Akai misshitsu (heya): Kindan no ôsama geemu

Daisuke Yamanouchi's RED ROOM 1 has the miserable production values of a Max Hardcore porno but no hardcore.

Yes, it's bloody and features a parade of "shocking" acts, but it's el cheapo grand guignol and is too over-the-top to be effective.

Women get raped, guts are ripped from bellies and there's an air of misogyny, but don't think for one minute that any of it is worth a damn. It's not.

This effort has been compared to some of the "Guinea Pig" films. The comparison is valid in some respects. The "Guinea Pig" films were first, though, and were unique at the time of their release.

Director Yamanouchi has his mind in the right gutter and his screen direction isn't too bad, but nothing on show here compares to the 80's work of Japanese directors Koyu Ohara and Yasaharu Hasebe, filmmakers who this director has clearly been influenced by, even if not directly.

Ultimately, RED ROOM and its redundant sequel are boring.