Slasher-Hybrid Month: Perfect Blue (1998)
When Perfect Blue played movie festivals in the late 90′s it created an immediate sensation. The blending of animation with a sophisticated murder mystery caught viewers by surprise. Anime and horror magazines proclaimed director Satoshi Kon a visionary and urged their readers to see this amazing new film. Horror animation wasn’t new in 1998 but Perfect Blue marked the first time high quality animation, a complex storyline, and gory giallo murders merged together into a new type of slasher film.
Pop singer Mima leaves the band Cham to focus on an acting career. What follows is a slow descent into the gutter brought on by a sleazy manager desperate to kill off Mima’s good girl image. Mima is forced to act in a graphic rape scene for a tv series and manipulated into posing for soft core photos for men’s magazines. Mima’s grip on reality erodes as the humiliations pile up. When Mima is at her lowest point, her good girl image comes to life and promises to make everything better. Soon after the men responsible for Mima’s degradation suffer death by icepick. But the good girl image isn’t through yet. The image wants her fame and respect back. And the only way that will happen is if “dirty slut” Mima dies.
Sadayuki Murai’s screenplay, based on Yoshikazu Takeuchi’s novel, blurs reality with the false reality of fame. Murai also explores the darkside of faded stardom and the levels some will sink to in order to reclaim former glories. The scenes involving Mima’s inability to tell reality from fiction are reminiscent of Wes Craven’s New Nightmare. Sometimes it’s easy to lose focus of the real story when Mima drifts in and out of reality. Things get pretty confusing for a while but that goes away once Good Mima starts her killing spree.
The murders in Perfect Blue are very disturbing but one boarders on parody due to the insane amount of gore. A man gets stabbed in the eye with an icepick. There’s a delayed reaction before a geyser of blood erupts from his ruined socket. It would be comical if the rest of the murder wasn’t so unnerving. What’s really skin crawling creepy, though, are the eyeless corpses and Good Mima’s constant smile while committing murder.
Perfect Blue is available in Japanese with subtitles and English for those who don’t enjoy reading while watching slashers. The voice acting and music are stronger in the Japanese version but the English version has the great Wendee Lee, queen of the voice actors. Lee, the biggest name attached to the English version, has voiced characters for Robotech, Power Rangers, and scores of projects over the last thirty years. One brief warning for you slasher fans who are also parents. Don’t watch Perfect Blue with young children in the room. Animated films are usually thought of as “kid’s stuff” by Western audiences but Perfect Blue isn’t suitable for children.
I’m just impressed you managed to summarize this film’s plot (and in one paragraph too)! It took me three viewings to figure it out, but I must say I enjoyed it more and more each time. It’s VERY Brian De Palma, I think, and plenty Argento. I wish there were more anime movies like it. Great review!
well, there goes my plan to make a slasher anthology in anime….maybe I should do manga instead…
anyway, I saw the movie must now and I loved it. Thanks for the review! I never would had seen such beautiful movie if it wasn’t for this site. keep it up!
I’m gonna track this down…
Aww, You guys did not give me credit for mentioning it that one time!
Jokes aside, it’s nice that you gave this film it’s due. But do keep in mind that there are more where that came from……..
I agree with Lizzy, Time Animated Slashers get their due in the community.
don’t you mean “it’s time”?
Not just animated slashers guys, but slashers from Japan in general.
There are ones there just dying to be reviewed.
are there anymore animated slashers like this? Lizzy mentioned “more” so…
There’s Paranoia Agent, made by the same studio as Perfect Blue, same director too, I think.
Felidae, is one. But it’s from Germany I think.
When They Cry, is another anime example. There are sequels to it too.
There is one called Boogiepop Phantom that is pretty close.
And finally, Chaos;HEAd and Kara no Kyoukai.
Those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head, Some may not look the part, but looks are deceiving…..
I hope these get reviewed someday.
By the way, I will make a list of Live action slashers from Japan too, I will post it when I am finished.
There is also Goth, A live action movie adapted from a manga.
Deadman Wonderland is another anime with slashers.
Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni and Umineko No Naku Koro Ni are part of the When they Cry series, and they are VIOLENT.
Kite Liberator is a pretty good hybrid.
July should be the month of the Animated Slashers. Or the ones From Japan.
ah yes, Higurashi, I saw that one, yeah it’s like Harper’s Island except a set in a small town, a different story after three to five episodes and a lot gorier.
