Santa Sangre

Santa Sangre

Year: 1989

Runtime: 122 mins

Language: English

Director: Alejandro Jodorowsky

HorrorThrillerDramaIntense violence and sexual transgressionHumanity and the world around us

A former circus performer, freshly escaped from a mental institution, tracks down his mother—leader of a strange religious cult. Upon reuniting, she forces him to commit brutal murders in the cult’s name, plunging him into a nightmarish cycle of violence and twisted devotion.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline – Santa Sangre (1989)

Trace every key event in Santa Sangre (1989) with our detailed, chronological timeline. Perfect for unpacking nonlinear stories, spotting hidden connections, and understanding how each scene builds toward the film’s climax. Whether you're revisiting or decoding for the first time, this timeline gives you the full picture.

1

Present-day asylum intake

In a mental asylum, a naked man named Fenix clings to a tree trunk in a cell. A doctor and nurses coax him down using a raw fish, which he begins to eat. As they dress him in coveralls, a phoenix tattoo on his chest becomes visible.

Present day Mental asylum
2

Childhood in Circo del Gringo

Years earlier, Fenix is a child magician in Circo del Gringo, run by his father Orgo and mother Concha. The circus features Alma, a deaf-mute mime and tightrope walker, plus Aladin the dwarf, a pack of clowns, and an elephant.

Years ago Circo del Gringo
3

Orgo flirts; Alma’s role

Orgo flirts publicly with the tattooed woman in the circus. Concha leads Alma, the adopted deaf-mute mime and tightrope walker whom Fenix loves.

Years ago Circo del Gringo
4

Concha’s cult and the demolition

Concha also leads a religious cult whose patron saint is a girl who was raped and had her arms cut off. The landowner wants to raze their temple, but followers resist; a Catholic Monsignor visits to resolve the conflict, but deems the temple sacrilegious, and demolition proceeds.

Years ago Temple/cult site
5

Affair discovered and assault

Fenix leads Concha back to the circus, where she discovers Orgo's affair. Orgo hypnotizes Concha and rapes her.

Years ago Circo del Gringo
6

Elephant’s death and phoenix tattoo

The circus elephant dies and is paraded through the city in a giant casket; hundreds of scavengers tear it apart. Orgo tattoos a phoenix on Fenix's chest with a knife dipped in red ink, telling him this marks him as a man.

Years ago Circus/City
7

Concha confronts Orgo; acid and arms

During Concha's aerial act, she sees Orgo with the tattooed woman. She pours sulfuric acid on Orgo's genitals; in retaliation, Orgo cuts off Concha's arms and then slits his own throat.

Years ago Circus
8

Present-day theater and rage

The film returns to the present; Fenix is taken to a movie theater with Down syndrome patients. A pimp offers cocaine and introduces them to a fat prostitute—the tattooed woman—now a prostitute; Fenix spots her and is consumed with rage.

Present Movie theater/asylum
9

Escape from the asylum

Back at the asylum, Fenix's armless mother calls out to him from the street. He escapes by climbing down a rope from his cell window.

Present Mental asylum
10

Tattooed woman killed; Alma finds the body

The tattooed woman attempts to prostitute Alma; an unseen assailant stabs her to death, and Alma later discovers the body.

Present City streets
11

Concha and Fenix stage act

Fenix and Concha perform 'Concha and Her Magic Hands,' with him behind her to move his arms as if they were Concha's. Concha uses Fenix's limbs to kill women she deems interesting, maintaining control. She taunts him, claiming she will always be inside him.

Present Stage
12

Climax: murder and truth revealed

Alma and Fenix struggle, and he drives a knife into Concha's stomach; she vanishes, taunting that she will always be inside him. Flashbacks reveal Concha died after being maimed by Orgo, and Fenix has kept a mannequin of his armless mother.

Climax Home
13

Temple destruction and disappearance of the mannequin

He destroys his homemade temple and throws away the mannequin with the help of his imaginary friends, Aladin and the clowns.

Post-climax Home
14

Freedom and new control

Alma removes Fenix's artificial fingernails and leads him outside as police order them to raise their hands. Fenix realizes he has regained control of his hands and feels joy and peace.

Ending Outside

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 14:32

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Santa Sangre Summary

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Santa Sangre Summary

Characters, Settings & Themes in Santa Sangre

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Characters, Settings & Themes in Santa Sangre

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