THE WATCHER IN THE ATTIC

Born Hirai Taro, Edogawa Rampo (1894-1965) was Japan's most influential modern author of mystery, gothic, and horror fiction. Inspired by the writings of Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allan Poe, Rampo (whose very name is a Japanese variation of Poe's) created the Japanese gothic style mystery story. Reveling in grotesque imagery, eccentric characters, and bizarre situations, Rampo's work combined abhorrent psychology with decadent atmosphere and a smattering of the supernatural. Although his subversive and sexually bold fiction fell from favour in his lifetime, his work has experienced new critical estimation and has been the source for various stage plays and films. While Rampo's most enduring character is the Sherlock- Holmes inspired detective Kogoro Akechi, appearing in the novel Black Lizard, it remains the darkly erotic images and surreal themes present in his short fictions that translate themselves best to celluloid. Director Teruo Ishii mined Rampo's short stories for Horror of the Malformed Men, and director Tanaka Noboru does the same for The Watcher in the Attic, a cerebral orgy of violence and psychosis.

Based on a handful of classic macabre short stories from Rampo, particularly "The Human Chair" and "The Stroller In The Attic," The Watcher In The Attic is as nightmarishly devoted to bizarre human characterization as it is in capturing scenes of twisted sex and violence. Goda (Renji Ishibashi) operates a boarding house where he compensates for his introverted nature by spying on his tenants through holes in the ceiling. During these escapades, he witnesses the wealthy and aroused Lady Minako (Junko Miyashita), having sex with a clown, naughty priests, and a lady masturbating with hooves. Amidst this voyeuristic madness Lady Minako, knowing she'd being observed, kills her clownish boy toy. This kicks off a sick co- dependent relationship between the two, which culminates in increasingly meaningless violence.

This poetic and perverse portrait of human isolation, madness, eroticism and violence is as elegantly filmed as it is nihilistic in its message. Likewise, both the story and its direction manage to be both intentionally sleazy and artistic, spending as much time crafting believable and at times even sympathetic characters (despite their madness) and a reflective emotional atmosphere as scathing and titillating degrees of violence and sexuality. All of this is tinged with Tanaka Noboru's penchant for claustrophobic tension and love for the perverse, which does a fine job capturing the complex intellectual and sensationalized imagery of author Rampo's descents into depraved consciousnesses. Sublime in its depiction of human depravity, the chief figures Goda and Minako are adroit character studies of Outsiders seeking solace and meaning in the darkest byways of sex and power, making it a perfect companion piece along with Mondo Macabro's Assault! Jack The Ripper, also currently available. Not as violent as other Nikkatsu films, the very oddness of the situations and mounting terror inherent in this sick couple's amoral relationship more than compensates. In fact, the more subtle moments achieve a far more disturbing effect without graphic viscera. A compelling and unrepentantly harsh addition to Asian exploitation cinema, this example of the Nikkatsu Studios 'Roman Porno' film is a worthwhile addition to any serious video library.

Mondo Macabro presents The Watcher In The Attic in anamorphic 2.35.1 widescreen. Picture quality is very good, sharp and clean with little grain. Colors are vivid and clear and blacks solid. Audio is featured in Japanese Dolby Digital Mono with optional English subs. The sound quality is just as proficient as the picture, clean and without background interference.

Unsurprisingly, extras are educational and entertaining, as MM's releases almost always are. Most substantial is the informative documentary, The Erotic Empire (also included on MM's Jack the Ripper). For a more detailed account of this exhaustive feature see my Ripper review. Next up is an Introduction by Jasper Sharp wherein he supplies critical details and cultural context for the film, emphasizing the more controversial sexual elements. Lastly is the Theatrical Trailer as well as Trailers for the following films: Assault! Jack The Ripper, Naked Rashomon, The Sins Of Sister Lucia, and Female Prisoner: Caged!

Review by William Simmons