Review: The 70s was a great time for cinema. The 60s had paved, which in my opinion, was a very revolutionary time in film history. Filmmaking was breaking new ground with techniques and creativity unheard of before that point. The 70s, however, took those creative juices to a whole new level. Filmmakers went off the diving board headfirst and exploitation was born. Not unlike, America and other countries around the world, Japan rebelled through film as well. The rise of ‘sexploitation’ films and what was known as ‘Pinky Violence’ began its rather short but satisfy run. Recently, companies like Panik House, Discotek Media, and Cult Epics opened our eyes to this unique world of cinema that up until recently had all but been lost. Thanks to the find folks over at Synapse Films, westerners can now experience a whole new sub genre of this movement known as Pinky Horror. Which brings us to one of Japan’s most infamous directors and one of his most notorious films – Teruo Ishii’s 1969 release HORRORS OF MALFORMED MEN.

So let’s just cut to the chase. This film is insane. Is it the most grotesque thing you’ll ever see? No. Is it the strangest? Probably not. Is it originally bizarre? Check. Is that a good thing? Most definitely. As you sit and watch this oblique world of Teruo Ishii the first thing that comes to mind is the work of Alejandro Jorodowsky. HORRORS OF MALFORMED MEN could squeeze in right next to nutso cinema of films like HOLY MOUNTAIN and EL TOPO and feel right at home. Another director clearly influenced by the film is Shinya Tsukamoto, who even participated in this dvd release with a nice little interview. Tsukamoto’s early work owns a lot to Ishii and the mad mind of Edogawa Rampo (the insane Japanese author whose many demented stories make up most of the film.) I couldn’t help even seeing a correlation between the strange movement of the crazed mad scientist in HORRORS OF MALFORMED MEN and the oft-jointed dance of the dead woman in Tsukamoto’s VITAL. Come to think of it, that exact character in HORRORS OF MALFORMED MEN seems to have a key influence on an even larger genre picture. His creepy movement on the shores of the island brings to mind the lingering drag of Samaria in RINGU.

Normally I would judge a film based on its acting creditability but honestly with the world of Pink films or most exploitation films for that matter, that whole rating system can be thrown out the window. The whole point of exploitation cinema is the fact that it’s exploiting everything about society and the way we live. Films this over-the-top just really would lose its whole point and merit with stellar performances. We love films like this for one simple reason. Most times they so morally wrong and that’s what makes them so great and HORRORS OF MALFORMED MEN is no exception. Not to take away from the film, by all means, this film is something that needs seen to be believed. Some films really don’t ever reach the level of cult status has this film as and it quite honestly deserves this hierarchy. To reach this stature of cult status is most definitely not a walk in the park.

Director Teruo Ishii has many periods of his film career. From pink films to long running prison dramas to the extremely experimental work he created late in his lifetime, the man was at a nearly unattainable level of filmmaking. To say he dipped his finger in nearly every candy bowl would not be too far off. While his work with the ABASHIRI PRISON series was often times very extraordinary, I think his abstract idealistic mind work best when it came to more bizarrely brilliant films like HORRORS OF MALFORMED MEN. As I mentioned before, his filmmaking style would inspire not only those in the Japanese film industry like directors Shinya Tsukamoto and Takashi Miike but also filmmakers throughout the world. Possibly the best combination in the film was to bring together the warped mind of author Edogawa Rampo with the chaotic cluster ball that is Teruo Ishii. It truly seems like a match made in heaven or in this case the deep pits of hell. I have always been a big fan of Rampo’s short stories and really felt a lot of satisfaction discovering the bits and pieces of several of his most clever tales show up in Ishii’s film. Another great partnership for the film was the fact that Ishii worked with cinematographer Shigeru Akatsuka, who not only worked with legendary director Kenji Fukasaku but also worked with Norifumi Suzuki, famous for countless notorious ‘pinky violence’ films. The visual genius of this film could not have worked without him.