User Reviews

The electronic engineer Renato (Flávio Galvão) moves with his wife Helena (Kate Hansen) to a house by the sea he has just bought from the widow Arlete (Betty Saady) that is their next door neighbor. Renato works in a computer company in São Paulo that belongs to Helena and decides to move to a quieter place to help the recovery of Helena, who was interned in a mental institution managed by Dr. Cesar. Helena is not in the mood to have sex with Renato and soon she sees the electric devices at home working by themselves: the electric shower; the ventilator; the blender; the pickup; the TV; the lights in the desk lamps do not turn off. Further, she has visions of a hanged man. Soon she learns that Arlete's husband Paulo (João Paulo Ramalho) committed suicide in her house. Meanwhile Arlete has a love affair with Renato on the beach. When Arlete's cousin Lu (Zilda Mayo) unexpectedly arrives to stay with her, she seduces Renato and has sex with him in a boat. She discloses her affair to Arlete that becomes jealous of her cousin. In the meantime, Helena feels threatened by the electric devices at home and continues to see the hanged man. When Lu is murdered hit by a bat on the forehead, Renato and a fisherman convince the police detective that if investigating the case that it was an accident. However Renato blames Helena at home and tells that she will have to go to Dr. Cesar's clinic again. Is Helena really having visions and has killed Lu?

"Excitação" (meaning excitement) is a stylish and erotic Brazilian thriller directed by Jean Garret. The story is surprisingly good, keeping the mystery and with good twists and conclusion despite the poor edition. There are great scenes, like the suicide of Paulo in the very beginning entwined with ridiculous one, with Helena stabbing a fish. But the cinematography by Carlos Reichenbach is top-notch, reason why this film is stylish. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Excitação" ("Excitment")

Only now, I managed to find and watch this rarity. The first time I caught this on TV, I was very little but I never forgot two things: it was one of the first horror movies made in Brazil I've ever seen, so I was deeply impressed by the moving objects scenes; and all I could remember was that Flávio Galvão had a leading role. Oh yes, it was the very first time I heard the word "claustrophobia". Cut to almost twenty years later and now I know what's this all about. "Excitação" ("Excitment") is a mystery thriller focusing on isolation, mental problems and strange occurrences inside a house.

Loyal couple Helena and Renato (played by Kate Hansen and Flávio Galvão) move down to a beach house trying to forget the problems they had in the city with the constant psychotic outbursts the wife had. She doesn't want to be treated by doctors anymore, and this moving seems to be good until the unexplained and sudden attacks she suffers from the electronic objects of the house. One day, the shower almost becomes a gas chamber; other time the ventilator grabs her hair and almost causes a tragedy; TV, lights and radio goes on and off whenever she's alone in the house. And worst: she starts to have visions of a hanged man, who pops from time to time along with the electronic objects. And while Helena deals with those, her husband - who never believes her stories and when he does, he decides to give her a gun for protection - is having an affair with the neighbor and her cousin, who appears all of sudden to complicate things, messing around with the already disturbed poor next door woman.

Putting the pieces together require some effort but I must admit, almost everything here is very predictable. There's only two things that were surprising, and the twist wasn't one of them. But even so, "Excitação" plays with our nerves, injects some strange humor and there's highly effective love scenes (you really think Renato cares about Helena despite we already know of his involvement with the former owner of their present house). What ruins the movie is the stiff acting from everyone involved (Galvão is quite decent though). The poor delivery of lines, the actors' expressions are just problematic and silly - the scene with the fisherman offering a fish to Helena is amazingly laughable despite being a tense moment when she snaps, having another vision.

Considering that the 1970's is the worst decade in Brazilian cinema, in terms of quality (only beats the early 1990's cause we didn't have cinema at all), this movie is a level above and one of the best made in the period. Mention must be made to the good special effects, the careful cinematography of future director Carlos Reichenbach and the musical score that creates an interesting and spooky score during Helena's sudden visions. It stays with you for a long time, trust me. 7/10

Surprisingly good atmospheric horror thriller with both supernatural and erotic elements. Indeed, since the so well made first scene expectations are highly incresed, and afterwards they are not disappointed until the very end. Acting is not the best possible but does not compromise. However, script, cinematography and edition are very succesful achievements. A must-see in irregular Brazilian cinema from the 70's, for sure. Jean Garret was able to merge sexploitation from those years with an authoral cinema.