A legendary,
but seldom-seen masterpiece of horror from Japan. Damned by the critics
upon its release in 1960, this movie was heavily criticized for its huge
helpings of sex and explicit violence... but Mr Nakagawa's film has stood
the test of time, and today it is recognized as one the great Nippon motion
pictures.
Two men are
condemned to Hell after being involved in a manslaughter slaying. They
explore this ghastly netherworld (similar to the layers of Dante's Inferno),
filled with countless tortures and hideous punishment. Sinners are flogged,
beaten, pierced, skinned, dismembered, and much more.
This movie
is director Nakagawa's most ambitious project. He spent seven months shooting
it (longer by four months than any of his previous productions), using
much of his own money in the process. While many critics consider GHOST
STORY OF YOTSUYA his masterpiece, this one is the more challenging
film. Nobuo Nakagawa was generally consider 'the Master of the Japanese
thrillers,' often called the 'Nippon Hitchcock.' His films were
enormously successful because they appealed to both the high and lowbrow
audiences, appreciated as two dimensional psychological thrillers. His
best known movies are SNAKE
WOMAN'S CURSE, LADY
VAMPIRE, GHOST
CAT MANSION, THE
GHOST STORY OF KASANE SWAMP and DEATH
ROW WOMAN. After helming 100 films, Mr Nakagawa died from a stroke
in 1984 at age 79.
A Japanese
film with optional ON/OFF English subtitles; widescreen uncut (101 min)
version in DVD encoded for ALL REGIONS, playable on any American DVD
machine; Extras include theatrical trailer.
Violence/Adult
Content/Gore:
Viewer discretion is advised
![Hell [Jigoku] (1960) Nobuo Nakagawa directs | Fully Uncut](Images/vd4747_1.jpg "Hell [Jigoku] (1960) Nobuo Nakagawa directs | Fully Uncut")
