While he’s not a name thrown around with much weight in America, the late director Teruo Ishii was quite a prolific and well known director in Japan.

He rarely strayed outside genre films, but he deserves credit for bouncing around genres as often as he did. Horror films, superhero films, yakuza films, sukeban films – he definitely laid down his tracks. For all his credits though, there was one particularly uncanny film that is widely known and discussed, but rarely ever screened. That film is Horrors of Malformed Men. You could say it’s his lost epic, much like Dario Argento’s Four Flies on Grey Velvet, however, unlike that film, Horrors actually delivers on its reputation of oddity put to celluloid.

Released theatrically to Japan in 1969, Malformed Men wasn’t commercially successful. After its initial run, the film only screened sporadically thereafter and despite being announced once in the early Eighties for a VHS release, it never came out. But now, thanks to the combined efforts of DVD distributors Synapse Films and Panik House Entertainment (who brought us the excellent Pinky Violence set a couple of years ago) Ishii’s most infamous film has finally received its first official release ever on home video – anywhere in the world.

Before we begin, I freely admit I had little idea what to expect. Despite the booming popularity that Asian horror has received in America over the past few years, much of the older Japanese horror films remain unreleased and a mystery to me. I’m not an authority on Teruo Ishii. His more recent films left me cold, but I couldn’t resist seeing what obscure treasures the director of classics like The Executioners and Female Yakuza Tale had hidden in this forgotten film.

As Horrors of Malformed Men begins, we meet medical student Hirosuke Hitomi (Teruo Yoshida) while he is being held prisoner in an insane asylum for reasons he doesn’t even know. He remembers little of his past although he is haunted by recurring memories of a mysterious man and an even more puzzling island. After he becomes a near-victim of an attempted murder, he is able to break free of captivity. On the outside, he meets a circus girl named Hatsuyo who was singing a lullaby that reminded him of his past and suggests that he might be from around an uncharted island. In mid-conversation though, the girl is murdered and he is set up to look like the murderer. Once again Hirosuke is forced to run. He’s living a mystery, but he soon discovers a mystery so eerie that it can’t be a coincidence.

While on a train ride, his car’s passenger drops his newspaper announcing the death of Genzaburo Komoda, the wealthy head of a household. The rub is that Hirosuke and Genzaburo look completely identical. Since Genzaburo’s cause of death was undetermined, Hirosuke comes up with an elaborate plan. He leaves a suicide note behind to deter is followers and swaps bodies with the late Genzaburo. Despite his odd mannerisms, the entire Komoda family suspects nothing that their beloved has been replaced with another. Even his wife and mistress, after sharing his bed, don’t notice a difference. During his investigation of the Komoda household, he discovers that Genzaburo’s father has isolated himself on a privately owned island years earlier to begin building a theme park. Hirosuke demands a visit and that’s when our film backflips and contorts in ways that would demand attention from a Cirque du Soleil acrobat.

Soon after arriving on the island Hirosuke is greeted by the web-fingered man who haunted his earlier dreams and discovers that it is, in fact, Jogoro Komoda (Tatsumi Hijikata) Genzaburo’s father. Touring the island with him, Jogoro explains that he created this island to be a haven for disfigured and malformed men. However, Jogoro is not simply harboring mankinds’ exiled children. He’s kidnapping perfectly normal men and women from Japan and surgically torturing and disfiguring them, making them into macabre creations that couldn’t possibly be of nature’s intent. Male-Female Siamese twins, mermaids and all other sorts of abominations exist on the island, and they were all once normal citizens. Jogoro defends his actions as a blow back at how normal men tortured him when he lived amongst them. In order to save himself and others from meeting the same fate, Hirosuke needs to figure out his connection to the Komoda family and the island. But in the meantime, he must work alongside Jogoro to do that.

“This movie sounds fucked up, Shawn. I think I’m going to have a seizure just reading about it.” I can hear you saying this right now, and while you’re correct, I still call you a pussy for whining about it.

Ishii’s film is a complete fever dream. At time it flows beautifully and at times the narrative goes completely scattershot. After two viewings I’m still left with questions regarding the timeline, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that was part of the intent. You see, other than an oddball pairing of themes similar to those of The Island of Doctor Moreau and Great Expectations, Horrors of Malformed Men, while eerily bizarre and entirely unnerving, isn’t so much a horror film as it is an avant-garde experiment.

Clues explaining the harsh narrative structure are found right with the opening title card. The full title of the film translates to Collected Tales of Edogawa Rampo: Horrors of Malformed Men. Rampo is a hugely popular horror author considered the Edgar Allen Poe of Japan. Horrors is based primarily off his story The Strange Tale of Panorama Island, but other stories also had parts added to the film. Ogre of the Secluded Isle, The Human Chair and Walker in the Attic. It’s difficult enough to try and translate one story for the silver screen, packing it all in only makes the film disjointed. While I’m not familiar with the stories themselves, the addition of this material is spliced in with all the grace of Tyler Durden in the projection booth.

