One of my all time favorites.

Absolutely Fantastic

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Good Lord! UNCOMFORTABLE!!! Without giving too much away, this film is about a Nazi doctor/child molester that tries to commit suicide, fails and ends up in a iron lung. A dude shows up to his house claiming to be a nurse there to take care of Klaus, the Nazi child molester. Because this film is over 2 decades old, there are some major slow parts. But, all the other scenes make up for the boring parts. I felt myself saying in my head, please don't go where I think this is going… Of course it went there and it was often worse than what I was expecting. With an ending that will stay with me for a while, this is definitely one to watch alone. I would also like to point out that this is more of a Horrific Drama, very Hitchcockian.Please like me on Facebook! We love getting suggestions and warnings on everything horror: http://www.facebook.com/pages/I-Heart-Horror/338327476286206

Discriminating viewers might be excused for wishing this disturbing Spanish feature weren't so well made, because then it could be dismissed as merely gratuitous exploitation. The story concerns an aging, exiled Nazi prison camp doctor confined in a mechanical lung while his male 'nurse' tortures them both by recreating, with a mounting sense of dread and claustrophobia, the atrocities his invalid patient once performed, slowly turning their villa into his own private death camp. The style of the film is not unlike an old-fashioned monster movie, but sensitive patrons should be strongly cautioned: it confronts us with depravity in much the same way as the disturbed young Angelo confronts the helpless doctor with the crimes of his past, putting the viewer in the uncomfortable position of being a willing participant in crimes against humanity.

I picked this movie out of my library's Spanish video selection and was I surprised while watching this masterpiece! I have never seen anything like it in my life. David Sust is my favorite new actor. What a role! His childhood tormentor- the Nazi- is very convincing as an invalid. I am in awe of the young girl Rena, who plays the daughter. How can these kids be such convincing actors. I tip my hat to them and their acting coaches. The Mother- Marissa Paredes, was great, as well. She is one of my favorite female actresses. I had no lingering questions after watching this film in comparison with watching American movies nor, was there any fancy endings, tying it all together. I could not take my eyes off of the screen; as a matter a fact, I watched it twice! Bravo!

This is one of the most deeply disturbing films I have ever seen and I see literally EVERYthing from around the globe. The opening scene is one of the most effective and shocking openings ever filmed and the lead actor's performance is perfect. It is not an easy movie to sit through and definitely could give some nightmares in it's unblinking look at what horrible things humans can do to other humans. All the performances are well done and the music and the art direction are extremely powerful. I, myself, was a bit let down by the ending but the build-up, the slow ratcheting of tension and suspicion is very well done. Plus the particular scene where the "lady of the house" is done away with is brutal and very well shot. I have not seen the other films by this director but I will seek them out. For fans of dark, human horror films, this is a must-see.