Yokai Attack!: The Japanese Monster Survival Guide

I came across this book awhile ago due to my convention going and attending an Japanese inspired horror panel which was both fun, silly and informative. So instead of doing reviews on movies I've seen recently or Lollipop Chainsaw I decided to do one on this fun book.

It's always interesting to compare different parts of the world's cultures to one another and see how different things are. Super natural and the occult are no different, it could spout from which religion is most dominate in a country or the lifestyle and history of a county.

I mean our UK history is very different, we have so many medieval castles seeped in spooky stories, stories of being taken over by the devil, the hounds of baskervile, the legend of bodmin moore.. and then Scotland's lockness monster. Mexico has it's Chupacabra and theres so much more in every corner and crack of the globe.

So it really is cool to find out about other places folklore's and supernatural and I have to admit Japan has some awesome ones.  The way they live their lives and what they believe in is very heavily hinted in their supernatural tales such as unclean bathrooms bringing monsters.

Also the taboo subject of the repression of woman in the nation. Many movies have shown this SHUTTER, RING, JU-ON and DARK WATER along with many others. There is a reason why alot of these horror stories are based on an angry female spirit.

There are alot of female based ghouls in the Japanese folktales and this book goes into the old, the gross and the mighty fine.

So on to the book!

While informing us of the demons and nasties it has a very comical approach to things and a light hearted read about things that might otherwise be pretty creepy to the average viewer. Now YOKAI is what they call these spirits like we call things.. ghosts.

The book isn't hefty but has alot of different monsters in it and in sections. One which will focus on silly spirits such as a 'Mokumoku Ren' which is simply a paper wall with eyes on it then the more well known ones such as Onibaba and Kappa's and as I said..  a whole section on angry woman spirits such as a jealous woman who would drown those she saw in a happy relationship... woman.. pft.

The pages are set out like fact files which are interesting and gets to the basics, their Japanese name, what it means, what it basically is. I mean there is an invisible wall for a bad spirit in one section, it has some crazy things in it!

After the fact page it goes into more depth of the nasty. Each creature gets about three pages on it so it's not just a skimming read on the spirit but a pretty good story telling piece. Back stories, history and some more.

Each one has a picture, some are nicer to look at then others and some pictures look abit armature and blah but if your not a fussy art person [X-men comics have spoilt me for good art..] then you won't mind at all.

Now along with the silly ghosts and funny laid back style of the book along side some rather goofy pictures you will get a taste of Japanese culture and why some of these things come to be. Also some of these spirts sound messed up and make me feel glad to not be in Japan!

My only real moan about this book is 95% of it is in colour for me and then the last few ghosts it was like their budget for colour ran out and they just gave up on it.. or maybe that's just my copy? either way it's a very sloppy end to an other wise awesome little piece and view into another worlds supernatural realms.

It really is nice seeing how different other peoples darker worlds are. I would love to do more reading on Yokai's and see what other cultures have to offer me!

The book retails brand new for  £10 I think it was which isn't bad! and if you want another look into this book they have an official website here. YOKAI ATTACK!

Info: 4.5/5

Length: 3.5/5

Art: 2.5/5

Scares: 0/5

Overall read: 5/5

XJIGSAWX

Battle Royale

Well I have been on a HUGE Battle Royale kick as of late. I've read the manga and the book years ago and also watched the movie a good 100 times in the past too but I managed to tell a friend about how amazing BR novel was and she went out and bought it and since she has used me as a library all year I decided to borrow it and my god it's just as fantastic as I remember.

And trust me that it's an awesome kind of writer who makes you want to re-read his 2 inch thick book of normal sized text. His style is so easy to read and once you get past the ten odd pages of waffle and get to the actual story it's very hard to put it down.

So this review we will cover the manga, the movie and the novel.

Now as with everything there are difference in novel to movie and there are for the most part some big changes in the movie but nothing that takes away from the beauty of this awesome story. The manga follows the novel pretty well from what I remember [I can't remember great shakes about the manga] only VERY over sexualised I am sick of hearing the term 'pink' and other sexual things.

Yes someone does get raped in the novel and I do think there is a sex scene later but they are not over glorified they are mentioned and moved on, he is detailed in his setting the scene and gore details but doesn't focus on the more dirty side of things where as the manga drowns the story in it.

Despite the two being very close to each other the manga is very shit, the over sexed bits and I find the art ugly as sin I also think the way they do Shuya and Nobu is abit.. off not how I mentally see them in the novel and for some reason a boy who is only a year older then them IE Kawada looks like he's 30 and joined the marines.... what.

