DVD review
Directed by Jorge Molina
Starring Dayana Legrá, Roberto Perdomo, Ana Silvia Machado, Francisco García
Release date TBC

Following the death of her husband, widow Delores (Machado) moves out of her grotesque mother-in-law’s house, along with her flirtatious teenage daughter Miranda (Legra). They’re protected from the old woman’s pernicious influence by their Satanist relative Inocencio. But Inocencio lusts after Miranda, and looks set to give in to his urges…

With Catherine Hardwicke’s Twi-gen Red Riding Hood almost upon us, here’s a very different take on the ancient folktale. Cuban oddity Ferozz: The Wild Red Riding Hood refashions the story as a blend of horror-fantasy and knockabout sex comedy. While there’s some potential in the Company of Wolves-meets-Russ Meyer set-up, the result is a woefully unfunny and often distasteful mess.

The first half of the movie attempts to wring laughs out of the gurning, obscenity-prone Grandmother (played by Francisco García in drag) – it’s desperate stuff. Thankfully Grandmother plays less of a role in the second half, but the sight of Miranda’s slow-witted, equally OTT brother Dully pissing and masturbating isn’t any funnier. Aside from that there’s copious nudity, a bizarre goat-sacrificing scene, a vague lycanthropic mystery and two rapes (one is played for ill-advised laughs; the other is jarring and disturbing).

Ferozz has two plus points: the bright, vibrant visuals, and Dayana Legrá, who brings a nice mix of innocence and mischief to Miranda. But it’s not enough to compensate for the laugh-free script and confused tone. James Skipp

VERDICT: 3/10
Perhaps something’s been lost in translation, or perhaps it’s just poorly conceived. Either way, Ferozz is difficult to sit through.