Horrors of Malformed Men – Arrow Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 1969
Director: Teruo Ishii
Writers: Teruo Ishii, Masahiro Kakefuda
Cast: Teruo Yoshida, Yukie Kagawa, Teruko Yumi, Mitsuko Aoi, Michiko Kobata

Release Date: September 17th, 2018 (UK), September 18th, 2018 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 99 Minutes 14 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

"Medical student Hirosuke Hitomi slips out of the asylum in which he has been wrongfully confined and stealthily assumes the identity of a recently deceased nobleman with whom he bears an uncanny resemblance. Hirosuke eases his way into the nobleman's household and his dead double's marital bed. But as long-repressed memories begin to bubble to the surface, he soon finds himself drawn to a remote isle where he is confronted by a mad scientist and his malformed men, and discovers the key that will unlock some long-suppressed mysteries of his own." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "The film was scanned and restored from the original film and audio elements by Toei Company Ltd. Scanning was undertaken at 2K on a Golden Eye scanner and colour grading was completed on a DaVinci Resolve. Picture restoration was performed using MTI Correct and PF Clean. Some instances of picture and audio damage remain in this presentation, in keeping with the condition of these materials."

Horrors of Malformed Men comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 35.6 GB

Feature: 27.3 GB

The source used for this transfer is in good shape. And though some source damage remains, it is never too intrusive. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and black levels are strong throughout, compression is solid, and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 3.75/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. In the booklet included with this release, it mentions some audio damage that remains as part of this release's presentation. That said, despite some distortion issues and other imperfections, the result is a very good track that should not ruin your enjoyment of Horrors of Malformed Men. Dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and range-wise things sound good.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery (stills, advertisement, poster), a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 16 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), an archival featurette titled Ishii in Italia (13 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese and English with removable English subtitles),an archival interview with filmmakers Shinya Tsukamoto and Minoru Kawasaki titled Malformed Memories (22 minutes 56 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with Toei exploitation movie screenwriter Masahiro Kakefuda titled Malformed Movies (13 minutes 38 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an archival audio commentary with Japanese cinema expert and film critic Mark Schilling, an audio commentary with Japanese cinema expert and film critic Tom Mes, reversible cover art, and a 40-page booklet (limited to first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Horrors of Malformed Men written by Jasper Sharp, an essay titled Once Upon a Time in Japan: Teruo Ishii written by Tom Mes, an essay titled Remembering Edogawa Ranpo written by Grady Hendrix and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Hirosuke is a medical student who is forced to flee from the law after he breaks out of jail. While on the run, he sees an article in the newspaper about a man who has recently passed away and who oddly looks just like him. Hirosuke, wanting to solve the mystery of where he came from and why he looks like a dead man, assumes the dead man’s identity. Will uncovering the secrets from his past bring him closer to this part of Hirosuke’s life, or will discovering the truth unlock Pandora’s box of problems?

Teruo Ishii (Blind Woman’s Curse, Bohachi Bushido: Clan of the Forgotten Eight) was a renegade director whose films often defied their genre conventions, and in some instances, he created new genre clichés in the process. His rarely seen outside of Japan films from 1969, Horrors of Malformed Men, are pure Teruo Ishii at the top of their game with their nightmarish images, many of which will also haunt you with their striking beauty. The Horror of Malformed Men was adapted from Edogawa Ranpo’s 1932 novel The Strange Tale of Panorama Island. Two other possible influences for Horrors of Malformed Men are Tod Browning’s Freaks, a story about deformed circus performers, and H.G. Welles The Island of Dr. Moreau, a story about a scientist who experiments with animals and humans trying to make one entity.

After a bizarre dream-like opening, most of the first half of Horrors of Malformed Men is your typical straight-forward tale about mystery. Once Hirosuke assumes Genzaburou’s identity, the film really starts to get good, and for those who are patient, the final act is as close as anyone has come to capturing hell on Earth. One of the film's strongest assets is its ambiguity about what is real and what is fantasy.

One of the more memorable images is the scene with the man with the deformed hands popping in and out of frame with waves crashing in the background. Hajime Kaburagi’s (Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter) brilliant score is moody and menacing, as it adds layers to the film's dark and often bleak subject matter. The acting is solid all around, with Teruo Yoshida in the lead dual roles of Hirosuke and Genzaburou, elevating not only his performance but that of all those around him.

