
Arrow Video
Blu-ray Release: January 7, 2025
Video: 1.85:1/1080p/Color
Audio: Japanese 2.0 LPCM Stereo
Subtitles: English
Run Time: 134:29
Directors: Akio Jissôji, Atsushi Kaneko, Hisayasu Satō, and Suguru Takeuchi
Pulp author Edogawa Rampo (real name Tarō Hirai) was a vital component in the development of modern Japanese literature, having penned detective mysteries and horror stories that were compared to the work of Edgar Allan Poe – hence the phonetically similar pseudonym. Rampo’s stories grew in popularity after WWII and became the basis of a number of films, beginning with serialized entries from his Private Detective Kogorô Akechi (Rampo’s Sherlock Holmes-inspired alter ego) and Shonen tanteidan (Boy Detectives) series.

Rampo adaptations matured with a series of outrageous ero guro horror projects at the end of the 1960s, including Yasuzô Masumura’s Blind Beast (Japanese: Môjû, 1969), Teruo Ishii’s Horrors of Malformed Men (Japanese: Edogawa Rampo Zenshū: Kyoufu Kikei Ningen), and Kinji Fukasaku’s Black Lizard (Japanese: Kuro tokage, 1968). These films inspired renewed interest in the author’s work and, in turn, more adaptations, culminating in dozens of Rampo-themed releases throughout the ‘90s and ‘00s, including Akio Jissôji's Watcher in the Attic (1992) and Murder on D Street (1998), Rintaro Mayuzumi & Kazuyoshi Okuyama’s Rampo, Shinya Tsukamoto’s Gemini (1999), and the four-part anthology* Rampo Noir (Japanese: Ranpo jigoku, 2005).
All four chapters of Rampo Noir feature actor Tadanobu Asano, who was effectively the Japanese cult star of the late ‘90s and early 2000s, following appearances in Katsuhito Ishii’s Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl (Japanese: Samehada otoko to momojiri onna, 1998) and Party 7 (2001), Gakuryû Ishii’s Electric Dragon 80.000 V (2001), Tsukamoto’s Gemini and Viral (Japanese: Vitâru, 2004), and, of course, Takashi Miike’s Ichi the Killer (Japanese: Koroshiya 1, 2001). He’s now better known as the guy Marvel wasted in three Thor movies and who just won a Golden Globe for Shōgun (2024).

Helmed by music video and commercial director Suguru Takeuchi, part one, Mars Canal (Japanese: Kasei no unga), is a narratively obfuscated tone poem of manic, speed-ramped footage, unusually beautiful natural landscapes, and extreme close-ups meant to set the stage for a very visually experimental feature. Its most striking element is its initial lack of sound that builds to an overwhelming din of static.
Part two, Mirror Hell (Japanese: Kagami jigoku) is directed by Akio Jissôji, who is mostly known as one of the major creative forces behind the Ultraman TV series, but he also made adult works, such as the award-winning incest shocker This Transient Life (Japanese: Mujō, 1970) and fantasy epic Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis (Japanese: Teito Monogatari, 1988), as well as the aforementioned Rampo adaptations. Asano plays detective Kogoro Akechi, one of Rampo’s most popular characters, as he investigates the gruesome, face-melting deaths of multiple women.
Though limited in scope and with a budget too small for fancy CG effects (outside of one obvious shot), Mirror Hell is nevertheless a slick-looking production and features some surprisingly virtuosic mirror-based photography. These Dutch angles, fish-eyed/wide-angle lenses, and infinity shots act to throw the viewer off-balance, to the point that I got a little seasick watching it. While not as well-paced or disturbing as the other episodes, Mirror Hell is still a unique, S&M-tinged occult thriller.

Chapter three, Caterpillar (Japanese: Imomushi) is generally considered the collection’s best or at least its most memorable episode. It was made by major cult personality Hisayasu Satô, known for extremely transgressive home video era pinku flicks with colorful titles, like Lolita: Vibrator Torture (Japanese: Lolita Vibe-Zeme; aka: Secret Garden, 1987) and Office Lady Rape: Devouring the Giant Tits (Japanese: OL Renzoku Rape: Kyonyu Musaboru; aka: Slush, 1990). Outside of Japan, he’s remembered for the 1996 gross-out spectacular Naked Blood (Japanese: Megyaku: Naked Blood).
Caterpillar plays out like the Japanese art-splatter version of Johnny Got His Gun with a domestic abuse twist. In it, a scarred nub of a war veteran returns home minus his limbs and ability to speak, only to find himself lovingly tortured by his sadistic wife. Satô matches the surrealistic artistry of the other entries and plays with lighting, gels, filmstock, and digital processing, and sets his episode entirely within the concrete confines of a half-destroyed piece of brutalist architecture, creating a skin-crawling collage of violence, melancholy, and depravity. Caterpillar also acknowledges Rampo’s predilection for voyeurism and is conceptually a perfect companion piece to the even more nihilistic The Blind Beast.

