TOKYO PSYCHO

TOKYO PSYCHO

I had really high hopes for this movie. It looked great, sounded pretty fun, and appeared, to-all-intents-and-purposes, to be a real laugh. "Tokyo Psycho" is based on a true story… or, that's what director Atara Oikawa wants us to believe. Yet, this is no more based on a true story, (as far as I can tell), than the many adaptions of the tale of Jack The Ripper are genuinely "authentic".

The film follows a young woman, working at a design company, along with her best friend. During one week, the woman starts receiving odd and macabre items through the post; has strange people trying to enter her flat; and even gets stalked. It all relates back to a misfit male student she half-knew, back at High School. And now, he wants her to marry him. What on earth is going to happen next?!

To be brutally honest, I refuse to even remotely try and justify that any of you spend a single penny on this absolutely apocryphal pile of shit of a movie! In fact, even if people were willing to pay you, to watch this film, I'd still say walk away now! It's another made-for-home-video Japanese shocker, that tries to be clever, and inventive, but is about as insightful as the ingredients list on a bottle of tap water. For starters, "Tokyo Psycho" isn't set in or near Tokyo. And, in my opinion, the guy isn't particularly psycho either. Schizoid, definitely, but not really psychotic. And then, things go downhill from there! Hah!

If you really must see this film, then simply watch the two-and-a-half minute trailer instead, and you're done, because the vaguely interesting bits of the film are all in there! The other 77 or so minutes, aren't worth a damn!

Acting is barely justifiable for kids TV, let alone a horror flick. The direction is pretty shoddy, and there's almost no horror worth mentioning. Plot-wise, you'd get more development out of a fungal infection in your big toe, than this film's ever going to deliver. The gore is non-existent, except for one scene where we're supposed to believe a woman has had her entire face removed, and still survived, without ever having been in complete agony, or even unconscious. The effect looks as if the director got the actress to smear her face in Bolognese sauce, and then growl a bit, to make it creepy. You can even see it, on the back cover, in the bottom photo! Realistic, or what?!

Screen International really need to get a severe kick-up the arse for releasing this junk on us Brits. It's bad enough we have to suffer the sheer shiteness of "Vipco", inflicting us with their sub-VHS picture quality DVD's, and pre-censored horror titles, with nothing even slightly controversial in them, but now, this company is doing it too!

This is a disc we can all do without. The film's crap. The two measly extras included are shite. The subtitles are badly done, and in some cases, non-existent! (Why were the main cast NOT translated, during the end credits? And, more to the point, why leave the entire after-credits Coda, that can be visibly seen and heard also, untranslated?) The trailers for other Screen International films are badly edited, with some having being obviously taken from old pre-cert videotapes, and the ones you want to see, aren't included.

The only, single worthy comment I can actually make, in defence of this DVD, is that on the trailer for the Australian/US co-production "Patrick", included on this disc, the BBFC have given it an "18" certificate. But, the MPAA originally gave this title a "PG", and the hilarious warning that "… some scenes may be unsuitable for pre-teens"! The film was made in 1978! Now that's marketing genius for you, from Screen International! A definite sales-winner there!

I can't stress this enough: if you truly have any respect for horror movies, and for Eastern horror films, avoid this complete toss of a disc at all costs!

Review by "Pooch".


 
Released by HARDGORE
Region 2 PAl
Rated 18
Extras : see main review
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