Mosquito AKA Bloodlust is an artistically odd endeavor that a whole lot of people may not know much about, but in my humble opinion - they should. Obviously a direct influence on a host of "loving dead" movies that were to follow, Mosquito is a beautifully shot freak-fest. Although the film appears to be quite often telling us directly that it assumes to be more disturbing than it actually is. Mosquito is still no walk in the park for the squeamish and has enough "icky" moments to turn quite a few heads in natural disgust.

An unnamed mute boy is the centerpiece of our story, and he quickly adopts the nickname Mosquito because of his bizarre tendencies that include drinking the blood of corpses. We learn through flashbacks that childhood trauma (which has nicely translated into adulthood trauma) has caused this young man to suffer from an extreme case of "anti-socialism." He's ridiculed by just about everyone he meets, including his coworkers and the occasional street whore (who happen to be no prizes themselves).

Somehow, this young man develops a fascination with the red stuff dripping from his hands, innocently enough his fetish begins with ketchup and ink. Discovering that it's not enough he proceeds to creep into a mortuary each night and drink the blood from a female corpse through a classy glass straw. Mosquito attempts proper human communication but finds it increasingly difficult (especially with his new hobby). While he comes closest to sharing a real moment with a neighbor girl, but alas it was not meant to be as she is only in love with the clouds - perhaps even a bit too much. Time for Mosquito is running a bit short as he's quickly on his way to becoming a full-fledged maniac and the authorities are hot on his trail.

Full of odd dreamlike sequences mixed with deplorable moments of abuse and bloodshed Mosquito is an extremely odd affair. The gore effects range from mildly convincing to just darn fake looking, but no worries - because even without the truly grotesque effects (of which there are quite a few) Mosquito still manages to stand tall on its own two feet, meeting the needs of the euro cult fanatic on many levels. At times it may run a bit slow, but Mosquito still remains quite a fascinating watch throughout.

Performances are fairly solid all around including Werner Pochath as the blood thirsty Mosquito - who doesn't utter a single word the entire running time, yet he still manages to tell us a hell of a lot along the way. It's all remarkably bizarre and the film possesses some sort of hypnotic quality that really manages to take hold of the viewer. Through it all, Mosquito is a hell of a horror gem that's just begging to be found.

Astro/Marketing-Films has REALLY come through for us with this one, presenting Mosquito in a gorgeous widescreen transfer. Print damage is nearly non-existent (I noticed only a few light scratches) and colors are extremely sharp and bold. The non-anamorphic transfer is absolutely stunning and completely uncut to boot, very nice.

Audio is presented in both German and English mono tracks and while English subtitles would have been a nice option, both tracks feature solid dialogue with little to no evidence of hiss or background noise.

Extras include a few still / press material galleries and both an English and German trailer. Mosquito has long been a personal favorite of mine so this fantastic DVD presentation came as a most welcomed treat. I'm finally able to throw away that old bootleg and legitimately enjoy Mosquito in the comfort of my own home. While it may not be for all tastes (get it? tastes!) Mosquito is certainly one that comes highly recommended.

This is a PAL Region 0 DVD, your DVD player will need to have PAL playing capabilities.

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