Gurotesuku (Grotesque) Reviews
Shawn M
Super Reviewer
May 9, 2012
AMAZING, So brutally graphic, twisted and entertaining as hell. Sequel Please!
Ryan M
Super Reviewer
October 8, 2011
"Grotesque". Seldom has a film been given such an appropriate name. Judging by that name alone, the viewer is able to determine what they will see, what they will get, and what they will remember. They might even be able to predict what the "film" will be about. The film couldn't have been named anything else. Or maybe it could have; who knows, and who cares?
This is a sick, nasty, depraved, relentless horror film that I regret ever having rented or seen. I had been warned of its graphic nature, but I was open-minded, curious; willing to explore. Never have I been as sorry as I am now. I have no respect for films that exist only to provide what is the complete opposite of entertainment. Often are the misogynistic, violent, sadistic, and even racist; but rarely are they smart or watchable in any sense of the word. In fact, I had a hard time watching "Grotesque" even if it has the sort of shock value that should keep my eyes glued to the screen. Sometimes, sleaze can become guilty entertainment, and sometimes, it can just go beyond its original definition and become something far nastier and joyless. This is a film that should have been disowned, burned, and unreleased. Why it wasn't is beyond me. Perhaps some people get off to this sick shit. But I do not.
What's worse than a film that goes beyond depraved and becomes something far more intellectually insulting and sensory assaulting? A film with all those qualities that makes no attempts to develop its heroes and villains whatsoever. "Grotesque" gets right to the point; we see the couple - who are at the center of the madness soon to unfold - walking down the street, entering dark areas, and then they are presumably knocked-out and snatched by a seen-yet-unseen assailant. He drives them over to his place, which, unlike the villainous character, is just plain unseen. It is there that he proceeds to torture, humiliate, and mutilate these two innocents; and all for the pleasure of his own selfless, inhuman being. He's a real, genuine psychopath; and this movie has the same state-of-mind and thought process as he does. It gets to the meat and sticks to the meat; its mind is ALWAYS on the meat.
And as far as exposing the meat and its sacred bits goes, "Grotesque" can be called effective and disturbingly good at what it does. The filmmaker knew what he wanted to make and who he wanted to make it for; he was nihilistic as far as what the detractors and critics thought of his monster. The film has one purpose, and one purpose only; to show what it shows. The couple suffers many brutal torture exercises meant to excite the antagonist both sexually and mentally. He operates as those who enjoy this film do. They might even identify with who he is and what he does. I could care less about "relevance". I'm going to skip through the substance, just as this film does, and get straight to the point; "Grotesque" sucks. It was boring, it was unwatchable, it was sick, and it's attitude of apathy is anything but appealing. I will never watch it again.
Yet, to make horror such as this authentic and affective, a director must exercise craft; and the director of the film, Koji Shiraishi, certainly does. The atmosphere is moody. The cinematography actually isn't all that bad. And finally, the acting makes the horror feel realistic and even all-the-more brutal. It's hard to take, and while it may indeed be genre filmmaking with a message, it does not have morals and it does not have any redeeming factors. And if it does have these messages that I speak of, then it just makes the film all the more pretentious. As of now, I'm wondering why I keep calling this "thing" a "film". It doesn't deserve to be called this. It does not have the necessarily amount of substance or meaning to be art; since film, as we know, is an art. "Grotesque" is pornography at its glossiest, and horror at its most ultimately unbearable. I loathed the experience of sitting through this crap so much that I decided to skip through most scenes; only stopping to view the infamous ones, in an attempt to "feel something". Oh, I felt something alright. And it was vomit, sweat, a headache; all ready to raise hell upon my body. At that moment I decided; "Grotesque" lives up to its name and will please those who like to feel this way. But whether it works or not, for what it is, was not of my concern. It deserves not a score, not a few stars, and not a rating. It cannot be criticized by numbers or by the usual "figures". A review should be enough.
0/10
"Grotesque". Seldom has a film been given such an appropriate name. Judging by that name alone, the viewer is able to determine what they will see, what they will get, and what they will remember. They might even be able to predict what the "film" will be about. The film couldn't have been named anything else. Or maybe it could have; who knows, and who cares?
This is a sick, nasty, depraved, relentless horror film that I regret ever having rented or seen. I had been warned of its graphic nature, but I was open-minded, curious; willing to explore. Never have I been as sorry as I am now. I have no respect for films that exist only to provide what is the complete opposite of entertainment. Often are the misogynistic, violent, sadistic, and even racist; but rarely are they smart or watchable in any sense of the word. In fact, I had a hard time watching "Grotesque" even if it has the sort of shock value that should keep my eyes glued to the screen. Sometimes, sleaze can become guilty entertainment, and sometimes, it can just go beyond its original definition and become something far nastier and joyless. This is a film that should have been disowned, burned, and unreleased. Why it wasn't is beyond me. Perhaps some people get off to this sick shit. But I do not.
