Director: Toshiharu Ikeda
Year: 1988
Country: Japan
Alternate Titles: Shiryô no wana
Genre: Slasher
Plot:
After getting a special scoop, a news reporter trying to make her big break finds a potential sensation tracking down a possible snuff film delivered to the studio and heads to the factory where it was filmed only to find the area home to a deranged lunatic killing them off one-by-one.
Review:
This was quite an enjoyable if somewhat flawed slasher. One of the more enjoyable aspects of this one is the rather stark and brutal kills that are frequently employed throughout here. It starts at the very beginning with the torture and mutilation of the one victim that's shown in graphic detail [mention kill], and then carries into the rest of the various kills here. These are mainly graphic and brutal in execution as well as concept, where the victims are subjected to some pretty gruesome concepts throughout here. Full of some stellar make-up that gives the scenes a punch when they occur, there's plenty to like about this section as well with the kills generating plenty of fine shocking moments when they strike, including having multiple spikes emerge from holes in the wall and floor to impale in various parts of the body, another getting their eye gouged out in extreme closeup, a machete to the side of the head and a decapitation, among other great brutal kills.
As well, this also leads into the stellar series of traps and confrontations with the killer who has made the area into a veritible slew of sharp impalements ready to spring out and pierce people which has a fine amount of shock jumps here as well as setting up the great tension within here. This runs the gamut from the shocking shorter traps to the longer, more agonized setups here such as the first effort that traps everyone in the building or the surprise ambush at the car that count as shorter shock scenes. Longer setups from the approach of the friend tied to a chair with the arrow set to fire at her or being speared by multiple poles being shoved through the floor while in the shower offer some solid lengthier sequences which add a much more energetic tone and presence to the film. Even the never-ending final battles with the killer offers some fine points, giving this one a great rousing conclusion that adds to the relentless assault by the killer with the badly burned and deformed being launching everything from human assaults to the demonic creature plaguing him and forcing the rampage in the first place, all of which enhances the stellar make-up effects as well. These here are what manage to hold this one up over it's few minor flaws overall that hold it back.
Among the few flaws to be had here is the film's rather bland and overlong pacing. This one really bungles the atmospheric approach it's going for and instead stretches things out to the point of needless padding as this one is way too long for this kind of simplistic story. The scenes of the crew going around investigating the empty and abandoned location at the beginning are stretched out to bland portions as the lifeless manner in which they walk around through the dirty, decrepit rooms or looking for the various places for camera setups just makes for a rather dull time here. [add more on the pacing]. That as well leads to the film's other big issue in that it's just way too long for it's own good as there's no reason for a film like this with this kind of simplistic, straightforward story to have a length like this. Partly due to the extensive amount of time it takes to get going but also for the exceptionally long scenes of them sitting around waiting for the killer to strike as the various people come into play that may or may not be the killer, this one strikes quite a long and oddly uneven running time with these unneeded elements presented throughout here. These here are what really keep this one down.
Overview: *** 1/2/5
Despite a few minor areas that really do strike this one somewhat severely, this one is a rather enjoyable and worthwhile Japanese genre effort that has some positive attributes. This is really only recommended to those that can appreciate the positives here without really being too bothered by the flaws, though if the flaws are apparently detrimental to viewers they should heed caution mostly.
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