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The second installment in the “Xx” series, “Xx: Beautiful Hunter” is based on the novel “Shion” by Banjin Hanamura and directed by cult auteur Masaru Konuma, known for controversial Sm-themed works such as “Flower and Snake” and “Wife to Be Sacrificed”.

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Shion is a product of the Magnificat, a fictional crime syndicate operating under the guise of a Catholic convent. Trained in isolation to be the ultimate assassin, she has grown up with the sole purpose of killing, never allowed to watch television, go on dates, or enjoy any of the experiences typical of other young women. One fateful night, while a pair of journalists are investigating the cult, Shion is photographed during one of her missions by one of them, Ito, who manages to escape. As she pursues him in an attempt to destroy the photographic evidence, her feelings begin to shift.

Stars: Riki Takeuchi, Seiji Matano, Masanori Sera, Minako Tanaka, Chikako Aoyama, Ren Osugi, Rikaya Yasuoka, Sho Aikawa, Shiori Sakura, Joji Abe, James Fujiki, Masumi Harukawa, Yûzô Hayakawa, Minoru Ôki, Hideki Saijô, Kiyoshi Nakajoe, Natsumi Nanase, Tetsurô Tanba, Kimiko Yo, Makiko Kuno, Johnny Ôkura, Katsuo Tokashi, Kôji Shimizu, Maiko Kazama | Directed by Toshimichi Okawa, Banmei Takahashi, Kazuhiro Kiuchi, Teruo Ishii, Masaru Konuma

In the 1980s and 90s there were tons of direct-to-video releases, driven by the creation and popularity of the VHS tape. and Toei Company, Ltd., undoubtedly most known in the West for the myriad of Henshin and Sentai shows they produce, was at the forefront of the Japanese V-Cinema the direct-to-video industry.

Now, from Arrow Video comes a massive collection of 9 V-Cinema films on one Blu-ray set. Not only does this set include 9 films, but a nice stack of bonus features as well. Let’s take a look at...

This month’s installment of Deep Cuts Rising features a variety of horror movies. Some selections reflect a specific day or event in June, and others were chosen at random.

Regardless of how they came to be here, or what they’re about, these past movies can generally be considered overlooked, forgotten or unknown.

This month’s offerings include a Japanese slasher, a dark tale about family, a Scandinavian haunting, a terrifying coming-out story, and an aquatic creature-feature.

The Attic (1980)

Directed by George Edwards and Gary Graver.

Fathers are usually depicted as unkind and cruel in horror, and the one in The Attic is no exception. Carrie Snodgress plays the dutiful Louise who has sacrificed her own happiness for far too long. When she tries to turn her life around and do something about her loneliness, which entails adopting a chimpanzee, her tyrannical father (Ray Milland) is quick to stomp out her ambitions.

Unlike any other genre, horror offers perhaps one of the most unique keys to the human psyche, especially human fears. Leading back to Romanticist poets and authors, the disruption of the human sphere and the supernatural has always proven to be a link to social phobias and trauma. Logically, horror does not need to follow the rules based on reality, which is interestingly – and somewhat ironically – an aspect readers and audiences sometimes expect the genre to do. Living through the notions of the narrative with the obligatory “I would never go there.” or “Don’t go into the basement.” is part of the excitement, but also the various criticisms of how a story could never happen like this.

However, this is not what horror is supposed to. According to Japanese screenwriter Konaka Chiaki, who wrote the script for Takashi Shimizu’s “Marebito” (2004), real-life terror does not follow any sensible rules,...

Based on a novel by Joji Abe, “Oretachi Wa Tenshi Ja Nai” is an unusual entry in Miike’s yakuza movies, particularly because, for the most part, it is a comedy, although the humor is once more slapstick and absurd.

The film revolves around Jo, a brutish ex-yakuza who has just been released from prison as the movie begins. As he leaves the “premises” in the white costume he was admitted, he stumbles upon a former associate, Kenta, who has now undergone a sex change operation. After some misunderstandings of sexual nature, Kenta invites Jo to join the delivery service she is running with ex-burglar Chu and Eri, a former biker girl. Soon, however, the unlawful past of everybody comes knocking, particularly when Eri’s ex-boyfriend Sugeyoshi, tricks her the into thinking his boss is about to kill him. At the same time, Kenta, frustrated by the...