What's worse than a film that goes beyond depraved and becomes something far more intellectually insulting and sensory assaulting? A film with all those qualities that makes no attempts to develop its heroes and villains whatsoever. "Grotesque" gets right to the point; we see the couple - who are at the center of the madness soon to unfold - walking down the street, entering dark areas, and then they are presumably knocked-out and snatched by a seen-yet-unseen assailant. He drives them over to his place, which, unlike the villainous character, is just plain unseen. It is there that he proceeds to torture, humiliate, and mutilate these two innocents; and all for the pleasure of his own selfless, inhuman being. He's a real, genuine psychopath; and this movie has the same state-of-mind and thought process as he does. It gets to the meat and sticks to the meat; its mind is ALWAYS on the meat.
And as far as exposing the meat and its sacred bits goes, "Grotesque" can be called effective and disturbingly good at what it does. The filmmaker knew what he wanted to make and who he wanted to make it for; he was nihilistic as far as what the detractors and critics thought of his monster. The film has one purpose, and one purpose only; to show what it shows. The couple suffers many brutal torture exercises meant to excite the antagonist both sexually and mentally. He operates as those who enjoy this film do. They might even identify with who he is and what he does. I could care less about "relevance". I'm going to skip through the substance, just as this film does, and get straight to the point; "Grotesque" sucks. It was boring, it was unwatchable, it was sick, and it's attitude of apathy is anything but appealing. I will never watch it again.
Yet, to make horror such as this authentic and affective, a director must exercise craft; and the director of the film, Koji Shiraishi, certainly does. The atmosphere is moody. The cinematography actually isn't all that bad. And finally, the acting makes the horror feel realistic and even all-the-more brutal. It's hard to take, and while it may indeed be genre filmmaking with a message, it does not have morals and it does not have any redeeming factors. And if it does have these messages that I speak of, then it just makes the film all the more pretentious. As of now, I'm wondering why I keep calling this "thing" a "film". It doesn't deserve to be called this. It does not have the necessarily amount of substance or meaning to be art; since film, as we know, is an art. "Grotesque" is pornography at its glossiest, and horror at its most ultimately unbearable. I loathed the experience of sitting through this crap so much that I decided to skip through most scenes; only stopping to view the infamous ones, in an attempt to "feel something". Oh, I felt something alright. And it was vomit, sweat, a headache; all ready to raise hell upon my body. At that moment I decided; "Grotesque" lives up to its name and will please those who like to feel this way. But whether it works or not, for what it is, was not of my concern. It deserves not a score, not a few stars, and not a rating. It cannot be criticized by numbers or by the usual "figures". A review should be enough.
August Seria
Super Reviewer
October 21, 2011
Two words: Holy Sh!t. A very brutal and graphic film about torture. It has no plot whatsoever it's just an hour and a half of sick torture. It's sicker than any other torture porn film but the story is just - disappointing. I got to give it to them though, for making me squirm and vomit in disgust.
LickTheABCs
October 13, 2009
Personally, I laugh when I hear a Japanese film being billed as "influenced by Hostel" when Hostel itself was just a genre rip-off of much better films the Japanese have been making for over 20 years. Another movie of wall-to-wall torture scenes.
October 10, 2012
Just a note: PLEASE DON'T WRITE REVIEWS IF YOU DIDN'T SIT THROUGH THE WHOLE MOVIE. I know it's hard to resist writing a short essay trying to explain why a movie hurt your feelings and offended your sensibilities, but please- let the grown-ups do the talking, eh? While you're at it, watch A Serbian Film:)
This film is pretty much pure garbage, but that's what we came to see, right!? A story would have been nice, but all you have to do is look at the cover to know that you probably won't get one. Grotesque has a sexual angle to it that most "torture porn" doesn't, and it's definitely gross as hell, and will probably cross the line for some people. However, in this day and age, and for those of us who have "seen it all", it doesn't add up to too much. For pure mayhem and gore, you can do worse than this, but you can do a lot better, too.
Just a note: PLEASE DON'T WRITE REVIEWS IF YOU DIDN'T SIT THROUGH THE WHOLE MOVIE. I know it's hard to resist writing a short essay trying to explain why a movie hurt your feelings and offended your sensibilities, but please- let the grown-ups do the talking, eh? While you're at it, watch A Serbian Film:)
September 14, 2011
This is the true "torture porn". "Saw" is NOT torture porn, for this has no plotline or reason for the torture whatsoever. It was 75 minutes of pure crap.
