GUINEA PIG
FLOWER OF FLESH AND BLOOD / MAKING
OF GUINEA PIG
FLOWER OF FLESH AND BLOOD
Directed by Hideshi Hino
Produced by Satoru Ogura
Written by Hideshi Hino
FX by Nobuaki Koga
Cast: Hiroshi Tamura & Kirara Yugao
1985/44 minutes/Color/2.0 DD
1.33:1/Japanese/Japan/NTSC All Region
MAKING OF GUINEA PIG
Produced by Satoru Ogura
Interviewed by Miwa Iwanami
1986/45 minutes/Color/2.0 DD
1.33:1/Japanese/Japan/NTSC All Region
Review from the Unearthed Films DVD
Web Site: http://www.guineapigfilms.com & http://www.unearthedfilms.com
FLOWER OF FLESH AND BLOOD
Infamous manga artist, Hideshi Hino, received a mysterious package in the mail. The package included an 8 mm film, 54 still pictures and a 19 pages letter confessing the brutal and vile actions portrayed on the film. The artist quickly turned the film to the police for investigation. Haunted by the images he witnessed, he decided to make a semi-documentary film based on what he saw. This is one of the story behind FLOWER OF FLESH AND BLOOD.
The film begins with a night-time pursuit of a girl through city streets and ending in a park. She is captured by a man. When she wakes up, she finds herself gagged and bound to a bed. She tries to free herself but can't. The camera then take us to the other side of the room where a man wearing a Samurai helmet is standing, his back turned. He is sharpening a knife, he takes a live chicken and cut its head off just in front of the captured woman. The "Samurai" administers a drug to the girl, he then cuts through her clothing. After talking about the drug he injected to the woman and that she doesn't feel any pain but pleasure from it, he begins to slice off her left hand. He later slices off the other hand, then continues on the arm. Now its time to saw off the legs! Yet more graphic mayhem performed in isolated close-ups. The poor woman is still alive, the Samurai incises her torso with a scalpel. Has he put his hand deep inside the wound, the woman vomits a mouthful of blood. After enduring so much torture she finally dies. But wait it ain't over! The Samurai takes a machete and in slow motion, chops off her head. It flips through the air and smash itself on the wall. The Samurai grabs the head and takes out an eyeball which he later sucks on it with delight.
As he smokes a cigarette and sings a song we see the rest of the room, revealing his other trophies consisting of limbs, organs, severed hands and other disgusting items. Moments later, the Samurai is back in the city streets, going after another girl. Searching for the most beautiful thing, the flower.
FLOWER OF FLESH AND BLOOD is without a doubt one of the most graphic and infamous genre film ever. In 1991, actor Charlie Sheen and a friend found themselves in possesion of this film which they believed was a snuff and called the FBI! The tape was traced back to Chas Balun, editor of Deep Red magazine, and the rest is history.
Supposedly the torture perpetrated in the film is similar to that performed by samurai executioners of 16th century AD Japan during the reign of the Shogun Tokugawa. The ritual itself was done to helpless female victim and represented what the Shogun Tokugawa considered the embodiment of art and release from this world.
MAKING OF GUINEA PIG
If you still have any doubts that these films are real or not then you must see this documentary. Taking a look at the first three films of the serie, DEVIL'S EXPERIMENT, FLOWER OF FLESH AND BLOOD and HE NEVER DIES, this documentary provides an interesting look at how the films were done and surprisingly how much fun the cast and crew had while doing them!
I first saw FLOWER OF FLESH AND BLOOD on what was maybe a fifth generation VHS, the image was awful but it helped give the film a look that it was "real". Unearthed Films have managed to do what i never though it would be possible. The image is simply incredible. It is clear, rich and vibrants. The blacks and reds are deep, there is absolutely no signs of compression or artifacts! Now does this take away the "genuine" feel of the film? Yes it does but more on this later.
The 2.0 Dolby Digital track features Japanese language and removable easy to read yellow English subtitles. The audio sounds pretty good and makes all of the sounds fx all the more enjoyable.
What about the extras? First we get two interviews with director and manga artist, Hideshi Hino. One was conducted sometime ago for the excellent Dark Side magazine while the other was done exclusively for this DVD. We also get the very cool Flower of Flesh and Blood manga from which the film was based on. There's a still gallery featuring 25 bloody images from the film. The history of GUINEA PIG and trailers to DEVIL'S EXPERIMENT, ANDROID OF NOTRE DAME, MERMAID IN A MANHOLE, two trailers for FLOWER OF FLESH AND BLOOD, MAKING OF GUINEA PIG and JUNK.
But wait there's more! There's three easter eggs in this DVD, the first one being very cool. Here's how you get to access the easter eggs. Go to the flower main page with the lips quivering, when your arrow is on the menu button back push down and red splotch will show up on her lip. Press it and you get an alternate version of FLOWER OF FLESH AND BLOOD. I guess we can call it the "snuff" version. POV shots were taking out and it's a cut from a grainy bootleg version so it keeps the snuff feel to it. This way you can experience it the way people did for years, grainy and with no credits or subtitles.
Then go to the making of page and on the back button push down again and that is a secret trailer for RED ROOM which is a cross between Survivor "The TV show" and Guinea Pig.
Then go to the chapter selection and go to the 7 thru 12 chapters. Go to the menu button and push down again and you will find another secret trailer for another unannounced film from Unearthed Films.
Certainly one of the best aspect of this DVD are the menus. The first one, where we see the helmet of the Samurai and the light bulb moving is fantastic. This goes hands down as one of the most beautiful and stylish menu i've seen so far. The menus features animations and sounds. The disc comes in a keep case and there is no booklet or inlay card. Each films are separated in 12 chapters.
A limited edition with a gore cover showing the girl decapicated is also available for a limited time. Only 666 copies were made. This is yet another must own DVD for gore fans around the world.
These two GUINEA PIG films were also released on PAL Region 2 DVD in Germany.
Thanks to Unearthed Films
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Review by Kim Dubuisson. All Right Reserved. 2003. ©
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