4. Grotesque (2009)
Aki and Kazuo are a young couple on their first date who end up being captured and confined to a dungeon where a sadistic psycho tortures and rapes them. Delights include: cutting off all their fingers, cutting off the girl's arm and nipples, gouging out Kazuo's eye. He does this for sexual gratification. Kazuo is castrated. The psycho tends to their wounds to keep them alive as long as possible. He brings them to a different room and tells them he will let them go but their hopes are cruelly dashed. They find themselves back in the basement. Kazuo's intestines are pulled out in a cruel trick to rescue Aki. He is killed. Aki has her head lopped off. The two are buried and the psycho goes cruising for another victim. Grotesque ran afoul from the censors when people realised that it was nothing more than a piece of torture porn in the fine tradition of the Japanese Guinea Pig Flower of Flesh and Blood film and also more recent films such as Hostel and Saw. The artistic merit of such a film has to be questioned as it can be seen as pandering to the lowest common denominator. Indeed, Grotesque has been refused an 18 certificate in the UK on the basis that the film is a pure sadistic spectacle with no redeeming features such as plot or character development or motivation. It is just a torture happy kill fest. Because of this, the film is very mean spirited. It appears to be an attempt to outdo Hostel in its gory torture-ness. Will doubtlessly draw loads of viewers due to its banned status. It represents the worst excesses in Japanese cinema - glorifying and lingering torture scenes with no reason. Sickness for the sake of it. Consider yourself warned as to its content.