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Released by: Unearthed Films
Released: November 2002
Director: Hideshi Hino
Cast: N/A
Released: 1990
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The Films:
Can you suspend your disbelief for an hour? If so, the story (if you can call it that) goes something like this: a motorious napanese comic book artist gets a package in the mail one day containing an 8mm film, 54 still pictures and a 19 page letter which is a confession of sorts from, detailing the horrific events portrayed on the film.
On said film, a man dressed in traditional Samurai garb slowly and methodically dismembers an unknown female vicitm who's bound to a table and unable to fight back. The man who received the package decided to put the story down in documentary fashion, and the events portrayed in Flowers of Flesh and Blood are the result of that endeavor.
While not quite as realistic feeling as Devil's Experiment, Flowers of Flesh and Blood is definately gorier and it was apparantly nasty enough to get Charlie Sheen all riled up about the legitimacy of the 'snuff' aspects of it all and alert the FBI to its existance. There's certainly no shortage of gore and sadism on display, and don't be surprised it while you're watching it you question your actions and motivations for doing so, because it really does push the envelope.
Flowers of Flesh and Blood certainly isn't something you're going to put on when your inlaws come for dinner, but it's certainly worth a watch for anyone with an interest in the mondo/death film genre (though this is all, thankfully, faked footage) and those who are into convincing gore effects. It's sick, it's twisted, it's depraved and it's morally offensive, but it will stick with you and challenge you and I can't say that about too many films.
The second feature on the DVD is the 'Making Of' documentary. It provides an interesting look at the 'how to' aspects of the series and those who are interested in old school F/X work will definately dig this short film. It's also amusing to see some of the participants acting so jovial and happy off camera, knowing full well what awaits them on screen. It's an interesting companion piece to Flowers of Flesh and Blood.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The fullframe 1.33.1 transfer is clean and as colorful as it should be. Image clarity is solid and blacks are deep and rich with no artifacting problems to speak of.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 track is in it's original Japanese language with removable English subtitles, and it sounds just fine. The film was shot on video, and as such, there are certainly limitations as to how good it can sound, but for the most part, background noise and hiss is pretty much gone and there aren't any real issues worth complaining about.
Considering that the first Guinea Pig release from Unearthed Films was pretty much barebones, this is a nice step in the right direction. First off is the history of the series, in test format. This was originally presented on their website and also on the Mermaid In A Manhole/He Never Dies release, but is well written and informative and worth including again on this release as I'm sure that a lot of people who skipped the first two discs will be picking this one up due to it's notoriety. There are also trailers for the GP line as well as for Junk, one of their upcoming releases. The new extras on this release are an Unearthed Films Interview with director Hideshi Hino as well as a Dark Side Magazine interview with him as well. These are both text interviews but are interesting and fans will want to read them, as there is some good information on the series here.
Also included is the original Flower of Flesh & Blood manga. I wasn't sure how well this would look on the disc, but I'm happy to admit that it comes out quite nicely and isn't hard to read at all. It's very cool to see this included with English subtitles. There is also a satisfyingly gory photo gallery and some creepy animated menus wrapping up the entire package.
Oh, and for fans who are handy with a remote, make sure that when you select the Flowers of Flesh and Blood feature, you highlight the lip on the screen, so that you can find one of the eeriest easter egg's I've yet to encounter. What inquisitive types will find is a 'snuff' version of the feature. Obviously taken from a bootleg VHS source, those who are curious can experience the series the way a lot of people did ten years ago - on a grainy, crappy looking transfer with no credits an no subtitles. Having watched it this way, it's a little easier to believe the urban legends that went around that it was an actual snuff film. It looks pretty convincing here and the dark and muddy transfer makes it feel like you're privy to something you really shouldn't be able to watch.
The Final Word:
The Guinea Pig series are sick, totally unwholesome, and strangely compelling, and Unearthed makes this their best release so far. On a related side note, there is a limited edition 'Gore Cover' available, but in order to get it, you're going to have to go through an independant reseller, as Unearthed are not distributing them to the big franchises.