Guzoo: The Thing Forsaken by God – Part 1 is a 1986 Japanese monster horror film written and directed by Kazuo Komizu with additional writing from Hitoshi Matsuyama and Junzô Takagi. Kazuo is most notable for directing the gore films Entrails of a Virgin (1986), Entrails of a Beautiful Woman (1986), and Rusted Body: Guts of a Virgin III (1987).
Four college students spend a vacation at the house of their professor, whose daughter, unbeknownst to her guests, is conducting strange experiments on an ancient creature from another dimension. Unfortunately, this creature manages to escape and wreak havoc on the inhabitants.
Although only forty minutes in length, the film spends a large portion of its run time establishing its minuscule story and characters–certainly slowing the overall flow to a crawl for the first and second acts. However, when entering the third act is where this diamond in the rough really shines. The tedious exposition is replaced with ludicrous practical effects including a mass of violently flailing tentacles and gratuitous gore in an impressive display for such a low budget–more than making up for any tedium experienced. The gritty detail of these effects is reminiscent of the Guinea Pig series, capturing an unflinching view of these visceral acts of violence in all their glory.
Despite featuring an abundance of slimy appendages similar to certain adult titles such as the live-action La Blue Girl series, Guzoo: The Thing Forsaken by God lacks any sexual aspect throughout its runtime. Instead, it focuses on its monster horror elements rather than divulging into NSFW territory, undoubtedly easing the approachability of the film to those reluctant to explore the realms of fetish cinema.
Contrary to the naming convention used, Guzoo: The Thing Forsaken by God – Part 1 is the only film of its namesake. There has been zero evidence found over the years to suggest that the film is actually part of a series, with only the film’s title suggesting that there could be other entries. Whether director Kazuo Komizu intended to create an ongoing series of films following the same premise or the name was added for the sake of marketing a small-budget release is left up for debate at this point.
Despite its minuscule presence in the public eye, the film, as well Guzoo itself, still managed to gain a cult following throughout the years. The titular monster is even featured as an elder God in the recent H.P Lovecraft/Junji Ito-inspired 1bit horror game World of Horror—the primordial blob of tentacles and teeth acting as a game modifier and a neat little Easter egg for those in the know.
Residing as a bizarre mix of Nobuhiko Obayashi’s Hausu (1977) and John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness (1987), Guzoo: The Thing Forsaken by God – Part 1 produces all the enjoyable elements of this particular genre of cinema and delivers them in an easier-to-swallow, less NSFW package (if your workplace doesn’t mind excessive gore). The film is a must-watch for fans of WTF cinema, splatter horror as well as shokushu orientated media.
You can watch the entirety of Guzoo: The Thing Forsaken by God – Part 1 here (Just remember to turn on closed captions).
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Dr. Lamb (1992) Film Review – A Torrent of Torturous Turbulence
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The Transparent Woman (2015) Film Review – Modern Day Giallo
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An Interview with Kenichi Ugana – Film Director and Screenwriter
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Hey there, I’m Jim and I’m located in London, UK. I am a Writer and Managing Director here at Grimoire of Horror. A lifelong love of horror and writing has led me down this rabbit hole, allowing me to meet many amazing people and experience some truly original artwork. I specialise in world cinema, manga/graphic novels, and video games but will sometime traverse into the unknown in search of adventure.