Review: If you've never heard of "Flower of Flesh and Blood", I highly suggest you to stop reading now. No, leave at once, stop reading. If you journey any further in this review, you'll discover a new aspect of the human world that you will wish you've never heard. Why are you still reading? Stop now. The rest of the review may disturb you to new degrees and scare the living the hell out of you. This is your last warning. Stop. Leave now.

If you've chosen to continue, then let me enlighten you with a brief background of this infamous and notorious film. The second in a series of gruesome straight-to-video gross-outs, "Flowers of Flesh and Blood" managed to surpass the status of all the other films in the series and find itself a spot as one of the most disturbing films ever to be conceived by man. Producer Satoru Ogura had created a film called "Devil's Experiment" and had a thirst for more. Hideshi Hino, already an established horror comic artist, was approached to make the film version of his comic, "Red Flower." Directing had been the original ambition of Hino, so he took this opportunity to get behind the camera. With a limited budget however, Hino wasn't able to fit the drama of the original comic and decided to focus on the ritualistic killing of a woman (which was only featured in about six panels of the comic). When the film was released in Japan, it topped the charts.

The damage, however, was done when the film was exported. In a widely-heard urban legend, actor Charlie Sheen saw this film and thought it to be a real snuff film and got the FBI involved in the case. However, contrary to popular belief, the FBI didn't question Hino and his crew whether the video was real or not (because they knew it was fake), but they were part of the team that was trying to put an end to the export of this film. In one case, a man in England was prosecuted and punished when they found this film in his possession. The only real trouble with the law that this film bumped into was when the M Murder Case occurred in Japan. A 7 year-old girl was kidnapped and murdered. The killer took pictures and wrote a letter to her parents, outlining her death. Included were body parts of the daughter. Immediately, the film was the main blame to the heinous act. It was later stated that the killer was already in a troubled mental condition, but the reputation of "Flowers of Flesh and Blood" had been soured. Japan banned it's existence in it's own country and soon, people began to forget about it. It became a myth and a highly sought after film in the underground film community. Fifth and even sixth generation tapes silently made its rounds in the underground circuits. Now, Unearthed Films has obtained the rights to this sick film, and for the first time in over ten years, began to mass produce it.

Throughout the whole film, you'll ask yourself why in the hell are you watching this (if you haven't already done it when you purchased this film). I'm usually a guy that can handle really sick stuff. With this film though, I found myself simply horrified. There was no purpose for any of the acts in this movie. Watching the killer in a complete trance and spitting out poetic justifications for his acts only helps to enhance the horror and intensify your feelings of unpleasantness.

The heart of the film lays in the spectacular special effects. For 1985, this film is really a breakthrough. The make up and blood is delivered with such precision and talent that sometimes you wonder if what you're seeing is really the real deal. Hideshi Hino deserves praise. His directing is artful, yet, it keeps a "this-is-homemade" feel to it. I cannot understand how any being could find it in themselves to make a film like this. Every frame of this movie made me cower into my own psyche. I was so disturbed and I just felt rotten and soiled. Everything about this film polluted my mind like a dark cloud. I tried to find a reason to justify the acts on the film, but I couldn't. That's where "Flowers of Flesh and Blood" really succeeds. It disturbs you beyond hell and confuses you while throwing you into a mindset that puts you in a state of pure paranoia. This could happen to anyone given the right circumstances. We go through our lives carefree and rarely ever worrying about situations like this one. But having our deepest fears thrown right into our faces, we just can't handle it. I'm not trying to inject a deeper meaning into this film because I think there isn't, but this film really takes us down to a deep part of our minds that we sometimes choose to ignore. The unpleasant feelings and thoughts plague us for the duration of the film and after. This movie is truly disturbing.

I regret saying this, but this film is a milestone. Having such a devastating reputation and deemed the most-sickening film ever, "Flowers of Flesh and Blood" delivers everything that is expected from it and so much more. How can anyone have their interest piqued by a film like this? How can anyone find it in themselves to go out and search for information about this movie? How can anyone find it in themselves to actually go about to see this movie? All these questions lay in ourselves, and no one else can help us find the answers. A truly remarkable films in all the wrong ways, "Flowers of Flesh and Blood" delivers. I cannot recommend this film to anyone. In fact, I highly recommend you NOT to see this film. However, for those people who are brave enough to explore a part of themselves they rarely experience, "Flowers of Flesh and Blood" deserves a watch. Don't worry, you'll never desire to see it twice, because it is already burned into your mind during the first viewing. This film won't change your lifestyle and values, but it will leave an everlasting mark on your life.