demand filmmakers working in Spanish horror cinema at that time. Although he is best known for directing several notable films featuring Paul Naschy, he also explored genres beyond traditional horror. He made a few memorable films in other categories, such as I Hate My Body and Trauma.

A man’s brain is transplanted into a woman’s body after a deadly accident. Now that he is in a woman's body, he navigates his way through a male-dominated world where he is treated like a sex object.

How far have we come when a film like I Hate My Body’s premise no longer seems unthinkable? While I Hate My Body for the most part handles the protagonist's transformation from a man to a woman tastefully, there are moments where it leans into exploitative elements to spice things up. That said, although the narrative goes in many directions, its main drive is social commentary on sexism from the viewpoint of someone who was once a man and now is trapped in a woman’s body.

The most fascinating aspect of I Hate My Body has nothing to do with social commentary; it has to do with how the protagonist accepts his new body and then uses it to his advantage. Outwardly they’re all feminine, while inside he never fully lets go of his masculinity. In the end, the protagonist assumes the qualities of both genders, which gives them the power to achieve their ultimate goal.

The performances are hard to judge, and that is not related in any way to which language you watch I Hate My Body in. The cast are simply not given much to work with, and even its lead, Alexandra Bastedo (The Blood Spattered Bride), feels too restrained emotionally in her performance. The most memorable performance is Narciso Ibáñez Menta (The Dracula Saga) in the role of Adolfo Berger, the doctor who transplants a man’s brain into a woman’s body. His character's past hints at a Nazi connection, where he performed similar operations in concentration camps.

The narrative, like its protagonists, is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. One minute it's straight-up exploitative, then it shifts to a melodrama, only to culminate in a blackmail scheme rooted in revenge. Another strike against the narrative is its nearly 100-minute duration, which has many lulls and it struggles to build momentum. The unsung asset of I Hate My Body is Alfonso Santisteban’s (The Killer Is One of 13) excellent score, which perfectly underscores what’s unfolding onscreen. Ultimately, I Hate My Body is a schizophrenic film that can't make up its mind if it wants to be serious or an exploitation film.

I Hate My Body gets a solid release from Mondo Macabro that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and informative extras, recommended for fans of adventurous cinema that thinks outside of the box.

Written by Michael Den Boer