The Horror, The Horror!

Fans of horror and subscribers to Showtime may be familiar with the series Masters of Horror. The idea is simple: recruit as many of the most famous names in the horror industry to each do their own one-hour episodes of this anthology series. In practice, I have heard that the actual episodes have not on average lived up to their pedigree -- but without a Showtime subscription, I can't really say for sure.

Of particular interest, though, is one installment from the show's first season. It was directed by an acclaimed filmmaker from Japan, Takashi Miike. It was intended to have an Eastern influence, and represent a different approach to horror. For his episode, he directed an adaptation of a short story called Imprint.

When he was finished, he had made something that even Showtime -- a pay cable station -- refused to air, saying it was too controversial for them. Ultimately, it was over half a year before US audiences were able to see the episode, when it was finally released on DVD.

Friends of mine recently got the DVD for Christmas. Last weekend, when I was over at their place, I was convinced to see what all the hubbub was about.

In America, we've come to view the "horror" genre as one that inspires scares and/or tension. Imprint is horror in the strictest definition of the word. This film inflicts truly awful, horrific imagery upon you, challenging you continue to watch, or look away, or cope in some way.

It made my brain feel like it needed a hot shower.

Now, I've said before that my top criteria in giving a good review to a movie or television series is that it evoke some kind of emotional response in me. By that criteria, Imprint couldn't get higher marks.

But this is not the only criteria. The story isn't structured very well. A lot of the acting is terrible, as the decision was made to film in English instead of using Japanese with English subtitles -- even though a large portion of the cast spoke no English and thus could only learn their lines phonetically. And some flourishes in the plot at the end are honestly rather incoherent.

Then, of course, there's the question of if you even want to watch something that evokes this particular kind of emotional response in you. For a true masterpiece, I might be compelled to say yes. But for this? I say no. Stay away.

Stay far, far away.