Akai misshitsu (heya): Kindan no ôsama geemu

Red Room (1999)

*** (out of 4)

Extremely brutal and sometimes revolting Japanese horror film, which has gained a huge cult following over the years due to countless bootlegs but it finally got an official release here this week. The film is a cruel look at reality game shows and what limits people will go to in order to win the prize. In the case here the prize is ten-million yen and the object of the game is to be the last person standing. Four people play and all four draw cards. The one who draws the King must pick two others to torture each other. The game is over when three people quit or are dead. The "torture" starts out easy with two women kissing but as the film goes on each round gets more and more violent. There are two death scenes that will go down in horror history as some of the toughest to watch. I'm usually against these Japanese horror films that go for all torture but this one here actually has a pretty interesting story mixed in with the violence and there's actually several interesting plot twists. The film is hard to watch at times but the 68-minute running time goes by quickly. Original title: Akai misshitsu (heya): Kindan no ôsama geemu.

For those of you who have only seen an unsubtitled version, Daisuke Yamanouchi's "Red Room" is an entirely different film once you understand what is being said. The film changes completely from what appears to be a series of disconnected, vile, sadistic acts, to a deep, well thought out psychological horror film that packs a wallop.

It's still very strong stuff, but takes on new meaning with subtitles. Very highly recommended for fans of strong horror films, after seeing "Red Room" in its original form I am now seriously looking forward to more of Yamanouchi's work getting an official US release. Once again, Unearthed Films deserves huge credit!

"Red Room" series is clearly inspired by the reality TV craze.Four people are locked in a large 'red room' with a jail cell like structure in one corner.They play a card game(consisting of four cards only)where it appears the winner of each game gets to choose which two players enter the cage and what they do with/to each other in the time allowed..."Red Room" has the production values of a porn film and indeed it looks to have been produced(or at least distributed)by some Adult Video company.The film is filled with scenes of extreme sadism,humiliation,gore,sexual violence and cruelty for example one guy is made to screw one of the ladies with a lightbulb and gets a little mad,shoving it too far inside her and shattering it.She passes out from the excruciating pain whilst pissing a river of blood across the floor...So if you are seeking an alternative to the "Guinea Pig" series give "Red Room" a look.The sequel is even nastier and sicker,so be prepared.

Red Room is a delightful take on reality shows, rendering them to the most sickest degree. This movie is low budgeted and you can tell, considering the whole movie seems to stay in one or two rooms. That's not why I only rated it a 5 though, my problem with this movie is that even though it only runs for an hour, it is still too long. The scene after scene of sick stunts get dull after the first 40 minutes and it is more down to how there isn't much depth and too much "look how disgusted we can make you" moments.

However Red Room doesn't TRY to have depth, it's only sole purpose is to disgust and shock the viewer and it achieves this triumphantly. This is a bleak movie and you're more than likely to feel sympathetic towards the main male character and his puppy love. The other characters however are SO dislikable that you don't really mind if they get violently hurt throughout the movie. And maybe that's where the faults for Red Room lie; the unsympathetic tendencies you get from most of the main characters makes this dull and just a shock fest. I did like the colour arrangements for the movie as everything is tinted a dark, hovering red enhancing the saddo grasp of the film.

It's just really what you want out of a movie, if you are fine with just taking in the constant sickening stunts then you'll enjoy this.

"Red Room" is a low-budget, shot-on-video movie that is a "Guinea Pig" for the late-nineties. Despite a slow start, the film soon enters familiar territory as we see four players of the ultimate reality game show carry out acts of depravity, physical humiliation, violence and rape on one another in an attempt to win 10 million Japanese Yen (around $85,000).

While most of the unpleasantness will be nothing new to regular viewers of J-Horror, it's the plot of this straight-to-video production that makes the difference. A psychological exercise as well as a graphic one, "Red Room" actually manages to deliver a well-aimed punch to the viewer's senses.

Some people will hate this film due to its slow pace and lack of gore. The film has a slow-burn delivery of its content and it rewards the patient viewer.

Somehow, this politically incorrect film manages to titillate and appall at the same time. It's not to all tastes but is a tentative recommendation to fans of the "Guinea Pig" films and transgressive horror in general.

Curiously, while the unsavoury delights unfold on the screen, an up-beat, porn soundtrack is used. On top of this, the audio during scenes of intimacy is superbly vile, with over-the-top slurping noises used to great effect.

On the strength of this little film, I'll be checking out further Daisuke Yamanouchi movies in the future.

7 out of 10.