It may not seem so, based on the rating and the light-hearted tone of my review, but I truly loved "La Muerte del Chacal". This Mexican-produced low-budget horror flick set in Texas is pretty much the embodiment of all the slasher-cliches that exist. How shall I put it ... If you should ask a hundred people, who almost never watch any horror movies, to invent the plot for a slasher flick, chances are quite high they'll describe the plot of this movie quite accurately.
"La Muerte del Chacal" is a typical product of the 80s, but there are also many similarities with the Italian Giallo from the early 70s, notably the disguise of the killer (all black, including the gloves) and his/her unusual choice of preferred murder weapon (a walking cane with a razor-sharp edge). In a southern Texan town, there's a vicious killer at large who targets promiscuous women, but also joyously butchers everyone who trespasses his ingenious hideout place (which is a broken old ship in the nearby harbor). Sheriff Bob seeks the help of his brother Roy, and together they go a-hunting for the psycho-killer.
The identity of the killer is revealed before the movie is halfway. I won't spoil it for you, but it's the easiest and most obvious twist in horror history. That doesn't mean the fun's over, though, because the killer escapes again from the psychiatric ward (a place with the lousiest security imaginable) and continues the murderous mission. What's not to love about a movie like this? Within the first ten minutes, four victims have been staffed already. The killer owns two vicious Dobermans as well, and Sheriff Bob literally smashes one to death against a wall. Priceless. Speaking of which, if you wonder why the resemblance and chemistry between Bob and Roy is so genuine, it's because they're also brothers in real life. Apparently, there exists a sequel named "Massacre en Rio Grande" and our beloved mustached muchachos reprise their roles. It's even more obscure than this one, but I will certainly do my best to find it!