Also, had you ever seen this movie called DeathTube? It’s from japan and it’s really great! well, for me it is, unoriginal, but great. And then there’s ‘Chô’ kowai hanashi A: yami no karasu, a weird hodgepodge of slasher film, haunted house (or in this case, a convenience store), ghosts and even psychological thriller.
I saw Deathtube! It’s nice to find out other people have seen it.
Two other movies to add to the J-Town Slasher list:
Guard From the Underground (Jigoku no Keibiin), a slasher about a murderous Security guard.
Evil Dead Trap, considered one of the best J-horror films of all time.
Gawi / Nightmare, not from Japan, But a good slasher none the less.
and finally, Eko Eko Azarak: Wizard of Darkness.
I hope Thomas is reading these, or any of the Retro Moderators, this should give them some good material for the site.
Yeah, Retro Slashers, Let’s see some Japanese (animated or otherwise) slashers on the site!
Adding two more to the previous list:
Marronnier, a Japanese killer doll film
KILL DEVIL, another good hybrid film.
With all the good praise Evil Dead Trap has gotten, why hasn’t Retro Slashers taken a look at it?
COME ON RETRO SLASHERS DO REVIEWS ABOUT JAPANESE SLASHERS ALREADY!
The first urban legend and slashers I wrote was about Carved (aka The Slit Mouth Woman.) That’s a good slasher that takes one of Japan’s most famous urban legends and turns her into a Freddy like killer.
Marronier I have but haven’t watched yet. I love Junji Ito’s work, especially Tomie.
Evil Dead Trap I don’t have but plan on ordering. I’m also interested in Psycho Shark, a j-horror that combines Jaws with slashers.
Audition wasn’t mentioned but that’s a good one too.
(wow, that’s a lot of overlooked slasher flicks!…Time to go hunting~! XD)
Y’know this site covers 80s slashers at most, yet why hasn’t anyone here made a review of Evil Dead Trap yet?
Or how about Battle Royale, It’s another unholy blender mix of teen kill slasher and a bit of an action flick, but otherwise, it’s pretty decent as one.
Gawi/Nightmare is actually Korean. I saw it, Eun-ju/Kyung-Ha is pretty cute as a psycho-ghost. Love the Phone booth kill.
Though Audition doesn’t really do the teen-kill style of slasher movies, but rather it’s more of a De Palma style giallo. It’s good to know that somebody else mentioned this title.
It is really surprising that this site has yet to cover an Asian (Japan or otherwise) slasher, Especially Evil Dead Trap.
Like I said, I hope someone is looking at this reply page for inspiration.
Asian slashers please Retro Slashers? Others like Hysteria lives have done some. And you guys are the best Slasher site on the Web!
I hope that when you decide to do any (which you should) You will give them full reviews, not passing mentions. And you should give them the love and respect (the good ones of course!) that you give Italian and American slashers.
Please Guys!
So far, concerning Asian slashers, these are what I’d seen
Gawi/Nightmare (Korea)
Audition (Japan)
Evil Dead Trap (Japan)
Cursed (2004 Japan)
Death Bell 1 and 2 (Korea)
Darah (Indonesia, short film)
Rumah Darah/ Macabre (Indonesia, feature film base on the short film)
Dream Home (Hong Kong)
Long Khong/Art of the Devil 2 (Thailand)
Meat Grinder (Thailand)
Nightmare Detective (Japan)
Scared (2005 Thailand)
DeathTube/X-Games (Japan)
The Record (Korea)
Bedevilled (korea) <-HOT RELEASE btw!
999-9999 (Thailand)
Battle Royale (Japan)
To Sir With Love (Korea)
So far, I bought a copy of Goth…in the mean time, how about checking out a few of these titles and, well, see if ya like it. I really think this would be some great materials for this site.
THE DEADLY CAMP,from Hong Kong. Is a wonderful 80′s style slasher. LOOK AT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and then there’s Perfect Blue…all thanks to YOU! >8)
Don’t you mean us? Now Retro Slasher, Take this to the next level!
>8) Of course I meant You All! MAKE JULY ASIAN SLASHER MONTH!
Well, July is unmasked month, and that is a good idea but….MAKE AUGUST ASIAN SLASHER MONTH!
MAKE AUGUST ASIAN/ANIME SLASHER MONTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’ve seen a few of these. Another interesting one is Mahakaal:The Monster (1993). It’s one of at least two Bollywood Nightmare on Elm Street knock offs.
Wait, Does Bollywood count as Asian?