5. Shogun's Joys Of Torture (1968)
REPRESENTING JAPAN Set in barbaric feudal Japan. Shogun's Joys of Torture deals with three torpid tales. In the first part, a girl and her dying brother, who have been having an incestuous affair get into a spot of bother - particularly the girl who is beaten and tortured to death for her sins. In the second tale, some nasty nuns torture a monk because he has a girlfriend and they are jealous. When their nefarious deeds are found out, they are tortured until death. In the third story, a tattoo artist wants to depict a torture fest on a young girl's back. He sits in on a couple of inquisitions for inspiration. The first part in Teruo Ishii's Joy of Torture trilogy, Shogun's Joys of Torture was made in 1968 but still pulls a a punch with its violence and gore factor. Not as gory though as its alleged follow up - Shogun's Sadism - Joys of Torture features more interesting stories but like its follow up, the production values and acting are incredible, and the film is beautifully shot. This is jarring to see extreme exploitation material handled in such an adept manner. Most exploitation is shoddy and dodgy but here we have a lavish visual spectacle. The film is one of the pioneering ero-goru sub genre of Pinku films. Yes, it is a very sleazy film at its core but it is beautiful to watch and a treat for Japanese exploitation fans.