DVD Review: HIGANJIMA: ESCAPE FROM VAMPIRE ISLAND (2009)

 
HIGANJIMA:  ESCAPE FROM VAMPIRE ISLAND
Directed by:  Tae-gyun Kim
Distributed by:  FUNimation Entertainment

As I have stated before, I have never been a big fan of vampire movies.  I have always been more of a zombie type guy.  Well, I have seen some great vampire films lately (LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, BLOOD), and I can now add FUNimation's latest live action film, HIGANJIMA: ESCAPE FROM VAMPIRE ISLAND, to my list of vampire movies I have thoroughly enjoyed.   I should have known when I saw FUNimation's name on the DVD case that I was in for a treat.  They are constantly putting out some of Japan's finest horror films!   Here is the basic plot of the film from the FUNimation website:

Akira and his ragtag group of teenage friends enter a world of danger and action when they land on the shores of Higanjima, an uncharted island that’s overrun by vampires.
After learning that his missing brother might be somewhere on the island, Akira leads his friends on a chilling adventure that takes them from Higanjima’s highest volcanic peaks into the subterranean chambers of the island’s ancient ruins. They’ll face entire villages of sword-wielding vampires while racing to stay a step ahead of winged she-beasts and giant gargoyles. Worst of all, the gang will encounter the deadly master of the island’s monsters: the pale, blood-sucking freakshow known as Miyabi. If the devilishly cruel Miyabi gets his way, none of the young heroes will live to see Akira’s brother – or the mainland – ever again.

This film is a must see for vampire fans.....no, not you "Twilight" vampire fans, I mean fans of REAL vampires!    Director Tae-gyun Kim does an excellent job with his first foray into the realm of horror films  (his previous films have all been dramas, romance films, an action, and even a comedy).  Kim seems right at home in the horror genre and I personally hope he will return to it sooner than later.

The cinematography of this film is amazing.  It is beautifully shot with some excellent scenery (some of which is obvious CG, but still impressive none the less).  The use of color always sticks out to me in films and this one is no different.   A blue tone seems to follow through the film, only to be starkly interrupted by the bright red of the blood that flows (or more, splatters) throughout the film.  

Yes, while most vampire movies really don't give you too much blood these days, HIGANJIMA gives enough for us gorehounds to be very happy.    As with most of the horror films from Japan, expect some great martial arts fight sequences as well.  These are well choreographed and pulled off extremely well by all the actors involved.   Speaking of the actors, the acting is this film is wonderful, not a bad one in the bunch that I can remember.   

My only complaint if I had to have one would be a running time.  At 122 minutes, I did feel the film drag just a bit at times, but it was nothing major and I was usually greeted with a great scene that was well worth the wait.  

Put this one your list if you are a fan of vampire films and/or martial arts films.  This one gives you the best of both worlds!

HIGANJIMA: ESCAPE FROM VAMPIRE ISLAND is out now on an awesome DVD / Blu-ray combo pack.  Special Features include a Making of Featurette and the original Japanese trailer. 



CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD / Blu-ray Combo Pack

DVD Review: ROBOGEISHA (2009)

A few posts back I brought you a review of FUNimation Entertainment's VAMPIRE GIRL VS. FRANKENSTEIN GIRL.   As good as that film was, FUNimation is back with an equally, if not even more entertaining film, ROBOGEISHA!!  Here is the basic plot:

Kikuke is a geisha known for her glamour and grace. Yoshie is her abused sister, banished to the shadows. When a mysterious corporation transforms their soft bodies into murderous machines, the rival vixens rush toward an ultra-violent final confrontation.

From reading the plot and even watching the trailer, I really wasn't sure exactly what the story was going to be about in this film.  What I could tell from the trailer, though, was that I was in for a wild ride with this movie.   This is one of the craziest movies I have ever seen....EVER.  That is a compliment for sure, as I have seen some pretty crazy stuff.   Just when you think things couldn't get any crazier with this movie, they do.   

To get the technical stuff out of the way, I need to start by complimenting the director, Noboru Iguchi.  Mr. Iguchi is the same person that brought us the awesome MACHINE GIRL and the upcoming MUTANT GIRLS SQUAD.    The film is beautifully directed and filmed, with some amazing camera work on display.  There are tons of fight scenes throughout the film and these are all done superbly, with some brilliant fighting choreography.

Now with the technical stuff out of the way, I can say that this film is just plain F-U-N.   You will see some crazy things in this film, including machine gun boobs and women that shoot throwing stars out of their....um, back sides.    These are just some of the craziest things you will see, but there are many other surprises in store for you that I won't ruin in this review.   As with Mr. Iguchi's other films, the blood flows very freely in this film with the expected exaggerated blood sprays.  Along with the gore effects, there are many other great special effects including a walking robot house thing that terrorizes the city.   (I guess you have to see it!).    Take all this, mix in a healthy does of crazy, off-the-wall humor, and you have one of the most entertaining movies to come out of Japan in the last 20 years!

ROBOGEISHA will be available at major retailers November 16th.   This is one film you do not want to pass up.  I recommend this for any fan of weird, bizarre, funny, and gory movies.  That should cover just about everyone! 

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer

CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD

CLICK HERE to visit the official website of FUNimation Entertainment

DVD Review: VAMPIRE GIRL VS. FRANKENSTEIN GIRL (2009)

If you are a fan of MACHINE GIRL, TOKYO GORE POLICE, and other Japanese gore films such as these, you are going to love one of Funimation Entertainment's newest releases, VAMPIRE GIRL VS. FRANKENSTEIN GIRL! VGvsFG was directed by both Yoshihiro Nishimura and Naoyuki Tomomatsu, and they take you on one extremely wild, blood drenched ride. Here is the basic plot from imdb.com:

Transfer student Monami has a secret and a past that has caught up with Mizushima. Deceiving Mizushima into eating a token gift of chocolate, laced with her blood, he is then catapulted into Monami's vampire world of blood, death and love. Jilted girlfriend Keiko has other ideas. With a sudden twist of fate, she is then transformed into the hideous and unforgiving Frankenstein Girl, and the battle for Mizushima's heart begins.


I have to start by saying I absolutely love Japanese splatter films. I don't know why U.S. filmmakers haven't caught on to this over the top gore rides and made splatter flicks like this of their own. Until then, we have the film industry of Japan to thank for keeping these films going. This movie is hard to describe, as there really isn't much of a story going on. The main thing of this film is the visuals. Some scenes are absolutely stunning in their (mostly blood red) brilliance. The use of colors in this film (again, a LOT of red) is very cool. I can't imagine how hard it was to film a movie like this. Some of the sets and scenes are so wild and over the top, it is amazing this is actually a live action film. Watching this film feels like you are watching a cartoon to some extent, as things this wild and crazy don't normally happen on film.

As simple as the plot is, it can actually be somewhat confusing at times. There are some things within the film that, while very entertaining, you wonder what it actually has to do with the story. This is a hard review to write, as it is such a crazy movie with too many things to wrap my mind around and to comprehend. So, don't take the film too seriously. Just sit back and get ready for a wild ride with TONS of gore. In fact, this could be the goriest film I have ever seen, and that is a bold statement to make. I mean, what other movie shows a girl getting her faced peeled of like someone was peeling an apple, with her head spinning around and around as a strip of skin is peeled off, eventually revealing her bloody skull! Brilliant!

Watch the trailer below and then go buy this DVD. This was a fun, entertaining movie that I will be watching again very soon for sure.

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD

CLICK HERE to visit the official website of Funimation Entertainment