Takashi Miike's Audition has to be one of my all time favorite Asian horror movies, there are probably a number of reasons for this. On my first viewing I was shocked more than I had ever been before by a movie, Audition gave me my first taste of the extremities to which a Japanese horror movie could go (having only seen Ringu and Dark Water previo... Click to read more "Audition (Ôdishon)"
The Burning is a slasher movie from 1981 that managed to get itself banished to the video nasty list. It fortified the genre but, unfortunately, didn't have the impact it should have for a number of reasons. It is often compared to Friday the 13th and quite rightly so; a group of hormonally charged teenagers at summer camp get stalked by a disfigur... Click to read more "The Burning"
Harry Novak is best known for his prolific production and distribution of softcore exploitation cinema with titles as amazing as The Secret Sex Lives of Romeo and Juliet, The Exotic Dreams of Casanova and The Dirty Mind of Young Sally. He is also responsible for exposing the world to a few gems in the horror genre, most notably Axe and The Child.Th... Click to read more "The Child"
Let's be honest – all schoolkids are a vicious breed, but if you watch any amount of Japanese genre cinema, you could be forgiven for thinking that Japanese schoolkids are the worst of them all, and that's even when they're not fighting to the death with deadly weapons or rapidly developing super-strength mutant body parts. Of course, Confessions (... Click to read more "Confessions (Kokuhaku)"
It is difficult to say anything about a Takashi Miike film without resorting to comparisons with his more famous and outlandish works such as Ichi the Killer, Gozu and Visitor Q. Deadly Outlaw: Rekka (Jitsuroku Andô Noboru kyôdô-den: Rekka) seems a quite subdued offering when compared to the lunacy he is more renowned for. Despite this, in comparis... Click to read more "Deadly Outlaw: Rekka (Jitsuroku Andô Noboru kyôdô-den: Rekka)"
Don't Go in the Woods is another slasher rescued from wrongful imprisonment in the short-lived purgatory known as the BBFC Video Nasty List. Proof that it was not worthy of the cult status imbued by inclusion on the now infamous list is that when it was finally re-released in 2007 it passed the censors uncut and was rated 15. It is also a contentio... Click to read more "Don't Go in the Woods"
Blasphemy, incest, butt rape, penis mutilation, drug use, excessive gore, superfluous titties, baby splattering and homosexual prostitution are tricky subjects to add a comedy angle to at the best of times. Troma is the obvious establishment to turn to when needs like this must and when the crazies at Astron-6 are holding the writing and directoria... Click to read more "Father's Day"
Following the controversy of the first two Guinea Pig Movies, The Devils Experiment and Flowers of Flesh and Blood, Guinea Pig 3: He Never Dies (Za ginipiggu 3: Senritsu! Shinanai otoko... which translates to Shudder! The man who doesn't die) adopts a much more light hearted approach to displaying unnecessary gore and mutilation. Whereas the first ... Click to read more "Guinea Pig 3: He Never Dies (Senritsu! Shinanai otoko)"
Christian is grieving following the complicated drug related death of his daughter. On receiving an anonymous video in the post, showing Jessie being mistreated, he sets out on a mission to get answers and take revenge. Using everyday tools from his trusty toolbox he tortures his way closer to the answers he seeks. On the way he meets Alice, a youn... Click to read more "The Horseman"
It is difficult to not spoil a movie that runs in reverse chronological order so to get the unpleasantries out of the way they all live again at the end... the beginning may not be so optimism filled. Gaspar Noé presents a disturbing tale of a night out in Paris (but less likely to scar the brain than "One Night in Paris") with Irreversible. The di... Click to read more "Irreversible"
