Welcome back to Film Gutter, where today we continue our dive back in time to the mid-80s, a time when the slasher and the video nasty were truly blooming and starting to show their dark beauty. And the Japanese wave of extreme cinema at this time was led by the notorious Guinea Pig series, taking in six parts over four years. We've already taken a visit to the 'laboratory' for The Devil's Experiment, so now it's time for a stroll in the garden to see what the Flower of Flesh and Blood has to offer. As an interesting piece of urban folklore about this movie: Charlie Sheen was apparently given a copy of this movie in 1991 and when he watched it he immediately called the FBI, believing the depictions of torture and violence to be real. The filmmakers were investigated by US and Japanese officials and had to give a demonstration of the special effects used in the film before the investigation was dropped. 

Oh to live in such simple pre-CGI times eh?

Welcome back to Film Gutter, where today we are wading our way back to the waters of Japanese fringe cinema. It's a nation with a fine reputation for film-making, and also an enviable reputation for producing some of the most controversial and disgusting films ever made. So throughout August we'll be spending some time in The Land of the Rising Sun to see just what the fuss is all about. Last week we studied the infamous Niku Daruma, but today we come to one of the most well-known series of extreme films ever made – The Guinea Pig series.

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Come on in, the water's crazy...

FRUSTRE (2013)

Dir. Jacques Vendome, France

Welcome back to Film Gutter, and today we're taking the plunge and making our first swim across the Channel to wash up on French shores. It actually surprised to me to see this is the first French movie we've covered in the series – after all, it's a nation probably only second to Germany when it comes to extreme European cinema. Indeed, there's a host of films we'll be coming to in due course – including Martyrs, Irreversible and Inside – that give France an enviable reputation for some of the best and most brutal horror and thrillers of recent years.

Hello again from Film Gutter, and having spent a while swimming the straits of The Human Centipede, we're back to our regular service and dredging deeper than ever looking for the most disturbing cinema out there. And where better to resume that with one of the masters of the form, Marian Dora? A long time ago we looked at the truly horrible Debris Documentar, and today we come to the very pointedly-titled Cannibal.

Now, to be fair, when you say 'based on a true story' my interest in a film well and truly tails off. But when the story in question is that of Armin Miewes, a German man who advertised to find a voluntary human sacrifice for his cannibalistic desires – and found a willing party – then you might just pique my interest. It's an infamous case that has been referenced many times, including in one of my favourite Rammstein tracks Mein Teil. But I digress...

Welcome back to Film Gutter for what will be a slightly different piece this week. Oh yes, we're still gleefully swimming in the murky waters of extreme cinema, but today will be a film review and an event report rolled into one. 

It's 1:11am on the 5th July, and I've not long emerged from the UK premiere and afterparty for the release of The Human Centipede (Final Sequence). The event conveniently (for me at least) took place in nearby Nottingham, and it's a grand vote of thanks to Broadway Cinema, Mayhem Film Festival and Eureka! for making the event possible. It's also well worth mentioning that the premiere screening – which included a Q+A with both director Tom Six and actor Dieter Laser and an afterparty with stacks of freebies – was only priced at regular cinema rate of £8. I think all involved deserve plenty of credit for avoiding the temptation to up the price for this one – it really was fantastic value. 

This June sees the UK release of The Human Centipede (Final Sequence) so here at Film Gutter we're in a celebratory mood. The conclusion to what must be well among the most notorious film trilogies of all time – certainly in terms of mainstream attention, at least – draws to a close so all through June we're going to be looking at the trilogy, with a review of each movie, a retrospective on the three movies plus some very cool interviews with those involved in the series.

So, with that said, we're rolling onto the second part of the trilogy. Full Sequence emerged two years after the original crashed onto the extreme horror scene, and for me is all-round a superior film. What was particularly fascinating is that as a sequel it's so very different to the original, and goes much further in terms of genuine shock value.

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Come on in, the water's crawling...

 

The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2009)

Tom Six, Holland

This June sees the UK release of The Human Centipede (Final Sequence) so here at Film Gutter we're in a celebratory mood. The conclusion to what must be well among the most notorious film trilogies of all time – certainly in terms of mainstream attention, at least – draws to a close so all through June we're going to be looking at the trilogy, with a review of each movie, a retrospective on the three movies plus some very cool interviews with those involved in the series.

So where better to begin than with where it all began? First Sequence arrived to a fanfare of controversy back in 2009, and particularly drew attention with its claim of being '100% medically accurate'. Why no-one has never tested that hypothesis yet I don't know...

Man alive...

Well, it's that time of the week again, where we don our trunks, stick a pound in the locker and cannonball into the disgusting waters of extreme cinema. And today we're a long way from the kiddie pool as we step into the third and final part of Lucifer Valentine's infamous Vomit Gore Trilogy. Yes, this is the delightfully-named Slow Torture Puke Chamber. 

If you're any kind of extreme horror afficionado, you'll no doubt be familiar with the name Lucifer Valentine, who as well as bringing the Vomit Gore movies to our screens was also behind the notorious documentary Black Metal Veins. It's practically impossible to go through any 'top ten' shocking/disturbing film list without one – or all – of these films featuring somewhere.

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Come on in, the water's execrable...

Snuff 102 (2007)

Mariano Peralta (Argentina)