Director – Noboru Tanaka (Tuesday Suspense Theater, Hard Scandal: Sex Drifter)
Starring – Masato Furuoya (Stairway to Heaven, Tales of the Bizarre), Misako Tanaka (Gonza the Spearman, The Horizon), and Kumiko Oba (Secret Detective, House)
Release Date – 1983
Rating – 4/5
Blu Release – 3/5
My October horror binge is in full swing as we reach the middle of the month. So far this month I’ve seen some childhood favorites, a Mike Mendez double feature, a fun cabin in the woods flick, a few slashers, a fun UK anthology, a pornstar fighting the whoring undead and robotic skanks, and a disrespectful remake of Spider Baby.
It’s been a wild ride so far and it was only about to get wilder. I was recently sent a screening link for Unearthed Films upcoming horror thriller Village of Doom. This 1983 Japanese horror film is one I had never heard of before but I was really interested in it so I added it to my October binge. Like always, I want to thank Unearthed for sending this one over!
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows Tsugio (Furuoya) who is too young to join the army like the other men in his village but desperately wants to when he is old enough. However, with the men absent from their wives, he has found himself at their every need. He soon starts an adulterous relationship with a woman in town and shortly after becomes ill.
The doctor diagnoses him with tuberculosis and the military doctor declines to enlist him in the army when he is old enough. To make matters worse, the woman he loves has been promised to someone else and he can no longer see the woman he was sleeping with because her husband has returned from the war. He soon finds himself alienated by his people and no longer considered a man because of his illness. Tsugio cannot take it any longer and sets out to kill everyone in the village that has criticized him. **Spoiler Alert**
Village of Doom may not be a straight forward horror title but god damn does it fucking rule. Honestly, it was a highlight of my October binge and easily one of my favorite Unearthed releases behind their Guyver release.
The acting in this one is fantastic. Furuoya is unforgettable as the films protagonist. He embodies his role and makes the character his own creation. I absolutely loved his emotional range and how he goes from an awkward teenager fumbling through sexual advances and other teenage issues to a murderous mass shooter. The supporting cast is no joke either. The village is full of amazing and colorful characters and the cast does one hell of a job bringing them to life.
The story for this one is a straight forward but is still an enjoyable ride. We have a lot of time spent on character development and it doesn’t destroy the film’s pacing. We then transition from a war thriller to the film’s last leg which is a mass shooting that features many horror elements. It’s a fantastically shot film that holds your attention from beginning to end. The editing is smooth as well and the film holds the viewer’s attention from beginning to end.
Finally, the film has a lot of nudity and blood but those of you wanting a lot of gore will be very disappointed. The kills are in style to the film but they are the most unimaginative part of the film. Don’t get me wrong, they look fantastic but not as gruesome of gory as I would have liked. Overall, Village of Doom is a fantastic film and one of my favorite Unearthed properties. I highly recommend this one so check it out.
Special Features:
Audio commentary by Asian film experts Arne Venema and Mike Leeder
Dark Asia with Megan: Case #57 Japan’s Darkest Night, Tsuyama Massacre
Promotional Gallery
Theatrical Trailer
