Splatter: Naked Blood — dvd movie review
Kris and my first introduction to the work of director Hisayasu Sato (Survey Map of Paradise Lost) was through his Caterpillar segment of Rampo Jigoku (aka: Rampo Noir). A shining example of erotic/grotesque, the segment was completely revolting and somehow creepily sexy at exactly the same time. So, when we received Splatter: Naked Blood we sort of had an idea what would be in store for us. Sort of.
The story of Splatter: Naked Blood is astoundingly simple. A young scientist, Eiji, the genius child of parent scientists, has developed a painkiller that reverses the physical reaction one feels to pain, aligning it more with orgasmic euphoria. To test out his new drug, dubbed “MySon”, he administers it to a group of unwitting subjects; three women currently participating in his scientist mother’s study of a newly developed female contraceptive. As the back of the box will tell you, these test subjects include a self-hating insomniac, a chronic overeater, and a rather unattractive narcissist. Like the study with the rat that opts for sexual stimulation over food, upon discovery of their Eiji Brand Pain 2.0 buttons, the women start jamming them like mad, in methods perfectly aligned with their respective personalities. What follows is the biggest display of self mutilation and self-cannibalism ever committed to film.
They say director Sato liked to address feelings of alienation and emptiness in people with his films, and while Splatter: Naked Blood has a hint of this, the message is relatively simplistic, and while they are addressed through, they are largely overshadowed by the various self-tortures depicted. And boy, are they convincing. Whether due to truly seamless prosthetic work, or just average work complemented by the limited color palate of video, the special effects sell themselves ten times over. Tempura’d hands, body piercings — the eye-munching sequence alone had me on the verge of losing my Kumako Noodles.
Though there is an abundance of bare flesh and pools of blood in the film, Sato’s cold camera makes no attempts to titillate. It never leers and never flinches. It is a completely unfeeling observer to the grisly events on display. Furthermore, for the most part no attempt is made to prettify any shot. There are certainly interestingly framed ones, seemingly grabbed on the fly (see: the cactus), but for the most part Sato concerns himself with conveying character’s states and situations (see: the insomniac’s apartment) rather than creating sexy visuals. It’s certainly not Mondo, but it feels a bit like it.
When it comes down to it, I’d give Splatter: Naked Blood a conditional recommendation: it’s a must see for gore-hounds and fans of extreme cinema, but if you’re at all squeamish, or need a more intellectual story to complement your shocks, you might want to skip it.
The DVD
Discotek Media has presented Splatter: Naked Blood in its original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio, and with its original Japanese stereo audio track. The video is about as good as one can expect for a direct to video, shot on video piece; clear and clean. The audio is also nicely represented, delivering all the nasty sound effects with gusto. Be forewarned, the subtitles aren’t automatically enabled, so you’ll have to turn them on before Eiji starts his mad typing at the beginning of the film.
The disc is fairly slim on extras, containing a photo gallery with stills from the film (you’ll definitely notice the contrast between the photo stills and the video actually comprising the film), a brief director bio (roughly two screens), and a filmography of Sato’s work. This by far is the most entertaining extra, as you get to compare and contrast the release titles of Sato’s films with the more “intellectual” titles he had in mind (See: Office Lady Rape: Disgrace! vs. Save the Last Dance for Me, and Special Lesson: Perverted Sex Education vs. The Gods have a Nervous Breakdown).
Discotek rounds out the disc with a trailer gallery, featuring Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs, Sars Wars, Sexy Soccer, and Wong Jing entries Chinese Torture Chamber Story and Ebola Syndrome. The DVD also features a reversible DVD sleeve, which really is just an optional “censored” version — 75% the same cover, just flipped and featuring different screenshots and different bottom right cover image.
All in all, a slim disc, at a nice price, for a supreme gross-out of a movie.
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