INTERVIEW: GUY PEARCE (The Rope Maiden)

Guy Pearce aka SculptingFragments is not only a prolific youtuber, whom fans of Asian sickness should already know, he has also just recently finished his first shortfilm "The Rope Maiden", reviewed on Thanatic Manifestations some time ago. His first work was received very well in underground circles, besides his artistic qualities, Guy is also a person with whom one can chat very nicely. Therefore, it was my honour to ask him some questions about his film, his tastes and him personally.

The full-length interview is available here:

REVIEW: THE ROPE MAIDEN (Guy Pearce, 2013)

"The Rope Maiden" starts off with the beginning from "Guinea Pig - Flowers of Flesh and Blood": a young woman is walking down the street minding her own business, when suddenly a masked man attacks and kidnaps her. The kidnapper drops his camera and Guy picks it up. Guy turns out to be a demented psychopath and starts to shoot tutorials on how to kill women in a cellar. There is no doubt that his rope maiden will not survive the shoot….

”The Rope Maiden” is a short-film made by Guy Pearce, who could be known to fans of extreme underground gore films and Japanese fetish porn under his pseudonym “SculptingFragments”. In an extensive process (which was documented on Facebook), the charming young Brit created a short which combines two of his favorite genres: fake snuff and black comedy. The result is really something

After the obligatory kidnapping sequence (which is very similar to the one in the second Guinea Pig film), the course commences. Guy introduces us to the do’s and don’t’s of making snuff films. Which victims are the best? What kind of rope should one choose? Which weight should the victim have? Guy answers all these questions, before getting rough with his helpless victim.

“The Rope Maiden” has turned out to be a merry and well-made fake snuff movie, which contributes some fresh ideas to the genre without forgetting its role models. Guy is great in the role of murderer and narrator. The whole tutorial thing was executed very well and, to my surprise, the humourous tone created by Guy works perfectly. Especially the Japanese commercials in the vein of “Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl” are a complete success!

Despite the humour, “The Rope Maiden” is, basically, a pretty violent film, featuring some quite nasty scenes. The butchering of the attractive,young Japanese girl (yes, Guy actually found a real, live Japanese girl) is the main part of the story and very entertaining. Many  things remind the viewer of the Japanese fake snuff classic “Niku Daruma”, which most certainly is not a coincidence. Skin gets cut open, entrails are ripped out and so on and so forth. The final gag, which will not be spoiled here, of course, is also pretty astonishing and a worthy end. The effects are also quite nifty and can be compared to some of the Japanese genre classics, the film is influenced by. Same goes for the catchy Death Metal track played in the background.

Conclusion: “The Rope Maiden” is a well-made fake snuff short, which is incredibly funny but still pretty sick. The effects are well-crafted, the actors do a good job and fans of hard fake snuff films (preferably the ones from Japan) should be just as delighted as appreciators of black humour. All you underground freaks should really keep your eyes open for this one!

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REVIEW: BIZARRE UPROAR - PERVERSE BIZARRE HUMILIATION (Noise, 2013)

Even after almost 20 years of existence, Bizarre Uproar is more alive and active than ever before. Shortly after the release of the “Putrid Live Activities” 4-tape box, the artist’s own label “Filth and Violence” treats its noise-fanatic followers to a limited tape version of “Perverse Bizarre Humiliation”, BU’s newest studio album, soon to be released on CD via Freak Animal Records. In its early stages, the project of “Filth and Violence” founder and owner Pasi Markkula played pretty straightforward harsh noise with its own identity. After years of ultra-violent scrapmetal abuse, Bizarre Uproar started to sort of re-invent itself. With landmark works like “Purification”, “Musta Rotta EP”, “Viha & Kiima” and the last full-length “Rape Africa”, the project gained an unmistakable style, marvelously aided by the artworks (i.e. themes) and Pasi’s distinctive vocals. Bizarre Uproar is not only one of the most prolific projects hailing from the “noise El Dorado” Finland, it is also one of the most extreme and perverse ones.