Everyone is far too 'bishi' for my liking too. Oh and Shinji doesn't do back flips and ninja stunts in the novel. That I think was a big change from novel to manga. Like I said re-reading the novel now and was ages since I saw the manga.

They draw girls and gore really, really well but the men? nope.

The novel as I said is about 2 inch's thick but it goes by so fast when you into it. He paints a very good picture in your head as you read it, the setting the scene, going into the raw emotions the people feel, something that isn't half as good in the manga but admirably done in the movie.

His gore is classic, it's gross, well detailed but not corny or over done. You really like characters in this book and feel for them.

Also something I love about this book is that it is easy to keep track for what is going on and after each little bit that might focus on a different person or different group there is a '_ students remaining' which is a grim reminder but also a good add on so you know how the story is progressing.

I'd say to anyone that this book is worth buying. Buy It Here

I think the movie is what started my love for Asian cinema and to this day I think it is one of the best movies I have ever seen let alone best Asian movie I have ever seen. It's not corny like alot tend to be but it's ageless. It's a classic in my eyes. The cast are fantastic I even love the changes they made from the book as it didn't take away from the story it added it's own charm to it.

People die at different times in the movie to the book like Shinji comes 15th in the book and manga but comes 5th in the movie. Some people even change looks. But this story is a masterpiece. One of the big changes other then some weapons and relationships with the people is very much the teacher Kitano doesn't appear in the manga or the novel he is 'Sakamochi' who seems to LOVE being a dick and his place of power where as ther is something very different about Kitano and he has this really odd thing for Noriko which isn't anything sinister.

He seems to be a lonely man who's hated at school and hated at home and shoes loneliness he also taught the selected class before the BR act in year 6. The emotional connection to people in this movie is just as strong as in the novel I love Shinji to death and Kawada.

It's a great movie to see gore [well done gore] and to see how these kids deal with the issues at hand. If you have seen the movie please read the novel and vice verse the normal snobbery of 'never as good as the book' should be put aside for this because the changes aren't a bad thing.

The only thing that should be avoided about Battle Royale is the manga.

As you can tell Battle Royal is a massive love of mine so please excuse the gushing. But yeah, go buy it, read it and watch it.

Battle Royale Movie

2000

9/10

Battle Royale Novel

1996

10/10

Battle Royale Manga

2000 to 2005

5/10

XJigsawX

Necromentia

[2009]

Now on the back of the DVD it says it's inspired by Clive Barkers work.. if 'inspired' means pretty much ripped off then I will agree. It reminds me of Hellraiser in so, so many ways but despite that it's still a good movie.

The plot keeps going from one focus to another every other scene almost so it's a little hard to keep up with unless your paying attention.. unlike me who is writing notes the whole way through. Ugh.

It's based on the lives of three main people. A man called Travis and his handicapped brother, a fay man called Hagen and his dead wife and a mute. But you don't see much about the mute fello till the end.

The movies entrance sequence is alot of creepy and different flashing images which really gets you interested in what the movie has to offer, it's gory and stylish and is a good taster of what's to come. Hagen, the fat guy waked up in a shitty sort of rape ally meets a Freddy Kruger pipe works area almost naked and dripping blood from his back.

Voices of a woman ring all around him and he is pretty confused as anyone would be after waking up in a small shitty alley covered in blood and a massive headache, it's like an average weekend for some students though...

We then see our first demonic being which spouts some crap at the man.

The next scene is the fat guy Hagen talking to his dead wife and giving her a bath, talking about keeping her nice and clean, how he loves her and how he is going to bring her back to life. His basement is full of odd shit and when he gets her out the bath and hooks her into some freaky contraption to test her joints or something it's very much a Frankenstienish image.

There is even an awkward scene where he speards her legs and looks up 'there' with a flash light. Yep, still dead. I have no idea why this was part of the movie but the guy looks like a massive creeper anyway so what do I know? looking at dead people's genitals might be the standard for creeps?

The woman playing dead needs to be a little more.. 'dead' acting as you could see her breathing from time to time and moving her eyelids, I'm sure playing dead is hard but it's these small things that people like me notice that takes from the hard work they had done thus far.

Next scene we have is the man working in a barbers shop and two biker-y types burst in and tell him they know about his dead wife, the baths and the necrophilia and give him the most uncomfortable shave of his life.

But one biker also tells him there is a way to bring his wife back.. they have the power to bring the dead back to life and they want to help him. Biker with shades gives him a sob story about how he was going to do this to his brother but they'd burnt the body before he had a chance.. desperate to get his wife back to life he goes with these very shady folks.

There is alot of occult themed talking and mumbo jumbo and out comes the occult books and all the gab that comes with it. I've watched enough horror to know an odd bit or two about Ouija Boards but this is a whole new concept and it's pretty neat. By carving the board into someones back you can use them to get the dead back or go into hell.

