Review: Japanese cinema definitely has its fair share of low-budget horror films, but to be honest most of them can be considered total crap. With this in mind it becomes easier to lower ones standards and expectations of a film so that you have the ability gain more from your viewing experience. LIVING HELL (Iki-Jigoku) seemed like it was going to be yet another average gory horror film that had nothing new to bring to the table. Surprisingly it did. Considered by many to be “the Japanese Chainsaw Massacre (minus the chainsaws),” I thought that this was just typical advertising hype and nothing more. But, to my surprise this was one of the most accurate descriptions ever displayed on a DVD cover.

LIVING HELL begins in an unknown family’s home were both the grandmother (Chiyo) and granddaughter (Yuki) reside. In the opening scene the sadistic duo murders the family in cold blood without any motive or reason at all. To give you an idea just how psychotic these two are, imagine waking up in the middle of the night to find Yuki eating your dog in the darkness. After the police arrived the only person they found was Chiyo, whom they took to a mental hospital (which she immediately escaped from with ease). Without much notice, Yasu’s family receives word that they have some distant relatives in need that will be staying with them for a while.

Hirohito Honda (BATTLE ROYALE) was accurately cast as the young and helpless Yasu. Bound to a wheelchair, Yasu was the perfect victim to subject to terrible torture by his creepy relatives. The great thing about Chiyo and Yuki is that they didn’t just torture him physically, but they also challenged his mind by completely screwing with it. I imagine that the anxiety and dread that overcame Yasu was unbearable more so when they merely toyed with his head as opposed to hurting him in a physical manner. For instance, Yuki whom was thought to be a mute would say things to Yasu when no one else was around. When he would try to explain what was happening to him, his family wouldn’t believe him because they had already been thinking he was stressed and depressed. Basically this meant everything he said was void. The perfect subject.

Fortunately there are quite a few surprises found in the movie. Obviously spoilers won’t be found in this review, but prepare your self to be taken for a wild ride full of twists and turns. Typical, unoriginal horror films are about a dime a dozen since most seem to have the simple primary objective of creating scenes with mindless gore. This means that it really is a big deal when you come across a film with a smart and engaging story that has the balls to back it up. Shugo Fujii is an exceptional filmmaker with a real taste for content that will surely make any true horror fan excited. The feeling that Fujii creates seems nostalgic due to his classic style, which makes the viewing experience even more engrossing.

What a fantastic concept this is. LIVING HELL really followed through right up to the end, which is especially rare in a horror film from any country. The gore in the film was plentiful, though I did anticipate more. The cinematography and editing joined together to create a chaotic feel that was found throughout the film. The one thing that was very difficult to get past was the incredibly bad score of the film. It seems that most horror films tend to suffer from the cheesy and weak music that always feels out of place and awkward. The music of LIVING HELL will go down in history as being some of the worse in a film. The funny thing is that the music actually scared me more than anything.