Cyclops: Collector's Edition – Visual Vengeance (Blu-ray)

Release Date: Japan, 1987
Director: Jôji Iida
Cast: Kai Atô, Mayumi Hasegawa, Yoshimasa Kondô, Kazuhiro Sano, Nobuo Takahashi

Release Date: August 25th, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 52 Minutes 20 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital Mono Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $37.95

"A secret team of scientists has crossed the line between medicine and madness, implanting embryos into human hosts in a series of hideous experiments designed to create a new form of life. But when their latest subject takes her own life before giving birth, the operation spirals into desperation. Accompanied by a malformed cyclops mutant as muscle, the researchers descend into the city in search of a new victim--dragging an unsuspecting young woman into a nightmare of medical horror that degenerates into a frenzy of deformed flesh, slimy transformations and mutant showdowns." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.75/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "New 2K transfer from original 16mm film elements."

Cyclops comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 30 GB

Feature: 11.8 GB

While there is minor print debris, it is never intrusive, and the result is easily Visual Vengeance’s best-looking transfer to date. Flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong, and there are no issues with compression.

Audio: 3.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a Dolby Digital mono mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. While the track is limited range-wise, it sounds clear and balanced throughout.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery with music from the film playing in the background, a Koji Yamamura sketch gallery with music from the film playing in the background, a Visual Vengeance trailer for Cyclops (1 minute 2 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a video essay by Justin Decloux titled All the Monsters Are Here: The Japanese DTV market of the mid-80s (10 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a video essay by Justin Decloux titled Not In The Way Your Expect: The Films of Joji “George” Iida (10 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with director Joji “George” Iida titled No Compliance (53 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with non-removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Justin Decloux of The important Cinema Club and Patrick Macias, author of Tokyoscope: The Japanese Cult Film Companion, reversible cover art featuring original Japanese VHS art, 'Stick your own' VHS sticker set (limited to the first pressing), a folded mini-poster, an 8-page booklet with an essay titled A (Short) Horror Trip: A Look at Cyclops written by Nando Rohner and translated by Tony Strauss (limited to the first pressing), a 16-page booklet with an essay titled “She is Not Yet Aware of Her Nature!” A Detailed Look at the Creation of Cyclops written by Christopher N. Kellerback and edited and translated by Tony Strauss (limited to the first pressing), and an O-card slipcover (limited to the first pressing).

Other extras are Visual Vengeance trailers for The Screaming, The Abomination, and Colony Mutation.

Summary:

A group of scientists experiment on deformed children, transforming some of them into normal-looking people, free of deformities. Unfortunately, very few survive until adulthood, and those who do are plagued by side effects that revert them back to how they once looked.

Cyclops is a do-it-yourself, independently made film that came out during the height of the Japanese home video boom of the 1980s. Cyclops is a film that fits firmly in the body horror genre, and there are many qualities about it that are reminiscent of the cinema of Hisayasu Satô. While the horror elements are prominent throughout, Cyclops also incorporates sci-fi elements and a few moments of nudity for added effect.

An opening credits provides a quick overview that fleshes out the characters and explains what the human hybrid mutations are. The narrative moves briskly and does an excellent job building momentum to an explosive finale where several characters revert to their original mutated state.

The acting is surprisingly strong. The most memorable performance by Kai Atô (The Beast to Die), who portrays Sonezaki, a one-eyed, shades-wearing henchman who resembles Jo Shishido’s gangster character from his 1960s Nikkatsu films. Another notable cast member is Kazuhiro Sano (Survey Map of a Paradise Lost), an actor who’s worked extensively in Pinku Eiga.

It is amazing what Cyclops is able to achieve considering its limited resources. The makeup effects, most of which take center stage in the last 15 minutes, hold up incredibly well. A pulsating score and striking visuals greatly enhance the mood. The most memorable scene is a lengthy, gory finale where a mutant baby escapes from its mother's womb and enters another mutant. Ultimately, Cyclops is an outstanding body horror film that packs more into its 54 minutes than most films that are twice its length.

Cyclops gets an exceptional release that stands out as Visual Vengeance’s best to date. Highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer