Zoom Up: Murder Site – Impulse Pictures (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 1979
Director: Kôyû Ohara
Writer: Chiho Katsura
Cast: Erina Miyai, Yuki Yoshizawa, Yôko Azusa, Tatsuya Hamaguchi, Maya Hamazaki, Remi Kitagawa, Yuri Risa, Kazuo Satake, Ryôichi Satô, Takeshi Shimizu

Release Date: February 9th, 2021
Approximate Running Time: 66 Minutes 46 seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $19.95

"A violent killer is preying on women and dumping their bodies in an abandoned building. Tomoko (Erina Miyai) cheats on her lover with another man and thinks the killer saw their romantic tryst. She doesn’t want to go to the police, because she’s afraid her affair will be discovered, but the killer continues his murderous spree. What will Tomoko do to hide her torrid secret? Can she escape the hands of the murderer?" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, “All-new high-definition restoration from the original camera negative provided by Nikkatsu Studios.”

Zoom Up: Murder Site comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 15.1 GB

Feature: 15 GB

The source looks great; flesh tones look healthy, colors look correct, and image clarity and compression is very good. That said, this transfer effectively handles black levels, despite much of it being set in darkness.

Audio: 4.25/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. The audio is in great shape; there are no issues with background hiss or distortion, dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced.

Extras:

Extras for this release is limited to reversible cover art with the alternate title Zoom Up: Rape Site.

Summary:

Kôyû Ohara directed Zoom Up: Murder Site. He is also known for making Fairy in a Cage, Female Convict 101: Sucks, Sins of Sister Lucia, and Nun's Diary: Confession.

The narrative revolves around a woman who has to choose between exposing her affair or identifying a killer.

Nikkatsu's romantic pornography films tend to fall into two categories: films that explore S&M and more exploitation-driven films that have endless assaults. Ultimately, films that fall into the latter category are this genre's most celebrated films, notable examples of films that fall into this category are Assault! Jack the Ripper, and Star of David: Hunting for Beautiful Girls. That said, Zoom Up: Murder Site is a rare example of a film that falls into the latter category and holds up well when compared to this genre of films.

Content wise, Zoom Up: Murder Site has many similarities to Giallo cinema. Zoom Up: Murder Site has a black-gloved assailant who rapes and murders women. The killer in Zoom Up: Murder Site is another nod to the Giallo genre; its killer, like a killer in a Giallo, has a series of rituals that they perform. Though known for their softcore erotica, there are several Nikkatsu romantic pornography films that push the limits when it comes to violence; a film like Zoom Up: Murder Site is right in line with this genre's more graphic entries.

From a production standpoint, there are no areas where Zoom Up: Murder Site does not excel. The narrative executes the premise well and creates an abundance of tension. Kôyû Ohara’s direction is solid, and the visuals do a phenomenal job reinforcing an unsettling mood. The most memorable moment is a dream sequence: a man in a white room is strangled by a woman, and the moment before he wakes up, he enters something that looks like a vagina. From its opening moments, right on through to its finale, Zoom Up: Murder Site is a very satisfying mix of sleaze, sadism, and carnage.

Zoom Up: Murder Site gets a solid audio/video presentation; recommended despite its lack of contextual extras.

Written by Michael Den Boer