Shawn M
Super Reviewer
May 9, 2012
AMAZING, So brutally graphic, twisted and entertaining as hell. Sequel Please!
Shawn Montague
April 30, 2012
AMAZING, So brutally graphic, twisted and entertaining as hell. Sequel Please!
October 20, 2011
I didn't think there were really anymore movies that could make me flinch or cringe. Well, I was wrong. Definitely satisfies if you like incredible amounts of violence and a very twisted psychopath in your horror movie.
August Seria
Super Reviewer
October 21, 2011
Two words: Holy Sh!t. A very brutal and graphic film about torture. It has no plot whatsoever it's just an hour and a half of sick torture. It's sicker than any other torture porn film but the story is just - disappointing. I got to give it to them though, for making me squirm and vomit in disgust.
Ryan M
Super Reviewer
October 8, 2011
"Grotesque". Seldom has a film been given such an appropriate name. Judging by that name alone, the viewer is able to determine what they will see, what they will get, and what they will remember. They might even be able to predict what the "film" will be about. The film couldn't have been named anything else. Or maybe it could have; who knows, and who cares?
This is a sick, nasty, depraved, relentless horror film that I regret ever having rented or seen. I had been warned of its graphic nature, but I was open-minded, curious; willing to explore. Never have I been as sorry as I am now. I have no respect for films that exist only to provide what is the complete opposite of entertainment. Often are the misogynistic, violent, sadistic, and even racist; but rarely are they smart or watchable in any sense of the word. In fact, I had a hard time watching "Grotesque" even if it has the sort of shock value that should keep my eyes glued to the screen. Sometimes, sleaze can become guilty entertainment, and sometimes, it can just go beyond its original definition and become something far nastier and joyless. This is a film that should have been disowned, burned, and unreleased. Why it wasn't is beyond me. Perhaps some people get off to this sick shit. But I do not.
What's worse than a film that goes beyond depraved and becomes something far more intellectually insulting and sensory assaulting? A film with all those qualities that makes no attempts to develop its heroes and villains whatsoever. "Grotesque" gets right to the point; we see the couple - who are at the center of the madness soon to unfold - walking down the street, entering dark areas, and then they are presumably knocked-out and snatched by a seen-yet-unseen assailant. He drives them over to his place, which, unlike the villainous character, is just plain unseen. It is there that he proceeds to torture, humiliate, and mutilate these two innocents; and all for the pleasure of his own selfless, inhuman being. He's a real, genuine psychopath; and this movie has the same state-of-mind and thought process as he does. It gets to the meat and sticks to the meat; its mind is ALWAYS on the meat.
And as far as exposing the meat and its sacred bits goes, "Grotesque" can be called effective and disturbingly good at what it does. The filmmaker knew what he wanted to make and who he wanted to make it for; he was nihilistic as far as what the detractors and critics thought of his monster. The film has one purpose, and one purpose only; to show what it shows. The couple suffers many brutal torture exercises meant to excite the antagonist both sexually and mentally. He operates as those who enjoy this film do. They might even identify with who he is and what he does. I could care less about "relevance". I'm going to skip through the substance, just as this film does, and get straight to the point; "Grotesque" sucks. It was boring, it was unwatchable, it was sick, and it's attitude of apathy is anything but appealing. I will never watch it again.
Yet, to make horror such as this authentic and affective, a director must exercise craft; and the director of the film, Koji Shiraishi, certainly does. The atmosphere is moody. The cinematography actually isn't all that bad. And finally, the acting makes the horror feel realistic and even all-the-more brutal. It's hard to take, and while it may indeed be genre filmmaking with a message, it does not have morals and it does not have any redeeming factors. And if it does have these messages that I speak of, then it just makes the film all the more pretentious. As of now, I'm wondering why I keep calling this "thing" a "film". It doesn't deserve to be called this. It does not have the necessarily amount of substance or meaning to be art; since film, as we know, is an art. "Grotesque" is pornography at its glossiest, and horror at its most ultimately unbearable. I loathed the experience of sitting through this crap so much that I decided to skip through most scenes; only stopping to view the infamous ones, in an attempt to "feel something". Oh, I felt something alright. And it was vomit, sweat, a headache; all ready to raise hell upon my body. At that moment I decided; "Grotesque" lives up to its name and will please those who like to feel this way. But whether it works or not, for what it is, was not of my concern. It deserves not a score, not a few stars, and not a rating. It cannot be criticized by numbers or by the usual "figures". A review should be enough.
