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- Guinea Pig 2:Flower of Flesh and Blood - US DVD - 

There has probably never been and may well never be again, a film that has courted
so much controversy as Hideshi Hino's 'Guinea Pig 2:Flower of Flesh and Blood.'
In fact, the film has gained legendary and dubious status of being a 'snuff movie.'
There has been many stories circulating about the film, mostly as fake as the film.
The most famous of the stories concerns Hollywood star Charlie Sheen who reported it
to the FBI after viewing because he believed it to be real. 
To this story, there is a shred of truth, which is more can be said for the rest.
The Sheen story is very much overblown and a story that gains more so called 'facts'
everytime it is repeated. So, even though I know the actual true version of events,
I will not bore you by repeating it here, instead, I prefer to concentrate on the 
movie itself, that is, if you can call this a movie. Movies have beginnings, middles
and endings all centered around a plotline. Though this has a beginning of sorts, 
arguably a middle and what looks to be an end, there is definitely no plotline as such.
Instead, this film is a non stop assault on your senses from start to finish. 
For those of you that don't know, which will be probably most of you, Hideshi Hino is
a horror/manga comic artist/cartoonist. His comics are not the type that most of us 
will have read, they are highly controversial violent hentai comics.
When asked to do a film for the (soon to be) notorious 'Guinea Pig' series, he agreed. 
But wanted to do something completely different, something that no-one had ever seen 
before.
So, loosely based upon one of his stories 'Akai Hana,' the legend that is 'Flower of 
Flesh and Blood' was born.
The concept of the movie is that in April 1985, Hideshi received a package through the
post claiming to be from an unidentified 'enthusiastic fan.' The package contained an
8 mm film, 54 still pictures and a 19 page letter. The letter told Hideshi that a 
horrible crime was being committed by a person of aethetic paranoia in a very secret
place. The film showed an obviously psychotic man, wearing a Samurai helmet, slowly 
dismember a tied up woman and then add the pieces to his collection. Hideshi turned 
the whole package over to the police. Neither the woman or man was ever identified nor 
the man caught. Haunted by these images, Hideshi decided to recreate the 'snuff film'
he had witnessed.
Though this is the synapse that was released to promote the film, it is fake, there 
never was a package or a murder. Not that it matters, the effects are that good and 
that realistic you cannot be helped but be drawn into the illusion that what you are 
seeing is a genuine murder, a bona-fide 'snuff movie.' As such, it makes for very
uncomfortable viewing. Again as such, This makes it probably the sickest film you 
will ever see.
It starts off at night, with a woman being chased down a street and finally caught. 
The events are captured on what appears to be a cam-corder.
The scene changes to a single, blood splattered room. In the middle is a table with 
the woman strapped down. 
Just beyond the table is a smaller table with various knives, hammers, chisels, etc 
all covered with blood. 
The woman gains conciousness, while a man, wearing a blood splattered apron and a 
Samurai helmet, comes into view and begins sharpening an evil looking knife. 
After giving a poetic monologue to the camera, something which he constantly does, 
he injects the woman with a drug which he informs us takes her to new heights of 
pleasure, even when in pain. Then, using the various tools at his disposal, he 
dismembers her, all the time using different coloured filters upon a light to 
illuminate the proceedings.
Each colour representing a different dismemberment.
Finally, with her hands, arms and legs severed, he eviscerates and beheads her.
The whole thing is shown in extreme close up and is probably the sickest, most 
realistic and most graphic gore ever committed to celluloid.
When he's finished he adds her 'pieces' to his collection of dismembered limbs 
and organs.
To say that this is not for the squeamish or faint hearted is the biggest understatement
of the century. 
To prove that this is indeed all fake, this DVD comes with a very interesting, 
insightful documentary chronicling not only the making of this little 'nasty' 
but most of the others in the 'Guinea Pig' series.
As well as that, you get the historical background of the 'Guinea Pig' series, 
a photo gallery, trailers for 'Devil's Experiment,' 'Android of Notre Dame,' 
'Mermaid In A Manhole,' two trailers for 'Flower of Flesh and Blood,' and a trailer
for 'Junk.'
Add to that an 'Unearthed Films' interview with Hideshi Hino, a 'Darkside Magazine' 
interview with Hideshi Hino and finally 'Akai Hana,' Hideshi Hino's manga comic
that inspired the film reproduced for you to read.
There are three or four versions available of this film. But 'Unearthed Films,'
which is this one, is by far the best.
Firstly, it is completely uncut, the picture is crystal clear, the sound, though
in mono is still clear but most important of all this is the only one with English
subtitles.
Finally, for collectors there are two different versions of the cover available,
there's the standard cover which features some blood splattered on a wall with a
head below it.
Then there's the version I have, limited to only 666 copies and available only 
online. The cover depicts a photo from the film, a view of the top half of the 
woman with both arms and hands bloodily seperated from their joints.
This film is a very acquired taste and is not for everybody. If you can sit 
through it, it will definitely test your stamina and also make you consider
your reasons for just why you are actually able to sit through it.  

Reviewed By Dracula

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