Two teenage girls—pretty vampire Monami (yummy Yukie Kawamura) and spoilt brat Keiko (Eri Otoguro)—vie for the affection of schoolboy Mizushima (Takumi Saito). As the tug-of-love escalates, Keiko is accidentally killed, but resurrected by her mad-scientist father and his sexy psycho assistant, school nurse Midori. The scene is now set for a final battle between the cute bloodsucker and the reanimated, modified Keiko, with Mizushima as the prize.
Coming from the people who gave us the OTT splatter-fest Tokyo Gore Police, I fully expected Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl to be a tad demented, but I doubt anything could have adequately prepared me for the madcap concoction of zany humour, grotesque gore, outrageous satire, and downright weirdness that has just assaulted my eyeballs. The film certainly doesn't disappoint in terms of sheer insanity.
Unfortunately, although this sucker certainly delivers in terms of wild comic-book excess, it isn't without its shortcomings: the hit and miss comedy takes precedence over the action and horror; certain aspects of the film feel rather forced, as though directors Yoshihiro Nishimura and Naoyuki Tomomatsu felt compelled to 'up the ante' in terms of bizarreness (this time, the satirical stabs at Japanese teen culture are nothing short of padding specifically designed to give the film extra cult appeal); many of the special effects are simply too cartoonish in their execution to be wholly satisfying (plus there is an over-reliance on CGI blood—UGH!); and after the gradual build up, not nearly enough time or effort is dedicated to a decent climactic showdown.
Still, the one accusation that can never be hurled at Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl is that it is boring. Take a look if you love the manic style of Tokyo Gore Police, or the relentless splat-stick of Peter Jackson's Braindead or Sam Raimi's Evil Dead II, but don't expect to be blown away.
6.5 out of 10, but not quite good enough for me to round my rating up to 7.