0/10
"Grotesque". Seldom has a film been given such an appropriate name. Judging by that name alone, the viewer is able to determine what they will see, what they will get, and what they will remember. They might even be able to predict what the "film" will be about. The film couldn't have been named anything else. Or maybe it could have; who knows, and who cares?
This is a sick, nasty, depraved, relentless horror film that I regret ever having rented or seen. I had been warned of its graphic nature, but I was open-minded, curious; willing to explore. Never have I been as sorry as I am now. I have no respect for films that exist only to provide what is the complete opposite of entertainment. Often are the misogynistic, violent, sadistic, and even racist; but rarely are they smart or watchable in any sense of the word. In fact, I had a hard time watching "Grotesque" even if it has the sort of shock value that should keep my eyes glued to the screen. Sometimes, sleaze can become guilty entertainment, and sometimes, it can just go beyond its original definition and become something far nastier and joyless. This is a film that should have been disowned, burned, and unreleased. Why it wasn't is beyond me. Perhaps some people get off to this sick shit. But I do not.
What's worse than a film that goes beyond depraved and becomes something far more intellectually insulting and sensory assaulting? A film with all those qualities that makes no attempts to develop its heroes and villains whatsoever. "Grotesque" gets right to the point; we see the couple - who are at the center of the madness soon to unfold - walking down the street, entering dark areas, and then they are presumably knocked-out and snatched by a seen-yet-unseen assailant. He drives them over to his place, which, unlike the villainous character, is just plain unseen. It is there that he proceeds to torture, humiliate, and mutilate these two innocents; and all for the pleasure of his own selfless, inhuman being. He's a real, genuine psychopath; and this movie has the same state-of-mind and thought process as he does. It gets to the meat and sticks to the meat; its mind is ALWAYS on the meat.
And as far as exposing the meat and its sacred bits goes, "Grotesque" can be called effective and disturbingly good at what it does. The filmmaker knew what he wanted to make and who he wanted to make it for; he was nihilistic as far as what the detractors and critics thought of his monster. The film has one purpose, and one purpose only; to show what it shows. The couple suffers many brutal torture exercises meant to excite the antagonist both sexually and mentally. He operates as those who enjoy this film do. They might even identify with who he is and what he does. I could care less about "relevance". I'm going to skip through the substance, just as this film does, and get straight to the point; "Grotesque" sucks. It was boring, it was unwatchable, it was sick, and it's attitude of apathy is anything but appealing. I will never watch it again.
Yet, to make horror such as this authentic and affective, a director must exercise craft; and the director of the film, Koji Shiraishi, certainly does. The atmosphere is moody. The cinematography actually isn't all that bad. And finally, the acting makes the horror feel realistic and even all-the-more brutal. It's hard to take, and while it may indeed be genre filmmaking with a message, it does not have morals and it does not have any redeeming factors. And if it does have these messages that I speak of, then it just makes the film all the more pretentious. As of now, I'm wondering why I keep calling this "thing" a "film". It doesn't deserve to be called this. It does not have the necessarily amount of substance or meaning to be art; since film, as we know, is an art. "Grotesque" is pornography at its glossiest, and horror at its most ultimately unbearable. I loathed the experience of sitting through this crap so much that I decided to skip through most scenes; only stopping to view the infamous ones, in an attempt to "feel something". Oh, I felt something alright. And it was vomit, sweat, a headache; all ready to raise hell upon my body. At that moment I decided; "Grotesque" lives up to its name and will please those who like to feel this way. But whether it works or not, for what it is, was not of my concern. It deserves not a score, not a few stars, and not a rating. It cannot be criticized by numbers or by the usual "figures". A review should be enough.
March 2, 2011
For the first 43 minutes the film operates on an emotional level whilst showcasing pretty realistic gore FX and sadism...then it turns into a violent comedy. Probably a good place to start into the extreme underground scene, even with its shoddy LIT subtitles and SFX. Oh, and fuck the ending.
June 3, 2011
Think "Flowers of Flesh and Blood" drawn out to feature length. Usually, I'm not down with 80 minutes of torture and mutilation, and this plotless exercise does grow tiring, but as far as fx spectacles go, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more realistic depiction in Japan's current trend of over-the-top exploitation.
June 3, 2011
It's so disgusting that you're going to want to watch it to see how movies like Hostel don't compare.
Dylan U.
May 12, 2011
I had to give this such a high rating simply because it displayed things that gave me goosebumps and somewhat cringe for a bit which is a rare thing. It makes me want to check out more Japanese horror. This makes the "Saw" movies look like an episode of teletubbies.
March 9, 2011
based on pathological sadism. not for faint hearted... if yu say that you've seen enough violence, blood and gore in movies, you'll say you've seen nothing after watching this..