So this is how fat man ends up with a bloody back, he has a nice new cut tattoo of the occult on him.

Now we go back in time and see our next main character 'Travis' his folks are dead and he is struggling for money, skint, living in a shit hole and having to look after his mentally and physically disabled younger brother.

Now we really end up feeling sorry for Travis, seeing the struggle he's going through, coping with money issues and a brother like this. Trying his best to make a life for them both and it seems really frustrating having a brother with so many problems and doing it all alone and he has a job to try and keep at.

He leaves his brother to go off to work and leaves the TV on for him... This is where the odd part of the movie comes in, this really happy and cheerful song about suicide comes on and a really big pig character called 'Mr Skinny' comes to entertain the brother and try get him to kill himself..

Nothing like seeing a really fat man in barbwire..

We are then taken to another scene which seems a mix between a Jigsaw trap and extreme bondage as a woman is tied to a very flash but grimey looking table in all sorts of BDSM style ropes and belts while a masked figure tortures her. Alot of well done gore and realistic blood which is an awesome point of this movie, none of the gore looks fake it all looks pretty good. Some of the best I've seen if I'm honest.

We then learn that the crazy woman paid for the torture and the masked man is Travis, yes his job is torture.

Travis is also hooked on drugs and does some after his little 'job' and has what most people think is a bad trip but he meets a grey awkwardly handsome demon who keeps visiting him in his head from time to time and is trying to worn him about the bad things going on with his brother at home.

He rushes home and catches his brother before he kills himself but from then on realises he can't leave his brother alone any more... He asks another scruffy looking man, a friend to look after his brother while he goes off to maim more people for money.

Sitter falls asleep and the brother with the aid of Mr Skinny kills the friend and hangs himself.

Demon once more warns Travis to go home but it's too late, the demon then makes a trade with Travis, if he helps the demon he will get his brother back and soon Travis is taught all the occult stuff and practises on his dead friend, cutting the Ouija board into his stomach.

Soon after this the plot goes nuts and moves away from these two people and to the mute guy and how everyone's pasts all link up.

I won't go into that as it's an awesome end plot and it finishes it up really nicely and neatly.

Monster's all look like they got dropped from the Hellrasier final cut, the gore is very well done. The actors are good, the acting good, stylishly shot with the dirty grainy feel the whole movie has from start to finish.

I had no ideas what this movie would be like but it's a good one.

Plot: 4.5/5

Gore: 5/5

Acting: 4/5

Scares: 0/5

Overall enjoyment: 4.5/5

X6X Jigsaw X6X

The Tortured

The Tortured

2010

The Tortured is by a writer of SAW and to be honest when that is the bragging line on any movie DVD case it's cause to walk the other way and pretend we never ever saw it, but in the sales it was £3 and I was in a buying mood to add to my ever growing collection of horror movies.

Now I was slapped in the face with this movie, soon as I saw ol' TWISTED PICTURES come up I gave up faith on this being a good movie but Jesus even now my stomach feels like it's jumping, this movie is the most gory movie I have ever seen it made SAW look tame, it's like they saved all their good stuff for this movie.

The plot was gripping and the action started right away, it's about the 'perfect' married couple who have it all, big awesome house, adorable son and then it goes tits up, their son is captured and murdered by a nutjob, he is found and brought to justice and it's found he has killed so many kids.

In a bid to find out the other kids that he murdered identity's they give the man 25 years to life a lighter sentence then he would have got, the two torn married people aren't pleased and between being angry and torn with anguish about their dead son they set out to kidnap the killer and get their own back for their son.

The most gory scenes I have seen are in this movie, if you do not like needles then this movie will fuck you up, there is alot that bothers me in this movie, I confess it takes alot to gore me out, honestly. I can sit and watch zombie movies and crave KFC and watch most SAW's with a shrug but the needles... the nail stuff... ugh gross.

The story is powerfully acted and you feel for the parents of the dead kid and all away through the movie you feel for them and think this man is getting what comes to him and as horrid as it is you've felt and been moved by the couple that your on their side, but as the plot goes on you soon find something out and you feel very bad and doubt yourself.

The ending is a killer.

Going into this movie with so many doubts I was very pleasantly surprised. Well done movie. It had some cliche bits but the horror genre as a whole has alot of that so I excused it.

It is also very much got SAW all over it, from what the two parents say to what happens but if you try ignore that and see it as it's own movie then you'll enjoy it.

Gore: 5/5

Plot: 5/5

Acting: 5/5

Overall: 5/5

X6XJigsawX6X