Guinea Pig 2: Flower of Flesh and Blood

Well, I did it. I found and watched all 42 minutes of "Guinea Pig 2: Flowers of Flesh and Blood". Seeing how the series seems focused on gore (although the fourth installment which apparently features a mermaid sounds disgusting and yet oddly artistic, unlike the rest of them) and is largely unconnected I went for the 'accomplishment' of having seen what is supposedly the most extreme one. Also the favorite film of the first five in the series, prominently displayed among notorious serial killer Tsutomu Miyazaki's 5000-strong video collection, and supposedly the inspiration for his own crimes. When Charlie Sheen came across a battered VHS copy of this in the late 80's he was convinced it was real and reported it to the FBI. Eventually the makers of the film had to prove the effects were fake (as Deodato did with "Cannibal Holocaust").

As a look into the darkest corners of the human mind this is worth a look. But is it really? Can't you just read up on some serial killers or something if you want to be 'disturbed'. Watching this was ultimately a fairly worthless experience, and outside of the undoubtedly impressive (though certainly fake-looking) special effects, there is really absolutely nothing else to recommend with this 'film'. Clearly the cinematically illiterate who claim that this is some sort of great art film are nincompoops? I mean, come on. It's 42 minutes of dismemberment. The special effects are fairly admirable, but there is literally nothing else of worth here.

I sat through it. I suppose that this is something I thought I should see for myself due to its notoriety and reputation. Not that I was expecting it to be good, but I at least thought it would be worthwhile. Don't fool yourselves, this is on the level of a high school student film technically, there is no 'writing' to speak of (well, except some rambling about blood resembling flowers or some nonsense like that), and the 'actor' in the lead role spends most of the 'movie' looking pretty goofy. The abducted woman, 'guinea pig' if you will, is asleep most of the time. There is nothing here except something for fledgling serial killers to watch while sharpening their knives. I'm not dismissive of 'shock' films in general, some of them can be genuinely well-made and reasonably compelling films. This simply isn't one. It's absolute garbage, cinematic puke. Truly one of the worst films ever made, and my hatred comes not from being 'offended'. Watching this isn't watching somebody being tortured, it's torturing yourself.

0/10

I began hearing about the infamous "Guinea Pig" series several years ago, but admittedly only got my hands on them recently. I really didn't want to spend $20 for a 2nd generation VHS copy, so... I waited and picked up the Unearthed box-set release. Luckily, I found it for pretty cheap, anyway... Quick synopsis: Freaky samurai dude abducts and dismembers a chick, the end. "Flower of Flesh and Blood" is definitely gory and the lack of any real storyline may be what makes this film so "shocking". It's pretty much the torture/murder of a girl with no apparent reason behind it. The problem is that even though the effects are pretty good for something shot in 1985 with a probably non-existent budget, it still looks fake. Anyone who would actually mistake this for real "snuff" is a retard (sorry, Charlie ;) The other problem that I have with this film as well as "The Devil's Experiment" (another "Guinea Pig" fake snuff film) is that the victims don't respond appropriately to what is happening to them. They whimper and whine a little bit, but I think someone who was having their extremities removed violently would react a little more spiritedly. Another thing that makes these films look fake is the quality of the transfer to DVD. Unearthed did such a good job with the transfer that you can clearly see how fake everything is. I think if this film had a little more grainy look to it, it may have actually enhanced the realism factor - Not that Unearthed should have made a crappy transfer, I just think that some films actually come off better looking kind of old and grainy, this film being one of them. Overall, definitely worth a look for "extreme" horror fans, if nothing else than to quench your curiosity about what all the fuss is about. Definitely not for the mainstream horror movie goer. A generous 7/10

I've seen all eight of the notorious ‘Guinea Pig' series from Japan and can tell you this is by far the most extreme. A random young woman is kidnapped, drugged and tied to a bed. She is then slowly hacked to pieces by a guy in a samurai uniform. It only lasts for about thirty minutes, but during those minutes you are glued to the screen witnessing some of the cleverest and most realistic special effects ever committed to celluloid. This is about as gory and nasty as it gets and even seasoned gore-hounds will be distressed by some of the onscreen display.

