Alleluia

Eroticism and violence are combined in Fabrice du Welz's take on the true story of Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck, who in the 1940s used personal ads to contact single women whom they then swindled and murdered. Their “Lonely Hearts” crimes have inspired at least five previous films, most notably 1970's The Honeymoon Killers, a gruesome cult classic, but du Welz's version—transplanted to modern Belgium—stands apart for its feverish intensity. Mortuary assistant Gloria (Lola Dueñas) is targeted by online seducer Michel (Laurent Lucas), who cadges money from her and then disappears. Gloria obsessively tracks Michel down and joins him, posing as his sister. Michel continues to ply his unsavory trade, but Gloria can't stand seeing him with other women, so she brutally kills three of her “rivals”: a wealthy widow, a pious spinster, and a beautiful woman with a young daughter. The murders are shown with stomach-churning explicitness: Gloria wields a hammer with a vengeance, and cheerfully begins dismembering the corpse of one victim while humming a tune. And the scenes of frantic lovemaking are equally vivid in this tale of powerful sexual desire that leads to madness. Essentially a kinky horror movie, but one made with considerable artistry, this is recommended. (F. Swietek)