U.S. DVD Artwork
I’m sure I’ve stated this on the site dozens of time but I’ll restate for this review that I am a card-carrying J-Horror junky. Asian horror is my crack and even when it’s a bad batch and you get dizzy and urinate on yourself, it’s still GOOD. Sure, your teeth begin to rot and your penis retreats like a scared turtle…AND…and…um…what the hell was I talking about again?
Oh yeah…Asian Horror…I love it.
Anyhow, the biggest problem with Asian horror, just like American horror, is that everything is getting repetitive. We’re seeing more and more Ringu and Ju-On clones just like we saw Halloween and Friday the 13th clones in the States. It’s gotten out of control. Thankfully there’s still Asian horror directors out there that want to make original horror, the kind of horror that really hits home and leaves its mark.
About a week or so ago I was desperate for something new and exciting so I rented Living Hell and Tomie: The Beginning. I’m sure I’ll be getting to the Tomie franchise very soon but for now I’d like to talk to you all about Living Hell.
See, I have this way of gauging whether or not a film is really scaring me by how fast I pull my feet away from the end of the bed or whether I find myself walking backwards into my bedroom after coming out of my bathroom into a pitch black hallway. YOU ALL KNOW WHAT I MEAN! You kinda shoot a glance over your shoulder to make sure nothing bumrushes you!
Not only did Living Hell have me pulling me feet from the end of the bed but I completely passed on taking a piss at all that night! By morning my bladder was stretched beyond human limits. Damn KFC Mega-sized drink! It was like a half gallon of fuckin’ Mountain Dew!
You see where I’m going with this though, right? Living Hell was scary and violent. Aside from an ending that some may find “played out”, this has broken into my top ten favorite Asian horror films. It’s that good.
Right out the gate Living Hell subjects us to a brutal double homicide committed by a mysterious shadow aided by a dog-eating fiend. The next day, the police are on the scene and an elderly lady has been discovered as the sole survivor.
We’re then introduced to Yasu, a wheelchair bound invalid, and his sister Mami, bother Ken and his Father. While the sibling’s father is away, Ken announces that some relatives will be coming to stay with them for awhile. Despite Mami’s protestations, the two visitors soon arrive and settle in for a prolonged stay.
The elderly, senile Chiyo and her creepy granddaughter Yuki are quite unnerving and before Yasu knows what hit him, they begin taunting him. Even after informing his brother and sister that the duo are not what they seem, nobody believes him and they continue to terrorize Yasu. This terrorizing soon turns deadly though and torture comes into play including using poor Yasu as a human dartboard and yanking his molars out with pliers!
These two beasts aren’t who they appear to be and a gung-ho young reported named Mitsu is hot on their trails, digging up their past and sticking his nose in the wrong places. Who is Chiyo and what’s the sinister story behind her offspring? Will Yasu escape in time or will they claim another victim?
I shouldn’t have been shocked but I was. Living Hell caught me off guard and before I knew it Chiyo and Yuki had me rolled up in my blanket tighter than crepes wrapped by Dominicans! I couldn’t believe it…I was spooked! It was a refreshing feeling, folks! As a lifelong horror fan that just doesn’t happen any longer. I’m so very rarely moved to ANY emotion while watching horror nowadays! The flick either has to be THAT DAMN FUNNY or THAT DAMN SCARY to get me reacting. I was so pleased with Living Hell that I purchased it.
While I was left scratching my head toward the end trying to make sense of the “double twist”, I guarantee you won’t see it coming. If you did, congrats…stop watching everybody else’s horror films and go make your own. If you’re one of those people that are on the fence about Asian horror films, don’t hesitate to check this out. Do yourself a favor and suffer through the subtitles just this one time and I promise you’ll enjoy yourself.
Or…you won’t.
At any rate, Subversive Cinema as truly given fans a gem with this release. Not only is the film well worth the money but the DVD is loaded with cool extras including 4 short films! I highly recommend Living Hell and a giant mega-gulp sized soft drink. Don’t let that bladder bully you!