Extreme and perverse are terms, which many may have used to describe the videoclip to the track “Kusi Paska Veri“, taken from “Perverse Bizarre Humiliation“ (editor’s note: this video can’t be directly linked due to its pornographic nature. It is very easy to find on the label’s homepage, though). It shows Pasi wearing a latex mask lying on the floor masturbating. After a few moments, a woman appears, squats over him and defecates onto his chest. She picks parts of her waste up and slowly feeds it to Pasi. In seemingly endless scenes we see him gobbling up the excrement and licking his lips, obviously in a state of total bliss. The inlay cover, which is professionally printed by the way (very unusual for the label), shows a black and white collage of his shit-smeared face and also the track list seems to focus on the self-shot scat video, which was released shortly before the album came out. 

 

INTERVIEW: TOM HEIDENBERG (Necrophile Passion)

 

"Necrophile Passion" is currently one of the most awaited fims in the field of extreme art. The stylish, ambitious production revolving around desecration of corpses, mental illness and despair is a complete success and one of the most interesting independent productions of the last years. Director Tom Heidenberg is an enigma: he refuses to publish photos of himself or share any personal information with the public. Despite the mysterious aura that surrounds him, I was able to arrange an interview with him. For five hours, Heidenberg answered my questions and proved to me that he is a multi-layered, ambitious artist, who really has a lot to say.

Read the unabridged interview here:

REVIEW: ALBERT FISH (John Borowski, 2006)

Albert Fish is not only one of the most notorious serial killers and sex offenders to have ever lived, he could almost be seen as an urban legend. The scrawny, elder gentlemen, who looked like the nice old man next door who couldn’t be able to harm a fly and seems like the perfect person to entrust with your child, caused havoc in various American cities for many decades. Because he wasn’t caught for a long time, he was able to live out his perverse sexual and homicidal urges without restrictions. Not only was he a pedophile, he also engaged in various acts of murder, sadism, masochism and even cannibalism. His deeds were so despicable that it is hard to find the right words to describe them. 

REVIEW: ANTI-SOCIAL REALISM ARTBOOK (Aspa, Markkula, Siikala)

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REVIEW: MIDORI - SHÔJO TSUBAKI (1992, Hiroshi Harada

 

After her mother’s untimely death, the orphan girl Midori seeks refuge with a gang of deformed circus freaks. Her everyday life in the circus turns out to be a living hell: the abandoned girl has to do the dirty work for the sideshow attractions, who humiliate, strike and sexually abuse her. As a midget magician enters the group and falls in love with young Midori, the circumstances rapidly change for the better. However, new trouble is already brewing and Midori’s peaceful life is at peril.

“Midori – Shôjo Tsubaki” is adapted from “Mr Arashi’s Amazing Freak Show”, a manga comic by prolific illustrator Suehiro Maruo. Maruo, who has also created similar manga, such as “Ultra-Gash Inferno” and “The Laughing Vampire”, is seen as one of the most famous artists in the field of “Ero Guro”. This Japanese art style is known for its drastic depiction of decadent conduct, eroticism (oftentimes bordering on the pornographic), violence and (sexual) sadism. There is no doubt that Maruo’s art incorporates all of these aspects: his manga is gory, some would say downright perverted and highly surreal and expressionistic in its approach. Especially the latter defines his work and distinguishes it from the majority of dull hentai manga. When it comes to these qualities, “Mr. Arashi’s Amazing Freak Show” is certainly no exception, many fans even see it as the highlight of Maruo’s flawless bibliography. And yes, all of Maruo’s trademark ingredients are there and harmonize with each other perfectly, therefore it comes to no surprise that Hiroshi Harada chose to make a film out of it. Haranda underwent this painstaking procedure virtually on his own and all of the funds came out of his own pocket. One thing can be said for sure: the final result is very unorthodox and even encountered some troubles with censorship in its homeland Japan, which is usually known for allowing all kinds of atrocious films. But is his adaption worthy of the manga?