This is going to be an immediate turn off for some, and if you’re of the audience that would be bothered by clumsy narrative, you need not apply. However, if you do admire films based on their visuals, you are sure to find Malformed Men a masterpiece even if you are not into the horror genre at all. Tatsumi Hijikata, before being cast in the film, was part of an avant-garde dance troupe in Japan that developed Butoh a performance art. Hijikata brings a fantastic personality to the sinister role of Jogoro in the film and no doubt that has quite a bit to do with his dance experience. Jogoro moves in interesting poetic movements that are simultaneously dark and beautiful. The cinematography of the film is also fantastic and once action moves to the island, everything erupts into a soup of psychedelic psychosis. It’s the type of look that could only be pulled off during the Sixties and Seventies. A bold color pallet placed over otherwise natural photography makes for a startling look, and while this film’s influence outside of Japan is questionable, I can’t look at it without thinking how much Kenneth Anger and Andy Warhol would have loved Horrors of Malformed Men on the level of a moving painting.

In the end I have to agree with the Japanese filmmakers and critics who have defended Horrors of Malformed Men over the near four decades since it was released as it’s a masterpiece that is worthy of viewing and much discussion. There is far more going on underneath its surface than simply being another horror film.

The DVD Presentation
Never been released commercially on VHS, Laserdisc, or DVD, even in its home country, Ishii’s Horrors of Malformed Men is quickly approaching 40 years of age. Synapse’s DVD is not just OAR and anamorphic, it’s the first time the film’s been available outside the bootleg market and I’m actually amazed to say it looks as good as it does. There is a good deal of film grain, and there is the occasional spec in the print, but considering the obscurity of the film and the amount of complete negatives probably in existence, the fact that it looks as good is an absolute treasure. The same goes for the sound. It isn’t going to be a demo disc, but the Japanese 2.0 Mono mix included does a fine job of delivering the music, sound effects and even dialog without any hissing. As expected, removable English subtitles are included. Synapse deserves some kind of award for this release, and preserving a long lost film.

And the Extras Are?
Audio Commentary with film critic Mark Schilling –
I have no doubt that Mark Schilling is a wealth of knowledge on Japanese cinema. He has been reviewing films since 1989 and writes for the Japan Times. I’m not sure of his ethnic background, but his accent is think enough that he sounds a bit like he’s mumbling making this commentary not an easy listen. However, if you can get past this, there is a great deal of interesting stories that he has about Ishii, since he met and interviewed him when writing a book on Yakuza films (of which Ishii directed some). The track is usually quite active, although there are some dead parts, and Mark Schilling frequently strayed away from discussion of Horrors of Malformed Men and onto Ishii and Japanese cinema in general. It’s very informative, but not as film specific as I would like.

Malformed Memories – (22:53)
Filmmakers Shinya Tsukamoto (Tetsuo: The Iron Man) and Minoru Kawasaki (The Calamari Wrestler) talk about how Teruo Ishii and, specifically, Horrors of Malformed Men inspired them. Tsukamoto has a bit more light to shed on Ishii, because he worked with him on Blind Beast Vs. Killer Dwarf, while Kawasaki has a more appreciatory outlook, talking about how Ishii’s films influenced his own style of filmmaking. He seems to have an overwhelming appreciation for Super Giant as well. The conversation also goes to Edogawa Rampo, the horror author whose works were adapted to make this film. It’s an interesting and revealing conversation for people interested in Asian horror.

Ishii in Italia – (13:49)
Introduction to the Film – (3:55)
Also included as a bonus feature is this collection of camcorder shot video of Teruo Ishii at the 2003 Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy. It’s a rare look at Ishii at the point in his life right before his health made a turn for the worse. Watching him walk around the city, purchasing designer shirts and having a good time is just as intriguing and insightful as the interview that follows it. The onstage introduction that he gave to the first ever screening of Horrors of Malformed Men outside of Japan is also included.

Theatrical Trailer – (3:16)
A trailer that is as bizarre as the film itself, this does a good job of selling the picture. It is a bit too revealing though, but it certainly doesn’t give many important plot points away.

Poster Gallery –
An awesome collection of roughly 33 poster images of Teruo Ishii’s films. One of the best galleries I’ve seen of this type.

Teruo Ishii Biography –
This fascinating text bio discusses Ishii’s works in many different genres over his entire career until his death in 2005 at 81. 81 years old and 87 credits to his name, he must have been the Roger Corman of Japan.

Edogawa Rampo Biography –
A very comprehensive text biography on the horror writer, this bio serves as an excellent primer to the man’s life and the stories he’s written.

Liner Notes –
It’s becoming increasingly rarer that DVDs have inserts, so I’m always pleased when I see one. This fold-out insert has two long articles to go with its chapter list. The first, “Freaks in the Head: Four Decades of Malformed Men” tells the story of the film, from its conception, disappearance in a more P.C. Japan and finally its rediscovery. The other article is “Edogawa Rampo’s World On Film”, which talks about the different adaptations that have been made of the author’s works. Both of these are very worthwhile reads if you are interested.

Reversible Cover Art –
Since the DVD is packaged in one of those transparent cases that seem to be all the rage for indie studios these days, Synapse thoughtfully included the original Japanese poster art on the reverse side allowing you to flip it over if you prefer that image. The Japanese image, by the way, has a naked woman wearing a sheep’s severed head as a mask. You should prefer that image.

The Bottom Line
Few films are as bizarre as Horrors of Malformed Men, even by Asian standards. I imagine that most people will be polarized by it, either loving it or hating it. It certainly will leave a lasting memory, particularly specific scenes, as there is no denying that a great deal of attention was paid to the shot composition and the colors used. I really enjoyed the film, found it mesmerizing and it’s genuinely creepy and even funny at all the right times. Anyone interested should, without hesitation, check out Synapse’s DVD. The presentation is fantastic and fans will find this, the first legal U.S. (or anywhere else) release, worth owning.