What’s up sickos. Felix here to give you my thoughts on the American Guinea Pig series. This continuation of the Japanese cult series comes courtesy of the fine folks at Unearthed Films. Who have been delivering the filthiest films from around the world to gore-hounds everywhere for over 18 years now.
If you’re a horror fan of any type, chances are you have at least one of their amazing products on you your DVD shelf. They were also the first to deliver official versions of the original Guinea Pig series stateside. After years of the series lying dormant Stephen Biro and company decided to resurrect the IP and produce a heaping dose of carnage and gore for horror fans everywhere.
American Guinea Pig: Bouquet of Guts and Gore(2014) Directed by Stephen Biro
Two young woman are kidnapped and tortured. The first entry in the series is an obvious homage to the best and most infamous Guinea Pig film, Flower of Flesh and Blood. Bouquet of Guts and Gore features everything one would want from Guinea Pig film, like plenty of guts and gore.
However, the movie does fumble a bit in a few areas. Firstly, it has some serious pacing issues. Secondly, while the special effects are amazing, they aren’t always shot in the most flattering and ideal way causing them to lose some of their desired effect. All in all, it was a solid starting point for the new series.
American Guinea Pig: Bloodshock (2015) Directed by Marcus Koch
A man is mysteriously imprisoned and forced to endure endless torture at the hands of a mad doctor. Bloodshock is a step up from Bouquet of Guts and Gore is a lot ways, but still suffers from many of the same issues that plagued the first entry.
With that being said, Bloodshock is easily my personal favorite of the new Guinea Pig movies. It features one of my all time favorite endings ever regardless of genre. Containing one of the bloodiest, entertaining and frantic sex scenes I’ve ever witnessed. This sequence alone is worth the price of admission.
American Guinea Pig: Sacrifice Directed by Poison Rouge
A man mutilates and sacrifices himself to a demon goddess. Solid production values and top notch make up effects solidifies Sacrifice as most extreme film in the series. All taking place in mostly one location. Sacrifice feature 60mins of a man brutally harming himself in disgusting and bloody ways.
Now, I might be biased because self mutilation is something I find very hard to stomach, but I had a real difficult time keeping my eyes on the screen throughout the films runtime. Sacrifice is a must see for hardcore fans of extreme cinema and puts classics like Tamakichi Anaru’s Women’s Flesh: My Red Guts to shame
American Guinea Pig: Song Of Solomon
An exorcism is performed on a young woman possessed by an evil spirit. Song of Soloman checks every box, strong direction, solid cinematography, great gore and a straight forward narrative.
For me, this easily places it in the number one position. It’s not only a good extreme film but a good horror film. Some might disagree but this is on par with or better than 99% of the straight to VOD horror movies released. If not better… at least more enjoyable in my opinion. Oh and it features DYI indy icon Jim Van Bebber (Deadbeat at Dawn, The Manson Family) if you needed to another reason to check this one out.
Final Thoughts
Opinions may very, but I feel as though the American Guinea Pig films are a fine addition to its Japanese counter part. And I do hope they make more in the future.
If you’re a fan of extreme horror cinema, you are already aware of these movies and have viewed them countless times. You can probably glance over from where you’re sitting now and see the spines of your pre ordered DVDs. But, if you’re new to the genre or fans of the original series, the American Guinea Pig films are well worth checking out.
Remember to always support the underground. Long live the new flesh. Thanks and see you guys and gals next time!
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