GUINEA PIG
FLOWERS OF FLESH AND BLOOD

Filmed back-to-back with "Devil's Experiment", "Flowers of Flesh and Blood" takes the pseudo 'snuff film' approach to a whole new level. Using the basic plotline of its predecessor, the torture of a kidnapped girl, but substantially upping the levels of gore.

Shot again on a home video camera for that 'snuff film' feel, we see a young girl being followed and abducted, then taken back to some room in an abandoned building. She's then tied to a bed, drugged, and subsequently dismembered in graphic close up by a man (with exceptionally bad teeth) wearing a samurai warrior costume.

Despite the films apparent low budget, the special effects, showing the girl being slowly carved up limb by limb, before finally being disembowelled, are actually quite effective. The part where he takes a hammer and chisel to the her arm socket are certainly enough to make most people cringe in disgust.

As with the previous film, the plot is rather basic. However, gore fans will undoubtedly be intrigued. Incidentally, this was the film that made the series infamous after a certain Hollywood actor saw a bootleg tape of this, thought it genuine, and handed it over the the FBI. They soon realised it wasn't, however the adverse publicity it generated assured the series cult status amongst cult film collectors.

Overall marks : 4/10.

Other Information.

• Filmed back-to-back with "Devil's Experiment".

• As with the previous movie, this film was marketed as being a "genuine" snuff video which had been discovered and similarly did not contain any cast or crew credits.

• The series owes its reputation outside of Japan largely thanks to actor Charlie Sheen. It seems that he viewed a bootleg tape, which was one of many being circulated by 'grey' market label distributor Chas Balun, and believing it to be genuine handed it over to the FBI. The prospect of genuine snuff films in circulation caused a lot of adverse publicity around Hollywood and whilst the FBI where investigating Sheen even joined a lobby group trying to get the sale of these films stopped. If only they'd bothered to watch the "making of" special that accompanied the series, they could have spared themselves a lengthy investigation and Sheen wouldn't have ended up looking like such a jackass.

• The film was written by Japanese Manga artist and writer Hideshi Hino. Though essentially a reworking of the first film, it was actually adapted from one of his graphic novels "Flowers of Flesh and Blood" which is where the film got its name from.

Cast & Crew.

Special Feature.

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