Ultimately, Horrors of Malformed Men is not a film that you will easily digest or forget anytime soon after watching it. If you are a fan of surreal cinema, which pushes the envelope with its shocking and grotesque imagery, then do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Horrors of Malformed Men ASAP.

Horrors of Malformed Men gets an excellent release from Arrow Video that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a wealth of informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Yakuza Law – Arrow Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 1969
Director: Teruo Ishii
Writers: Teruo Ishii
Cast: Ryûtarô Ôtomo, Bunta Sugawara, Minoru Ôki, Hiroshi Miyauchi, Teruo Yoshida, Renji Ishibashi, Keiko Fujita, Yukie Kagawa, Hisaya Itô, Ichirô Sugai

Release Date: May 13th, 2019 (UK), May 14th, 2019 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 96 Minutes 23 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

"In this deep dive into the world of the Yakuza, meet the violent men who rule the Japanese underworld and the cruel punishments inflicted on those who transgress them. The carnage begins in the Edo Period with a violent tale of samurai vengeance starring Bunta Sugawara (Battles Without Honor and Humanity), before shifting to the Meiji Period as the exiled Ogata (Minoru Oki, Shogun Assassin) returns to face punishment for his past transgressions... and, ultimately, to take his revenge." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.75/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "The film was remastered in high definition and supplied for this release by Toei Company, Ltd."

Yakuza Law comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 39.4 GB

Feature: 27.4 GB

The source used for this transfer is in great shape. Colors and flesh tones look correct, the image generally looks crisp, black levels are not as convincing as they should be, compression is solid, and there does not appear to be any digital noise reduction.

Audio: 3.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. Though the audio is in good shape, there are some crackle and distortion-related issues. Dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and range-wise things sound good.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery (12 images - stills/poster), an archival interview with director Teruo Ishii titled Erotic-Grotesque and Genre Hopping (47 minutes 40 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with removable English subtitles) an audio commentary with author and film critic Jasper Sharp. reversible cover art and a 24-page booklet (limited to first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled The Long Harm of the Law written by Tom Mes and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Yakuza Law was written and directed by Teruo Ishii, whose other notable films include Shogun’s Joys of Torture, Inferno of Torture, Orgies of Edo, Horrors of Malformed Men, The Blind Woman’s Curse, and The Executioner.

Yakuza Law features three stories. And each of these three stories takes place in a different era: Edo, Taisho, and Showa.

The first of these stories revolves around a clan that’s just won a battle with a rival clan. And in this story, there is a cowardly yakuza whose lies led to other members of his clan being targeted as traitors. This story is the most violent of the three tales. In this story, body parts like an eye and an ear are cut off, and the cowardly yakuza has his lying tongue cut off.

The second of these stories revolves around a yakuza who’s betrayed by his clan. And when he gets out of prison, he’s abandoned by his clan. Now, on his own, he has to define himself from old enemies and his former clan. This is the shortest of the three stories, and outside of a scene where a hand is severed, the violence is tame compared to the other two stories.

The third of these tales revolves around a crime syndicate that has hired hitmen to retrieve a large sum of stolen gold. And though there are many alliances formed along the way, There are just as many double crosses. Violent set pieces in this tale include a man dangling from a rope tied to a helicopter, and to get him to talk, they drop him and drag his body across the ground. Other violent deaths include a face that’s burned beyond recognition, a man who’s trapped inside a car that gets crushed, and a couple that are buried in cement.

From a production standpoint, despite Yakuza Law having all the elements that have become synonymous with Teruo Ishii’s Torture film series, the result is easily the tamest entry in the Torture film series. Besides more restrained carnage, a lack of sadism and eroticism is another area where Yakuza Law falls short when compared to Teruo Ishii’s films from his Torture series.

Yakuza Law gets a first-rate release from Arrow Video that comes with a good audio/video presentation and a pair of informative extras, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Shogun's Joy of Torture – Arrow Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 1968
Director: Teruo Ishii
Writer: Teruo Ishii
Cast: Teruo Yoshida, Masumi Tachibana, Fumio Watanabe, Reiko Mikasa, Miki Obana, Yukie Kagawa, Shin'ichirô Hayashi, Asao Koike, Kichijirô Ueda, Tamaki Sawa, Mie Hanabusa

Release Date: February 22nd, 2021 (UK), February 23rd, 2021 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 96 Minutes 50 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

