Grotesque – Review

This is it guys. If you follow my blog and and have a yearning for a true 18+ viewing experience, here you go. I can safely say that Grotesque certainly raises the bar as far as cinematic violence and sexual sadism is concerned.  In the finest tradition of Japanese gore cinema, the plot is minimal, it is basically just a gross piece of work.  A young couple are snatched off the street and wake up shackled in a basement. With no explanation, a sadistic madman tortures and mutilates them. As the torture progresses, it is revealed he is simply doing this for sexual stimulation, and that he wants the two to survive.

Grotesque pretty much got banned everywhere claiming that there was no plot or redeeming qualities of the film. The reception in Japan was a bit better but due to all the controversy, all major outlet chains have stopped selling Grotesque on DVD. It certainly does make for hard going at times, with the gore being administered in such a dark approach, offering not even a glimmer of hope for the victims.  Our madman also delights in the revelation that he is in fact a skilled surgeon, if you hadn’t already guessed from the way he yields his chainsaw (see picture below). Man, I actually feel a bit ashamed to say I sat through this whole film, it is just wrong on all fronts.

Trust me, I know where a lot of you extreme cinema buffs are coming from. Sure, gore fans are well served here, but without any justification of the killer’s motives, you feel like you are just watching acts of random torture.  All extreme nastiness aside, what really helps to lift the film from the bottom barrell is that although the budget was low, and the movie is short, the highly talented director makes good use of his limited resources.

Although well made there’s a lot of quick edits & shaky hand-held camera movement which gets annoying. To those of you who read my blog who think Saw is the pinnacle of horror films, I feel for you. I really do. There’s blood splatter, needles are stuck into people, hands are cut off with a chainsaw, severed fingers are seen, an arm is chopped off, a head is chopped off, a woman has her nipples cut off with scissors, someones guts are pulled out and this guy hammers nails into his victims testicles. Oh, and a penis gets cut off. Still interested? Well, then I recommend you see this film.