Splatter Japan

by Hamasaki Hiroaki

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"Evil Dead Trap"


"All Night Long"
The beginning of Japanese Splatter movies is the year 1986. In this year, Mr. Komizu Kazuo (aka Gaira)'s "Shojo no harawata" (trans. Intestines of Virgin) and "Bijo no harawata" (trans. Intestines of Beauty) were released. It was 6 years late after "Friday the 13th" was released.
These films are x-rated. But the reason isn't that it is too cruel but that it is roman porno (it means the pornographic movie distributed by Nikkatsu Inc.). Nikkatsu Inc. named these"Splatter Eros" series. This last year, Mr. Komizu have ever written a screenplay for a roman porno film "Hako no naka no onna: Shojo ikenie" (trans. A Woman in the Box: Virgin Sacrifice, directed by Konuma Masaru). This plot is that a virgin girl is caged and tortured by an abnormal couple. Nikkatsu Inc. named this film "Roman X". So I think "Splatter Eros" is next period of "Roman X" and these are porno films which contains the extream violent scenes.

Generally, The film which is regarded as the first Japanese splatter horror film is "Evil Dead Trap" ( japanese title. Shiryou no wana, 1988, directed by Ikeda Toshiharu, written by Ishii Takashi). Though it isn't roman porno, Mr. Ishii, Mr. Ikeda and some actor and actress are crew and players of roman porno. Also its heroine Tsuchiya Nami is the same name as the heroine of famous roman porno "Tensshi no harawata (trans. Intestines of Angel)" series.
In those days, notorious "Guinea Pig: Akuma no jikken" (trans. Guinea Pig: Devil's Experiment) was released as movie for video. It is extraordinanarilly grotesque and cruel, so it stirred up trouble.
In 1992, Mr. Matsumura Katsuya made his d\x8Ebut impulsively. His first film "All Night Long" is too violent! Of course, it's X-rated. His second film "All Night Long 2" is too radical to be released at theatre, so it was released X-rated video movie.