"The first tale sees the beautiful Mitsu (Masumi Tachibana) going to horrifying lengths to tend to her older brother Shinzō (Teruo Yoshida), a carpenter injured in a work accident, but the law catches up on them and metes out a terrifying retribution after they violate the ultimate taboo. In the second, unfettered passions in a Buddhist nunnery are not allowed to go unpunished after abbess Reihō (Yukie Kagawa) and her attendant Rintoku (Naomi Shiraishi) encounter a virile young monk from a neighbouring temple. In the closing segment, a sadistic torturer (Fumio Watanabe) attempts to show a tattoo artist (Asao Koike) how to depict convincing expressions of faces of pain in his work by allowing him to sketch a selection of Europeans as they are tortured for entering Japan with the aim of spreading Christianity." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "The High Definition master was produced and supplied by Toei, with additional grading by Arrow Films at R3Store Studios, London."

Shogun's Joy of Torture comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 35.2 GB

Feature: 25.5 GB

The source used for this transfer is in great shape. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and black levels are strong, compression is solid, and there does not appear to be any digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. The audio is in very good shape; the dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and range-wise, things sound very good.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery, a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 40 seconds, DTS-HD mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with author Patrick Macias titled Teruo Ishii: Erotic-Grotesque Maestro (13 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with author and critic Jasper Sharp discusses the history of torture in Japanese exploitation cinema titled Bind, Torture, Thrill (25 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes, reversible cover art, and a 36-page booklet (limited to first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Shogun's Joy of Torture: The Perverted, Perceptive World of Teruo Ishii written by Mark Schiliing, Teruo Ishii filmography and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Shogun's Joy of Torture is an anthology that is made up of three separate stories that all intersect. Shogun's Joy of Torture was directed by Teruo Ishii, whose films The Executioner, The Executioner 2: The Karate Inferno, and The Street Fighter’s Last Revenge, all of which starred Shin’ichi ‘Sonny’ Chiba, are his most famous works outside of Japan. 

Shogun's Joy of Torture jumps right into the carnage with a montage that includes various women being decapitated, burned alive, and ripped into two.

The first segment is about Shinza, who was hurt while working when a log hit him on the head, and now sister Mitsu is forced to give herself to her brother's boss, Mr. Mino, in order to help pay for Shinza’s doctor's bills. Mitsu agrees to talk to Mr. Mino about her brothers’ bill. Only he doesn’t want to talk and decides to collect the debt owed to him, even if she is unwilling. Mitsu returns home after being raped by Mr. Mino, only to find herself now being violated by her brother, who now professes his love for her. They decide to keep their incestuous love a secret until one day when Mr. Mino shows up unexpectedly and catches them in the act. Mr. Mino threatens to report them to the police if Mitsu doesn’t submit to himself once and for all as his mistress.

The second segment is about the arrival of mother Reiho and her servant Rintoku at the Jukuin monastery. The monastery is located next to a temple inhabited by priests, and one day, when one of them named Shunkei runs by Reiho, he arouses something inside of her. Reiho secretly watches from the bushes as Myushin and Shunkei have a sexual rendezvous in the woods. Reiho, who has developed an infatuation with Shunkei, threatens to blackmail him into having sex with her. Reiho’s obsession for Shunkei grows after he spurns her advances, which leads to even more trouble for the woman he loves, Myushin.

The final segment is about a tattoo artist named Horicho, who has just given Kimicho his greatest tattoo to date. While showing his work off to a group of people, a man named Lord Nambera walks by, mocking the tattoo and its lack of realism. Distraught Horicho begins to doubt himself as he looks high and low for the perfect subject for his next creation. In order to capture the essence of the realism he so desperately wants to capture in his tattoos, Horicho asks Lord Nambera if he would allow him to witness the torturing sessions that go on during interrogations. With his masterpiece nearing completion, he asks for one more favor from Lord Nambera that will help fill in the final blank.

All three stories in Shogun's Joy of Torture are connected by similar themes that connect them as a whole. The three stories are all well written, and the acting as a whole is really good for a film with such dark subject matter. The violence builds as the narrative progresses, with each new segment bringing the level of torture and mayhem up. Shogun's Joy of Torture is a melting pot of sleaze that has all the staples we have come to expect from exploitation films like incest, nuns, rape, genital mutilation, beheadings, crucifixions, and various other forms of torture. 

