It Came from the East: Thrilling Installment #1 by Adam Blomquist

Any horror fan with eyes in their head has noticed the influx of Asian horror over the last decade or so. The shelves of Best Buy, Borders and Amazon.com are clogged with DVDs and books hailing from Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea and the multiplexes are jammed with remakes of the same films. With so much being imported, it can’t all be good, and it isn’t. Finding new and exciting fears is part of what makes our beloved genre great, and there are plenty to be had if one is willing to open their mind beyond countless slasher flicks and the same recycled stolen Stephen King plotlines (not that there is anything wrong with some good ol’ American horror). So take my hand, and join me as we look at some treasures of Asia you might not be familiar with as we look at Japan’s In the Miso Soup(1997) and Hong Kong’s We’re Going to Eat You (1980).

Many readers of mainstream literature are familiar with Japan’s most acclaimed author, Haruki Murakami, but few know about the other Murakami. Ryu Murakami (no relation to Haruki) is the author of many novels, but sadly only a few of them have English translations. He is perhaps most famous in the United States as the author of Audition, which was turned into the classic film of the same name by director Takashi Miike. Although Murakami has written in a number of genres it is his horror work that stands out. Of these, there is one of particular interest to any one reading this column, a quick, sick read known as In the Miso Soup. It is a short novel set to the back drop of present day Tokyo’s thriving underground sex trade.

The story centers around a Japanese tour guide, Kenji, who specializes in giving foreign clients tours of Tokyo’s sex industry. When he gets a strange new American patron, Frank, he begins to wonder whether he is in fact leading a crazed serial killer around Tokyo’s nightlife. The stakes are raised when Kenji’s girlfriend becomes involved and the tension builds quickly, leading to a bloody and surprising denumount. Do not let the words “serial killer” scare you off though; In the Miso Soup involves more thinking than hacking.

The real treat here is not the serial killer plot, the seedy sex or the (admittedly sickening) gore, but Murakami’s deft social, sexual and cultural commentary. In the Miso Soup is told from the perspective of Kenji, and he addresses the reader as an outsider, describing Tokyo and its bizarre nightlife as he would to one of his clients. This structure not only makes it a perfect starting point for Western audiences, but also offers some interesting reflections on how the rest of the world sees America. Those interested in gender roles and their representation in the horror genre will also find a lot to digest in the novel, questions of prostitution, violence against women, and relationships.

At only 200 pages it is hard to believe one novel can pack so much and still not feel rushed, but In the Miso Soup is required reading for anyone looking to take the plunge into modern Japanese horror lit. It is available in paperback from Penguin.

If director Tsui Hark is the Hong Kong analog for America’s Sam Raimi (as he rose from humble, independent efforts to big blockbuster films) than 1980’s We’re Going to Eat You is Hark’s The Evil Dead (1981, Hark’s film predates it by a year).

A zany blend of kung fu, spy, splatter, and comedy genres, with a political comment (similar to Romero’s Dawn of the Dead), We’re Going to Eat You surpasses the expectations set by its ludicrous title. It is also a fine example of some of the things that make Hong Kong’s brand of horror so appealing.

Dating from the early day’s of the island country’s film industry the Hong Kong cinema has always been about spectacle. From the time of the first two major studios (Shaw Brothers and Cathay Studios) the Hong Kong model has been to look at the advances and trends of other cultures and push their innovations to the brink, creating an at times derivative but undeniably striking national cinema.

The story concerns a government agent as he searches a secluded island for a famed thief. He quickly discovers that the island is home to a village of cannibals and must band together with a rag-tag group of survivors to put an end to the villager’s reign of terror and escape with all their appendages intact.

Some of the many highlights of the film include a running joke with a humungous villager in drag trying to “catch” a husband, some over-the-top gore, and a final battle that includes roller skates and fireworks (!). There are liberal nods to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and even a few musical cues lifted from Italian classic Suspira, emphasizing Hong Kong’s predilection towards “borrowing” ideas and making them their own.

The film is highly critical of organized religion and the idea of Hong Kong preserving a “Chinese identity” at the cost of its own, but due to its overall silliness, it can hardly be called a protest piece.

As an early entry in the now-overdone “splatshtick” sub-sub genre of horror comedy, We’re Going to Eat You is a film that must be seen to be believed. It is available on DVD from Tokyo Shock.