Terror Transmission

Devil Doctor Woman (Guinea Pig 4: Devil Doctor Woman) – 1990 – Japan – Unearthed Films (as part of the Guinea Pig Box Set)

The Guinea Pig series started in 1985 when Satoru Ogura fabricated a snuff film called “The Devil’s Experiment.” The idea was financially-motivated, simplistic brilliance; three men in a tarpaulin-blanketed room proceed to torture and kill a captive young lady in a series of gruesomely realistic set-pieces. The film was marketed as an authentic snuff film and released without credits to make it that much more convincing as a “discovered” documentary of murder. The second film, “The Flower of Flesh and Blood” (1985), was cast simultaneously and involved noted comic illustrator Hideshi Hino and followed the same rough guideline as the first film. “Flower” even managed to hit the top ten in the video rental market and assure a continuation of the series. The subsequent films in the series, including “He Never Dies” (1986), “Mermaid in a Manhole” (1988), and “Android of Notre Dame” (1988), softened their approach and involved actual narrative structures, but were still little more than extreme gore films intended for the gore-hound who had seen everything. “Devil Doctor Woman” followed in 1990 and was the first overtly comedic in the series, and also the last, unless you count the “Slaughter Special” from 1991, which was a “best of” reel. The tapes were illegally distributed around the globe, and one eventually found its way into the hands of Chuck Sheen, dubious actor and meddlesome moron. Charlie phoned the MPAA as he was convinced the on-screen atrocities were genuine, and started a campaign to get the films banned from distribution. The FBI was notified by the MPAA of the existence of the films, but the Bureau had already done an investigation and had found the films to be nothing more than clever hoaxes. That did not stop the show “20/20″ from airing a segment about the films, or several arrests from being made around the globe of people in possession of these “snuff” videos. I, myself, am not a big fan of the films but I recognize that they certainly have something to say about the human condition. Exactly what they say is up to us as individuals to decide.

“Devil Doctor Woman” is by far my favorite film in the series. It plays out like a misanthropic Japanese version of a Monty Python show and has tongue firmly embedded in cheek. An unlicensed cross-dressing doctor who goes by the moniker “Devil Doctor Woman” investigates and exacerbates a series of hilariously nonsensical and brutally lethal medical conditions. In the first skit, a degenerate family is laden with “congenital brain explosion disease.” They are gathered in an empty field and mercilessly insulted by megaphone until their grey matter reaches critical mass and their heads explode a la “Scanners.” “You… pretty baby! Your mother had anal sex with an ape!”… POW! Low-brow for sure, but lots of fun. Part 2 features a hapless dude with a split personality, “Jekyll/Hyde Disease,” and results in his limbs warring with him for control of his faculties. The man with the ‘Human Face Carbuncle” becomes a pop star, a human flesh-tasting party features many items including vagina dressed with blood sauce (“bluntly put, it is a pussy stewing in its own sauce”); the “Progressive Zombie Rot Disease” skit is a blast, and a woman is stalked through the city streets by a “Siamese Internal Organ.” The last couple bits lost some of the early momentum, but overall this film will give you a few good guffaws and should be recommended to those with a slightly twisted sense of humor. Gotta run as I’m off to snack on some testicles simmering in soy sauce! “Personally, I can never get enough balls in my mouth.”

Jason’s Grade: C