Overview: Four filmmakers from completely different backgrounds bring their radically personal takes to the stories of Japan’s celebrated master of the macabre, Edogawa Rampo (Horrors of Malformed Men, Blind Beast).

In Mars’s Canal, by music video director and visual artist Suguru Takeuchi, a lone man encounters the other side of his psyche beyond the reflective surface of a circular pond set in a desolate landscape.

Japanese New Wave auteur and longtime director of the Ultraman series Akio Jissoji (This Transient Life, Mandala) harnesses his distinctive stylistic sheen in his story of a mad mirror maker, Mirror Hell.

Caterpillar sees the singular vision of cult director Hisayasu Sato (The Bedroom, Naked Blood) at its most grotesque, in his portrait of a wounded war veteran who returns from the frontline as little more than a bloody torso, helpless to defend himself against the increasingly perverted caprices of an embittered wife.

Finally, a famous actor is subjected to the obsessive attentions of her limo driver in Crawling Bugs, the directorial debut of internationally acclaimed manga artist Atsushi Kaneko (Bambi and Her Pink Gun).

Produced by the same team behind Ichi the Killer and Uzumaki, and with a cast featuring some of Japan’s top stars, including Tadanobu Asano (Maboroshi, Silence) and Ryuhei Matsuda (Blue Spring, Gohatto), Rampo Noir is a stylistic tour-de-force that vividly evokes the erotic grotesque worlds created by Japan’s pioneering proponent of horror and mystery fiction.

Blu-ray Verdict: In short, what we have here is a four-part anthology based on the writing of Edogawa Rampo, with each short connected by actor Tadanobu Asano in different roles, and an eclectic soundtrack varying between harsh noise, jazz, opera and traditional Japanese music. A visually striking and sexually abrasive array of dreamlike sequences often blurring the lines of fantasy and reality. Truly captivating. Truly innovative. A genuine masterpiece of a cinematic experience.

Fleshing them all out a little more though, Suguru Takeuchi’s MARS CANAL is an astonishing start to this collection. An almost entirely silent piece of filmmaking which juxtaposes intense sexual violence with a desolate landscape implying we are in the man’s guilt-ridden psyche. At 7 minutes this short left me breathless!

Akio Jissoji’s MIRROR HELL is a distinctively stylistic entry but far longer and less interesting. There are some incredible shot compositions using the mirror motif, but beyond that this story of melted faces and a mad mirror maker drags, I am sad to report.

Hisayasu Sato’s CATERPILLAR is easily the strongest entry here! Sato’s fascination with the grotesque is in full effect as a limbless war veteran returns helpless to defend himself against the perverted and sadistic torture of his wife. It’s such an uncomfortably brilliant watch!

And finally, Atsushi Kaneko’s CRAWLING BUGS closes things off strong with a painterly look at obsession. Kaneko’s background in manga is apparent as the framing really pops and the sense of color is striking. An absolutely wild final shot too! Another short experience I won’t soon forget!

Limited Edition Special Features:
High Definition Blu-ray™ (1080p) presentation
Original lossless Japanese stereo audio
Optional newly translated English subtitles
Brand new audio commentary by Japanese film experts Jasper Sharp and Alexander Zahlten
Another World, a new interview with Suguru Takeuchi, director of “Mars’s Canal”
A Moving Transformation, a new interview with Hisayasu Sato, director of “Caterpillar”
Butterfly Queen, a new interview with Atsushi Kaneko, manga artist and director of “Crawling Bugs”
Hall of Mirrors, a new interview with cinematographer Masao Nakabori about working with Akio Jissoji and “Mirror Hell”
The Butterfly Effect, a new interview with Akiko Ashizawa, the cinematographer of “Caterpillar”
Looking in the Mirror, a new interview with actor Yumi Yoshiyuki about “Mirror Hell”
Archive stage greeting footage with the cast and directors from the Japanese premiere of Rampo Noir
Crossing the Lens, a feature-length making-of documentary by Tatsuya Fukushima from 2006
Image gallery
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Luke Insect
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Eugene Thacker and Seth Jacobowitz

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