Bought to notoriety by Charlie Sheen who mistook this for a snuff film, the FBI spent months tracking down the Director and eventually found him. Even by today's standards this is so extreme that most DVDs of the film also contain a making of just in case you start to believe what you're seeing.

Admittedly it's doubtful that you'll find this one in your local Blockbuster by accident, but be warned – this is very strong stuff indeed. For fans of extreme cinema, I cannot recommend this enough.

Guinea Pig II: The Flower of Flesh and Blood (Hideshi Hino, 1985)

Hideshi Hino is, simply, one of Japan's finest exports. Writer, graphic artist, rabid media critic, all-around fun guy, but for as long as civilization exists he will be best remember as the guy who drove Charlie Sheen to the FBI.

Sheen saw _Guinea Pig II: The Flower of Flesh and Blood_ in 1990 at a party he was attending, and he was convinced that it was a true snuff film, so he took the copy and gave it to the local branch of the FBI. Large-scale investigations in both American and Japan followed, culminating ultimately in (a) the finding that GP2, like all other supposed snuff films, isn't real, and (b) Hino exploding in popularity in the United States (it's not a coincidence that an American graphic arts publisher started releasing Hino books in America in 1992, all of which I recommend very highly as a fantastic glimpse into the collective subconscious of post-WW2 Japan). The darker underbelly of the investigation resulted in the banning of Guinea Pig in Japan. To date, no distributor has picked up and reprinted the films officially (though the ban has not stopped new ones from leaking out, and the series now stands at nine), and so when one finds copies of Guinea Pig films, they are often fourth- and fifth-generation dubs of questionable quality at best. I have my doubts as to whether even owning them in the United States is legal, but one assumes that if it weren't, the sellers on ebay would be arrested pretty quick... but I'm relying on supposition here. (If I disappear quickly, you know why.)

Yesterday I received a third-generation copy of II and III (see below). GP2 is the most infamous of the series. It is also the shortest, clocking in at a scant forty-two minutes. It has no plot to speak of. A woman is abducted by a man dressed as a fourteenth-century Samurai warrior and systematically dismembered. And while, if you know the basics of film composition and realize that the cut shots could not have been done in the ways they are if this were actually being filmed in real-time, there are a few points where the best thing one can do is to sit and repeat to oneself "this is not real." The effects are, quite simply, spectacular (within the framework of what's going on), and I was pleasantly-- if anything about this can possibly be said to be pleasant-- surprised by the fact that other than the differing genders of the two players in this twisted, brutal sturm und drang (and much more drang than sturm, if you translate it literally), any sexuality involved is read into it by the viewer.

Guinea Pig 2 is not something to be enjoyed; it is something to test the boundaries of one's endurance. How is it possible to rate such an experience? And do you really want something like this in your home? In my case the answer is an unqualified "yes," but then, I'm depraved. Going strictly on the quality of my copy and the shattering effectiveness of the film at what it sets out to do, I'm forced to give it *** 1/2.

My friend showed me this film, which he had on video. He is a huge fan of gore movies in general so I have seen my fair share of them. NONE of them compare to this film. This is by far the most repulsive film I have ever seen. I consists of a Japanese girl being slowly dismembered, which seems to take over an hour to do.

Mind you, I am not someone who winces at bloody movies. I am a big Peter Jackson fan, and enjoy Fulci's films. This film is nothing like those. It's horribly realistic and sadistic. Supposedly, this film was investigated by the FBI because it was suspected to be a real snuff film.

I do not recommend this movie. Anyone who sees it, I hope it is by accident. The effects are done brilliantly, and are quite convincing. Unless you are studying how to do impressive gore-effects, or are a sadist, try to avoid this film.