The final chapter is Crawling Bugs (Japanese: Mushi), an outrageously colorful closer directed by Atsushi Kaneko, the writer/artist behind manga series Bambi and Her Pink Gun (1998) and Soil (2003). This was Kaneko’s only film as director, though some of his other work was adapted to television. Caterpillar is the short people talk about, but Crawling Bugs’ unusual beauty made it the basis of a lot of the film’s advertising. In it, Asano plays a lonely limo driver who is driven to madness by his obsession with the stage actress that he chauffeurs around town. It’s still quite gloomy material and grows quite gross, but has a strange sense of whimsy that lightens its psychological load and ends the film on its highest note.
* While not technically an anthology film, Horror of Malformed Men is also made up of episodic pieces of multiple Rampo stories.
Bibliography:
Mondo Macabro: Weird and Wonderful Cinema Around the World by Pete Tombs (St. Martin's, 1997)
Behind the Pink Curtain: The Complete History of Japanese Sex Cinema by Jasper Sharp (FAB Press, 2008)

Video
Rampo Noir was released on R1 DVD from Genius Products (a Weinstein company) and Kadokawa Video in 2006, then largely disappeared when that edition went out of print. This is the film’s Blu-ray debut and the 1080p, 1.85:1 transfer was supplied to Arrow directly by Kadokawa. Visual styles and ideas differ from episode to episode, but all four pieces are united by lush photography from cinematographers Akiko Ashizawa and Masao Nakabori (those were the only two DPs I could find credits for). Mirror Hell delicately balances smooth, reflective surfaces with highly detailed ones, Caterpillar revels in grit and texture, and Crawling Bugs has some intensely saturated colors. Most of what I’d normally refer to as possible digital artifacts – jagged splice inserts, blooming colors, pooling blacks, overcranked white levels – all appear intended.
Audio
Rampo Noir is presented in its original Japanese stereo and uncompressed LPCM. While there are plenty of active aural moments, the majority of this track is quiet with naturalistic, often somewhat echoey dialogue. The most abstract effects work is loud and intense, often standing in for traditional music with the exception of Crawling Bugs and its calypso melodies and droning alternative rock breakdowns. The end credits also roll over the dulcet tones of Yurayura Teikoku’s mellow pop rock ballad “Bones.”
Again, I want to emphasize that Mars Canal begins without sound. Having not seen the film before, I initially assumed that my check disc was defective. It is a stylistic choice.

Extras
Commentary with Jasper Sharp and Alexander Zahlten – The authors of Behind the Pink Curtain: The Complete History of Japanese Sex Cinema and The End of Japanese Cinema: Industrial Genres, National Times, and Media Ecologies (Duke University Press, 2017), respectively, explore Rampo work, emphasizing the stories adapted for the film, the wider careers of the four directors and key cast members, the history of pinku and ero guro movements, and the socio-political influences on both Rampo’s work and early 2000s Japanese cult filmmaking. They also share a charming personal story about a night on the town with Hisayasu Satô.
Another World (14:04, HD) – Mars Canal director Suguru Takeuchi recalls growing up with Rampo’s stories, his career as a commercial and music video director, and the meanings behind his very avant-garde adaptation.
A Moving Transformation (25:07, HD) – Caterpillar director Hisayasu Satô chats about his early experience with Rampo, being assigned Caterpillar by producer Dai Miyazaki (who knew Satô had been developing a feature-length script based on the story), the meaning and themes of Caterpillar, reconnecting with cinematographer Akiko Ashizawa, and the general logistics of working on an omnibus production.
Butterfly Queen (13:49, HD) – Like the other filmmakers, Crawling Bugs director Atsushi Kaneko initially connected to Rampo’s stories while in elementary school. He describes his work as a manga artist and writer, Rampo’s influence, the lack of communication between directors, and the meaning behind his imagery.
Hall of Mirrors (25:19, HD) – Mirror Hell cinematographer Masao Nakabori looks back on his education, his early work, his many collaborations with Akio Jissôji, going back to Ultraman, and his (unnamed) assistant being on set for most of Rampo Noir.
The Butterfly Effect (15:47, HD) – Caterpillar cinematographer Akiko Ashizawa (who I was under the impression worked on some of the other chapters) talks about breaking into the pinku industry (sort of by accident), finding her niche with cinematography, working with Satô on multiple projects (mostly Naked Blood), other Rampo adaptations, and shooting Rampo Noir.
Looking in the Mirror (13:58, HD) – Mirror Hell actor Yumi Yoshiyuki wraps up the new interviews recalling her career, a previous collaboration with Jissôji on a different Rampo movie, Murder on D Street, and the complex logistics of shooting Mirror Hell.
Footage from the 2006 Japanese Premiere (15:06, SD)
Cross the Lens (75:45, HD) – A rather impressionistic feature-length 2006 documentary by Tatsuya Fukushima about the making of Rampo Noir. It includes intimate on-screen interviews with the cast & crew from the set, along with loads of fly-on-the-wall type behind-the-scenes footage.
Image galleries
The images on this page are taken from the BD and sized for the page. Larger versions can be viewed by clicking the images. Note that there will be some JPG compression.
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