Based on late night discussions between me and Rene(Mr. Eko), we decided to try and kickstart a thread to discuss and (hopefully) introduce some of our favorite lesser known genre films to more people. Being that the B-action thread is already an intensely well supported thread, straight action films should be left to that thread, that said, I really hope we can give those guys a run for their money.
Please feel free to add reviews and recommendations of your favorite lesser known works. My main motivation in doing this is to get to know more people in the CHUD community who share my passion for the weird. We'll be scheduling watch-alongs with running commentary in the chat room, if we can get enough support.
The first entry in this thread will be a bizarre favorite of mine, Organ (1996).
J-Horror has come to mean all things dull and repetitive in the horror community, before the boom though some of the most interesting (and to an extent, derivative) horror films were coming from Japan. Starting with the worldwide attention received by Tetsuo: the Iron Man in 1989, the splatter punk underground of Japan gained a bit of steam. The works of such directors as David Cronenberg, David Lynch, Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci were the new motivation and direction of the burgeoning scene. Highlights of this period were Of course Tetsuo, Rubber's Lover, Evil Dead Trap I & II(feel free to laugh at that title, the original title roughly translating to "Birthing of a Ghost", I guess, wasn't catchy enough), and Organ an almost impossible to top, crazed, violent, grue filled classic.
Written, directed, DP'd, and starring Kei Fujiwara (the only female lead character of the film Tetsuo), and using the members of her Organ Vital theatre troupe.The story is almost impossible to describe, as with most Japanese films subtlety is a secondary concern especially when there is a theme to forward. It begins with two cops trying to infiltrate a organ harvesting racket, one doesn't survive the botched sting, that is to say doesn't come back in one piece. Humiliated by the failure and driven to almost ruination by witnessing the nights event, the surviving cop is a broken man. Blaming the cop for the loss is the missing cops brother Numata, another cop. Both men embark on a nightmarish journey to uncover those responsible.
The other side of the story concerns the sadistic, incestuous brother-sister combo heading up the syndicates organ thieving branch. Traumatized by an early childhood event in which their mother, maddened by her husbands barely concealed affairs, attempts to relieve her son, Saeki, of his ability to do the same or enjoy any female relations for that matter. Defended by his sister, Yoko, both are gravely injured and grow up to be damaged human beings with no moral compass. Deranged brother Saeki, suffering from an apparently infected suppurating wound has come to imagine himself as some sort of rotting meat monster. Yoko, whose love for her brother is her only redeeming factor, gets them into the organ harvesting business as a way to continue to provide her brother with help for his worsening condition. Saeki continues to work as a high school biology teacher, intermittantly taking a school girl to experiment on, while in his vivarium the now limbless cop has become a grotesque creaure fed with the blood of the girls Saeki kills.
Unhappiness with the increasingly notice grabbing siblings, the syndicate decides they need to be dealt with. With the multitudes of stories coming together in a violent, gruesome climax.
This is not a happy movie, everyone ends up dead or ruined. The sins of the parents create broken humans who can only cause more misery in the world around them. Escape is impossible for all implicated in their existance. Do not watch this movie if you have a weak stomach, want something to make you feel better about yourself, or prefer a little levity with you horror. if you thought Ichi the Killer was too funny, or if you like your Cronenberg more on the grotesque side this may be the film for you.
Alright, now the balls in your court (I'm looking at you especially, Rene), help me make this thread have life.
Please feel free to add reviews and recommendations of your favorite lesser known works. My main motivation in doing this is to get to know more people in the CHUD community who share my passion for the weird. We'll be scheduling watch-alongs with running commentary in the chat room, if we can get enough support.
The first entry in this thread will be a bizarre favorite of mine, Organ (1996).
J-Horror has come to mean all things dull and repetitive in the horror community, before the boom though some of the most interesting (and to an extent, derivative) horror films were coming from Japan. Starting with the worldwide attention received by Tetsuo: the Iron Man in 1989, the splatter punk underground of Japan gained a bit of steam. The works of such directors as David Cronenberg, David Lynch, Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci were the new motivation and direction of the burgeoning scene. Highlights of this period were Of course Tetsuo, Rubber's Lover, Evil Dead Trap I & II(feel free to laugh at that title, the original title roughly translating to "Birthing of a Ghost", I guess, wasn't catchy enough), and Organ an almost impossible to top, crazed, violent, grue filled classic.
Written, directed, DP'd, and starring Kei Fujiwara (the only female lead character of the film Tetsuo), and using the members of her Organ Vital theatre troupe.The story is almost impossible to describe, as with most Japanese films subtlety is a secondary concern especially when there is a theme to forward. It begins with two cops trying to infiltrate a organ harvesting racket, one doesn't survive the botched sting, that is to say doesn't come back in one piece. Humiliated by the failure and driven to almost ruination by witnessing the nights event, the surviving cop is a broken man. Blaming the cop for the loss is the missing cops brother Numata, another cop. Both men embark on a nightmarish journey to uncover those responsible.
The other side of the story concerns the sadistic, incestuous brother-sister combo heading up the syndicates organ thieving branch. Traumatized by an early childhood event in which their mother, maddened by her husbands barely concealed affairs, attempts to relieve her son, Saeki, of his ability to do the same or enjoy any female relations for that matter. Defended by his sister, Yoko, both are gravely injured and grow up to be damaged human beings with no moral compass. Deranged brother Saeki, suffering from an apparently infected suppurating wound has come to imagine himself as some sort of rotting meat monster. Yoko, whose love for her brother is her only redeeming factor, gets them into the organ harvesting business as a way to continue to provide her brother with help for his worsening condition. Saeki continues to work as a high school biology teacher, intermittantly taking a school girl to experiment on, while in his vivarium the now limbless cop has become a grotesque creaure fed with the blood of the girls Saeki kills.
Unhappiness with the increasingly notice grabbing siblings, the syndicate decides they need to be dealt with. With the multitudes of stories coming together in a violent, gruesome climax.
This is not a happy movie, everyone ends up dead or ruined. The sins of the parents create broken humans who can only cause more misery in the world around them. Escape is impossible for all implicated in their existance. Do not watch this movie if you have a weak stomach, want something to make you feel better about yourself, or prefer a little levity with you horror. if you thought Ichi the Killer was too funny, or if you like your Cronenberg more on the grotesque side this may be the film for you.
Alright, now the balls in your court (I'm looking at you especially, Rene), help me make this thread have life.
