Title: The Sylvian Experiments (AKA Kyofu)
Directed by: Hiroshi Takahashi
Starring: Yôko Chôsokabe, Mina Fujii and Momoko Hatano
Running time: 95 minutes, Rated R
Dr. Hattori and her husband watch footage of brain surgery experiments that end in a blinding light. To their horror, they discover their young daughters Kaori and Miyuki standing behind them watching the same film. Years later Miyuki and some other teenagers disappear from a university hospital, and Kaori attempts to find out what happened; however she soon discovers that Miyuki and her friends have been subjected to the same brain experiments at the hands of their mother Dr. Hattori.
I’m going to put it bluntly, this movie was effing weird. I was totally and completely lost on the whole plot. The mom is doing bizarre brain experiments on people intending to commit suicide, all to catch the vision one sees of the afterlife, or to discover if there really is an afterlife. Then some chick who is supposedly a virgin becomes pregnant with the afterlife, and is locked away in some isolated house craving raw meat; and once her baby/the afterlife is born it will eat everyone. Yeah, I know it’s a total WTF kind of film.
The movie itself is pretty boring, and I know for a fact I will never watch it again. It’s disappointing because director Hiroshi Takahashi wrote the cult classic Ringu (AKA The Ring); and even though he also penned this one, I just didn’t get it. I actually fell asleep halfway through and had to go back and re watch it, but it still didn’t make the ending understandable. It’s in Japanese with English subtitles and there are no bonus features on the disc. If you like confusing and bizarre movies with no real ending or resolution, then it’s perfect for you.
Total rating: F
Reviewed by: JM Willis