Despite the disturbing images that are contained in Shogun's Joy of Torture, every frame has been carefully designed and beautifully photographed. Director Teruo Ishii has never been known for his subtleness or unwillingness to take on controversial subjects. His direction in Shogun's Joy of Torture is inspired, with standout moments being the film's two main torture sequences that leave very little for the imagination with their go-for-the-throat mentality. Ultimately, Shogun's Joy of Torture is a perfect mix of sadism and carnage that is not for the faint of heart.

Shogun's Joy of Torture gets a solid release from Arrow Video that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a trio of informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Inferno of Torture – Arrow Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 1969
Director: Teruo Ishii
Writers: Teruo Ishii, Masahiro Kakefuda
Cast: Mieko Fujimoto, Reiichi Hatanaka, Yuki Kagawa, Kamiko Katayama, Asao Koike, Miki Obana, Masumi Tachibana, Haruo Tanaka, Teruo Yoshida

Release Date: July 6th, 2020 (UK), July 7th, 2020 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 94 Minutes 57 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

"Unable to repay a local lender, Yumi (Yumika Katayama) takes up an offer to serve as a geisha for two years with a promise of freedom once her debt is repaid. She quickly realizes that this is less a house of geishas than an extremely cruel brothel specializing in supplying western visitors with tattooed playthings. Taken under the wing of one of the leading tattoo artists vying for a coveted spot in the Shogun's good graces through his work, Yumi's body becomes a battleground as a rival artist becomes determined not to lose his spot at the top. When the madam, Otatsu (Mieko Fujimoto) trains her eye on the blossoming relationship between the benevolent artist Horihide (Teruo Yoshida) and his model, she makes sure than her stay is less than hospitable, inspiring the torturous inferno of the title." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "The film was restored by Toei with additional picture remastering by R3Store Studios, London."

Orgies of Edo comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 37 GB

Feature: 27.4 GB

The source used for this transfer is in great shape. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and black levels are strong, compression is solid, and there does not appear to be any digital noise reduction.

Audio: 3.75/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. The audio is in very good shape; the dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. That said, range-wise, things can sometimes be limited.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 54 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), a condensed version of Jasper Sharp’s Miskatonic Institute lecture titled Erotic Grotesque Nonsense & the Foundations of Japan s Cult Counterculture (29 minutes 55 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes. reversible cover art, and a 32-page booklet (limited to first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Inferno of Torture: Teruo Ishii’s Cinema of Cruelty written by Crhis D.,Teruo Ishii filmography and information about the transfer.

Summary:

In Japan, Edo period, a young woman named Nami gets forced to work at the brothel of Nagasaki when her family is unable to pay its debts. All the women in the brothel are given tattoos, and two rival tattoo artists vie for the chance to work on Nami’s perfect white flesh. Nami falls in love with one of the tattoo artists, and when his rival finds out, he devises a plan to keep them apart forever.

Even if your knowledge of Japanese exploitation cinema from the 1960s and 1970s is limited, chances are that you have seen or are at least familiar with the films of director Teruo Ishii. His most famous films are Horrors of Malformed Men, The Blind Woman’s Curse, Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture, and three Sonny Chiba films: The Executioner, The Executioner 2: The Karate Inferno, and The Streetfighter’s Last Revenge.

Inferno of Torture quickly establishes itself with its grotesque and brutal images in its opening credits, which include spears in a woman’s vagina, sawing off heads, and burning women alive. From there, The Inferno of Torture is relentless in its depiction of cruelty. The utmost care and visual flare are clear in all the torture sequences. Visually, Inferno of Torture is overflowing with many spectacular compositions and an abundance of style. One of the more memorable shots is when the girls are all being looked over before they’re sold, and the camera shoots up through a glass floor to show the action above.

The acting in Inferno of Torture is very good, and like most films from this era in Japan, it is amazing to see just how much time and effort has been put into even secondary roles. Also, Inferno of Torture has an ample amount of unflinching moments. The reason Inferno of Torture and other films like it work so well is the way in which they depict the violence. Ultimately, Inferno of Torture is another solid entry in the Joy’s of Torture series.

