FILM GUTTER’S TOP 5 ASIAN MOVIES

Many parts of Asia – particularly Japan and South Korea – have long been offering up a superb array of horror films, with many having a reputation for being on the nastier side of things. Of course that makes them ideal contenders for the Film Gutter treatment, so for today we’re going to take a look at the five best offerings from Asia we’ve reviewed in the 5+ years of the column! This list is limited to movie the series has looked at, not for all Asian horror/extreme horror movies – just so you know I haven’t forgotten or deliberately omitted the likes of Audition – which I really must review at some point…

GUINEA PIG 3: SHUDDER: THE MAN WHO DOESN’T DIE!
Rated 8.5/10
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I’ve written about the Guinea Pig films at some length, having reviewed all six back to back and taken a look at their legacy over the years. With all that said, I’m not always a huge fan of them, with the notable exception of the bizarre comedic antics of its third entry. A wild switch in tone from the bleak gore and torture of the first two entries, this one is also a stark contrast to the bizarreness of the latter entries too. GP3 follows a put-upon office worker who discovers – as the title suggests – that he can’t die. He decides to use this ability to play a deliberate prank on his unpleasant co-workers by way of revenge. It’s short, it’s totally hammy and overplayed but it certainly is a lot of fun and my favourite of the six.

RED ROOM
Rated 8.5/10

Probably one of the most notorious films to come out of Japan, and an early example of the splatter style that would later go on to be so popular. I get it too – there was an audience, and many of these types of movies could be made on a low budget too. I would argue that this remains one of the best – though I was a fan of the second too, which kept much in common in style and probably had an even more surprising finale. Red Room really wasn’t quite what I expected, being more of a black comedy in places. Bits of it are awful, no doubt, but there’s also a strangely sweet undercurrent to it that I did not see coming. It’s one of those that maybe outdoes its reputation as ‘just’ a gore film and is well worth a look – you can rent it from Unearthed Films’ Vimeo Channel if you want to check it out.

NECROPHILIA
Rated 8.5/10

If I were making a list of most misleading titles – which I’m not – this one would be top, but it comes in third on this particular ranking. This South Korean offering is a really fascinating short film, a sort of dark and brutal romance with some really interesting visuals and strong performances. I can’t say too much about it without giving a lot away, but I would say you’ll probably find this is a pretty pleasant surprise if you can find it to watch!

HUMAN FORM
Rated 9/10

Two South Korean short films in a row? Well, whyever not? I’ve never been averse to a short offering, and this remains one of my favourites by any measure. It’s a startling look at fashion trends and the sense of the ‘other’, all with an absolutely gloriously creepy look and feel to it. Well worth ten minutes of anyone’s time, and you can watch it free via the Alter channel on Youtube if you fancy going and watching it for yourself.
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TETSUO: THE IRON MAN
Rated 9.5/10

Probably one of the most egregious gaps in my extreme/cult horror education up until very recently, I could barely believe my eyeballs when I was watching this one. An absolute audio-visual feast, a black and white nightmare to match the likes of Eraserhead and the second Human Centipede movie but unique in its own right. The effects still look pretty remarkable now even so far on from its release, and this story of humanity and machine combining is definitely worth your time. I’ve added the sequels to the review list for some point this year too…

Next week we’re going to be dredging the bottom of the barrel for the Top 5 worst Film Gutter movies.