#j horror

An isolated group are beseiged by attackers with familiar appearances, eventually surviving only to discover their ordeal was merely part of a massive, genocidal invasion.

Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell (1968) Dir. Hajime Sato
Us (2019) Dir. Jordan Peele

THE GRUDGE (2020) Poster

I missed my opportunity to enter the official poster art contest for this film last month, but I decided to whip my idea together anyway. I’m a diehard fan of the Ju-On franchise, and I’ve been meaning to make some Kayako-related poster art for a while now. Excited for this movie.

Bloody Muscle Builder in Hell will be released on Blu-rayandDVD on July 5 via Visual Vengeance, Wild Eye Releasing’s new sister label dedicated to micro budget genre films. Stefan Motmans designed the new cover art.

The 1995 horror film is also known as The Japanese Evil Dead. Shinichi Fukazawa writes, directs, and stars. Asako Nosaka, Masahiro Kai, and Aki Tama Mai round out the cast.

Bloody Muscle Builder in Hell comes with a slipcover with alternate art, mini-poster, VHS stickers, liner notes, and video store rental card. The contents are pictured below, where you’ll also find the special features, trailer, and synopsis.

Special features:

• Audio commentary by filmmakers Adam Green and Joe Lynch
  
• Audio commentary by Japanese film historian James Harper
  
• Interview with director Shinichi Fukazawa (new)
• Liner notes
• Mini-poster
• VHS sticker set
• Video store rental card
  

Trapped inside a haunted house, a body builder must survive a blood soaked night of insanity to save himself and his friends from a demonic ghost that is hell-bent on revenge.

Pre-order Bloody Muscle Builder in Hell.

“Ghosts won’t kill people. Because that would just make more ghosts. Isn’t that right? Instead, they’ll try to make people immortal. By quietly trapping them in their own loneliness”.

- Kairo

Ghosts of Kyoto - illustration
(8B graphite pencil + watercolor)

This illustration was commissioned by the pop culture mookCarbone to illustrate an article about haunted places in Kyoto. We love horror films and Japanese ghosts so we enjoyed drawing this a lot! It’s also great to be part of Carbone: the articles are fascinating and the cover art (by Boulet) is just wonderful!

More info & order the book (French only):
https://carbone.ink/produit/02-maisons-hantees/

Ghosts of Kyoto - illustration
(8B graphite pencil + watercolor)

Here is our process for making an illustration, from the first draft to the final colors. We use a lightpad and a 8B graphite pencil to trace it on a sheet of watercolor paper. We have to be careful not to rub our hands on the lines because it would spread the graphite and 8B is difficult to erase. The colors are made with watercolors. Because of its theme, this illustration is darker than usual so it was an interesting exercise.

It was commissioned by the pop culture mook Carbone to illustrate an article about haunted places in Kyoto.

More info & order the book (French only):
https://carbone.ink/produit/02-maisons-hantees/

i think this was from one of koji shiraishi’s recent films.. which was not a good movie.. i think

I picked up “Big Bang Love, Juvenile A” (2006) two disc set directed by Takashi Miike the other day. It’s been the first movie to really move me in a while. Frequently saying inside my head, “holy shit” and “this is so fucked up” but that’s not due to anything overtly explicit or graphic in the film, Miike is just a master of suggestion. All it takes is the proper context and a shot of a running shower head to take you out of your comfort zone. Expect a lot of that plus so much more from this one; a film about two prisoners who either coincidentally or by destiny are locked up on the same day for the same crime. As their mysterious backgrounds unfold, so does a classic game of clue when a murder causes an eruption of instability to arise before a small cast. This movie is Miike to the core.

The film uses some very surreal imagery, not unlike something out of The Cabinet of Dr Caligary. Desolate, blood red backgrounds and an intense, almost tribal dance scene starts the movie off for us. Later on, ancient pyramids churn your imagination as the plot cuts to and from different points in time; it even repeats scenes under changing context and that can be disorienting if you aren’t paying attention. The set pieces are very well done with shots in claustrophobic hallways, dimly lit prison cells, and a super creepy and ambiguous ‘laundry room’. Also, the use of green screen enhance the bizarre and ever-moody nature of Big Bang Love. Couple all of this with the eerie, industrial-style soundtrack and you get a very cool presentation.  

Thematically rich, one of the more easily definable issues dealt with is homosexuality and same-sex romance. There are no sex scenes per se; it’s all somewhat subtle. I felt it added so much to the tension and made for a really unique story. The use of the 'butterfly effect’ concept grants a lot of possibilities in the reasoning behind each character’s actions. It forces you to connect the dots while leaving enough room to second guess yourself. It also deals with themes of destiny, fate, existentialism, and violence. This is definitely a Miike movie and it’s one that does not hold your hand for a second. Nothing is certain, everything is up for speculation… which is my main warning to casual movie watchers: have your thinking cap ready. 

The two disc set from AnimEigo comes with everything you’d expect on the actual movie disc as well as an almost 'criterionic’ second disc with special features. There’s about an hour and a half of behinds the scenes footage and an interview with Takashi Miike, plus an essay from Tom Mes who wrote two books on Miike: “Agitator” and “Re-Agitator.” Also on there are production notes and trailers. Definitely recommend finding this version of the dvd.

Tense and moody, keeping it’s feet on the ground but also so dreamlike that it might be on an entirely different planet. However, there are some brief but well done fight scenes to snap you back to the real world. Big Bang Love is lot to chew on for a run time merely 83 minutes long. It moves at a perfect pace allowing it to be cerebral but not to the point of frustration or boredom. It’s disturbing but not graphic, bloody but not gory, dramatic but not sappy… It’s surreal and yet you can relate. The film demands sympathy and is on it’s knees, begging for understanding. Although if you don’t give it a certain amount of attention it will move on without you with disregard for the fact that you’re confused. With a little consideration you will undoubtedly find a tragic love story in the thick of a murder mystery, trapping you in it’s dark, atmospheric corridors. Lots of subplot here too; good for multiple viewings. Also, I forgot to mention there is a J-horror style ghost that appears once or twice in the film. Awesome. Can’t say enough good things about Big Bang Love, Juvenile A!