Inferno of Torture gets a solid release from Arrow Video that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a trio of informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Orgies of Edo – Arrow Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 1969
Director: Teruo Ishii
Writers: Teruo Ishii, Masahiro Kakefuda
Cast: Teruo Yoshida, Toyozô Yamamoto, Masumi Tachibana, Michiko Ai, Mitsuko Aoi, Maki Carousel, Tatsumi Hijikata, Akira Ishihama, Yukie Kagawa, Kei Kiyama, Asao Koike, Reiko Mikasa, Yôko Minamikaze, Miki Obana, Junkô Tôda, Shôhei Yamamoto

Release Date: November 19th, 2018 (UK), November 20th, 2018 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 93 Minutes 41 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

"Told in anthology style by an impassive physician (Teruo Yoshida), the first story follows Oito (Masumi Tachibana), an innocent young girl deceived by a handsome yakuza and sold into prostitution who finds herself in a doomed love affair with the man who brought her to ruin. The tale of Ochise (Mitsuko Aoi) is about the daughter of a rich merchant whose insatiable appetite for filth and perversion draws her deeper into violence, darkness and betrayal. Finally, the story of Omitsu (Miki Obana) follows a sadistic lord (Asao Koike) whose eye is caught one day by a beautiful member of his harem who shares his strange taste for pain and blood, but who holds a secret of her own that will destroy his entire household." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.75/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "The film was scanned and restored from the original film and audio elements by Toei Company LTD, Japan. 2K scanning was done on a Golden Eye scanner and color grading was completed on a DaVinci Resolve. Picture restoration was performed using MTI Correct and PF Clean. Some instances of picture and audio damage remain in this presentation, in keeping with the condition of these materials."

Orgies of Edo comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 30.2 GB

Feature: 25.4 GB

The source used for this transfer is in great shape. Flesh tones look healthy, colors look very good, image clarity is generally strong, black levels fare well, compression is solid, and there does not appear to be any digital noise reduction.

Audio: 3.75/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. The audio is in very good shape; the dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. That said, range-wise, things can sometimes be limited.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 38 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with author Patrick Maccias titled The Orgies of Ishii (16 minutes 2 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), reversible cover art,and a 20-page booklet (limited to first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Kaleidoscope Frenzy: Having Fun with Teruo Ishii’s Torture Films written by Tom Mes, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Orgies of Edo was co-written and directed by Teruo Ishii, whose other notable films include Shogun’s Joys of Torture, Inferno of Torture, Horrors of Malformed Men, The Blind Woman’s Curse, and The Executioner.

Orgies of Edo’s narrative consists of three stories.

The first story revolves around a woman who, through an act of deception, becomes a prostitute. And to further complicate her situation, she fails to fall in love with the man who tricked her into a life of prostitution.

The second story is about a woman who’s aroused by dwarves and lovers who suffer from other deformities. And by the way, a flashback reveals the reason for her fetish. Her story, like the other women featured in these three stories, ends tragically when a man who has lusted after her for years disfigures himself in hope of rousing her libido for him.

The third story revolves around a sadistic nobleman who gets pleasure from torturing women. And after years of searching, he finally finds a woman who’s been tortured. From there, things quickly spiral out of control when he discovers the woman’s identity.

The late 1960s were a transformational period in Japanese cinema, and with dwindling audiences, the industry shifted towards erotica and more extreme-themed films. And one of the directors who was at the forefront of this movement was Teruo Ishii.

Content-wise, there are several elements in Orgies of Edo that foreshadow Toei’s Pinky Violence films that rose to prominence in the early 1970s. Most notable is the way in which the Orgies of Edo mix sex and violence.

From a production standpoint, there is not an area where Orgies of Edo does not deliver, and then some. The three tales are superbly realized, and there is an ample amount of flesh on display. Sadism is prominent in these three tales. With each tale more brutal than the last.

Standout moments include the scene where the woman from the first story and the man who deceived her are tortured as they hang upside down from trees; the flashback scene from the second story, where a deformed man turns the woman into his submissive sex slave; and the scene from the third story, where bulls with fire on their horns impale women dressed in red. Ultimately, Orgies of Edo is a solid example of an Ero Guro film.

Orgies of Edo gets a first-rate release from Arrow Video that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a pair of informative extras, recommended.

  Written by Michael Den Boer

Blind Woman’s Curse – Arrow Video (Blu-ray/ DVD Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 1970
Director: Teruo Ishii
Writers: Teruo Ishii, Chûsei Sone
Cast: Meiko Kaji, Toru Abe, Makoto Sato, Hideo Sunazuka, Yoshi Kato

Release Date: April 21st, 2015
Approximate Running Time: 84 Minutes 50 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.44:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A,B / Region 1,2 NTSC
Retail Price: $39.95

"Akemi (Kaji) is a dragon tattooed leader of the Tachibana Yakuza clan. In a duel with a rival gang Akemi slashes the eyes of an opponent and a black cat appears, to lap the blood from the gushing wound. The cat along with the eye-victim go on to pursue Akemi's gang in revenge, leaving a trail of dead Yakuza girls, their dragon tattoos skinned from their bodies." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.75/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Blind Woman's Curse was transferred from original pre-print material by Nikkatsu Studios in Japan. This was delivered on a restored master tape to Arrow Films."

