Naked Blood

Naked Blood

Now, I've been hearing a lot about Toshiyasu Sato's 'Naked Blood' - fans have been refering to it as a 'classic', Japan Shock who have released the film stake claim that it is a 100% extreme gore splatterfest and after viewing their Guts/Entrails films, expectations here where pretty high.

'Naked Blood' concerns three young girls who are taking part in tests for a new contraceptive drug, but unknown to them the drug has been spiked by a young prodigy scientist with his experimental 'painkiller' that turns all pain into pleasure, with bizarre and deadly consequences.

First off, the hype that preceeds 'Naked Blood' is somewhat misleading - ignore what folk have been saying, ignore the packaging and believe me, you will get so much more from the film. The first section of the movie drifts along at an almost ambient pace (a feel similar in atmosphere for me to Romero's Martin), luring the viewer in to a relaxed false sense of security. You watch with curiosity wondering what's going to happen then 'wham', the side effects of the spiked drug start to kick in and visually you're kicked in the teeth also with a dazzling array of scenes that will amaze no end (and fans of Cronenberg's films like 'Videodrome' will see his influence on the asian genre scene here once again).

Nowhere near what I was expecting from this film , but still enormously satisfying (especially the finale complete with plot revelation/twist that is amusingly reminiscent of many italian movies of yesteryear). Director Sato handles things very well, especially considering the small ensemble cast and obvious budgetary constraints, and running in at around 76 minutes you don't get a chance to bore with this delightful low budget gem.

Japan Shock have put together a nice enough package here, though quite sparse in content. The film is presented in widescreen with english subtitles, and a dolby 2.0 soundtrack. And there's the welcome (and always expected) still gallery that showcases some of the meatier graphic scenes for your delectation.

All round, a nice release that fans of the eastern horror scene should welcome with open arms into their collections. Ignore what the others are saying though, just chill out and enjoy !


 
Directed by Toshiyasu Sato
Released by Japan Shock
Region 0 - PAL
Ratio - Widescreen
Audio - Dolby Digital 2.0 Japanese
Subtitles - English
Running time - approx 76 mins
Extras - Still gallery
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