Sadistic Yakuza enforcer Kakihara searches for his boss who has gone missing but during this crosses paths with Ichi, a literal psycho killer (to quote Talking Heads) who appears to be even more extreme. Ichi The Killer caused serious waves in its release here in the UK with the BBFC wanting substantial cuts before it …
Continue reading Shocking Cinema- Day 51- Ichi The Killer (2001)
‘A troubled and perverted family find their lives intruded by a mysterious stranger who seems to help find a balance in their disturbing natures.’ This Takashi Miike film was bound to be notorious, as it was directed by the same director who made Ichi the Killer and Audition. I was also looking forward to this …
Thank God for IMDB- ‘A strange man known only as the "metal fetishist", who seems to have an insane compulsion to stick scrap metal into his body, is hit and possibly killed by a Japanese "salaryman", out for a drive with his girlfriend. The salaryman then notices that he is being slowly overtaken by some …
Continue reading Shocking Cinema- Day 49- Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)
A mother and daughter in law (named in the credits as 'older woman' and 'younger woman' respectively) are waiting for their son/husband to return from the war he's fighting in. A soldier named Hachi who fought alongside him comes back to tell them that in fact he saw him killed. He then starts having a …
Continue reading 31 Days of Halloween 2020- Day 31- Onibaba (1964)
Every now and again a horror film's reputation builds through word of mouth and because the first horror fans who have seen it rave about it and this snowballs until it can't be denied or ignored by fans and film journalists alike. This happened in 1998 when Japanese film Ringu was made. This was also …
Continue reading 31 Days of Halloween 2020- Day 9- Ringu (1998)
A class are transported to an island and its then disclosed that they have to kill each other with the last person left standing the winner. Brutal (as you'd expect) but also witty, humane and strangely poignant in places. This film is brilliantly acted, directed with style and is beautiful to look. Murder and deception …
Continue reading Day 2- 31 Days of Halloween- Battle Royale (2000)