Blind Woman’s Curse comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 22.4 GB

Feature: 20.2 GB

This new HD transfer is a noticeable improvement over Discotek’s 2007 DVD release. The greatest areas of improvement are image clarity, color saturation, and a healthy layer of grain. That said, there are a handful of moments where the grain looks thicker, and these moments tend to be during dimly lit scenes. Also, one major difference between Arrow Video’s UK and U.S. releases is that the black levels don’t look grayish on the U.S. release.

Audio: 3.75/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. The audio is in very good shape; the dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. That said, range-wise, things can sometimes be limited.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer for Blind Woman’s Curse (3 minutes 20 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with non-removable English subtitles), a theatrical trailer for Stray Cat Rock: Machine Animal (2 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), a theatrical trailer for Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter (3 minutes 18 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), a theatrical trailer for Stray Cat Rock: Wild Jumbo (2 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), a theatrical trailer for Stray Cat Rock: Beat ’71 (2 minutes 37 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), an  audio commentary with Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp. reversible cover art, and a 20-page booklet (limited to first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Meiko’s Adventure in Professor Ishii’s Erotic-Grotesque Wonderland written by Tom Mes, and information about the transfer. 

Included with this release is a DVD that has the same content as the Blu-ray included as part of this combo release.

Summary:

During a battle with a rival clan, Akemi Tachibana accidentally blinds Aiko Gouda when the blade of her sword cuts her eyes. At that moment, a black cat appears out of nowhere and laps up Aiko’s blood. Akemi believes that cats and drinking blood mean that she is now forever cursed. Years later, a mysterious blind woman arrives in town, and shortly after, those close to Akemi are murdered. Is Akemi really cursed, or is this blind woman behind these devious acts against Akemi’s clan?

Blind Woman’s Curse was made during director Teruo Ishii’s most futile period as a filmmaker. During this time, he would start to infuse his unique style of grotesque imagery with more erotic-based storylines. His film Horror of a Malformed Man, made the previous year in 1969, is his defining statement as a filmmaker, and he would continue to explore similar themes throughout the rest of his career. Direction-wise, Blind Woman’s Curse is a visual feast for the eyes, with every moment beautifully paced and every frame stylishly exploited with bizarre imagery. Also, Blind Woman’s Curse's use of macabre in the subtext of a Yakuza theme is flawless, as the two genres are almost perfect mirror images of each other.

During this time in his career, another thing that is strong in virtually all of Teruo Ishii’s films is the acting. The star of Blind Woman’s Curse is Meiko Kaji in the role of the protagonist, Akemi Tachibana. And even at this point in her career, she had already begun to develop the traits we would later identify with her in films like the Lady Snow, Blood, and Female Scorpion series. Another performance of note is that of actress Hoki Tokuda, who plays the blind swordswoman named Aiko Gouda. I was most impressed with her performance, which I feel is the strongest. Blind Woman’s Curse also injects a fair amount of comic relief, with most of it coming from actors Makoto Satô (The Executioner) and Ryohei Uchida (Yakuza Deka: The Assassin).

All great films, besides having a solid cast and direction, also have a memorable score. The score for Blind Woman’s Curse was composed by Hajime Kaburagi, whose other notable scores include Tokyo Drifter, Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter, and Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701’s Grudge Song. Another key collaborator on Blind Woman’s Curse was screenwriter Chûsei Sone, who would go on to direct several of Nikkatsu’s well-regarded Pinku films, like Naked Rashomon, Angel Guts: High School Coed, and Angel Guts: Red Classroom. 

The horror elements in Blind Woman’s Curse are well done, and there are many moments that make the viewer feel uneasy. And none is more potent than the finale, which will leave you breathless as Akemi and Aiko dual under a storm-filled sky with dust building up all around them. Ultimately, Blind Woman’s Curse is a perfect blend of action, horror, and eroticism that is a must-see film if you're a fan of Meiko Kaji or Teruo Ishii.

Blind Woman’s Curse gets a good release from Arrow Video that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a pair of informative extras, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer