Goke, Body Snatcher From Hell

The 'Gokemidora' (that name is like something ripped from old time Dr.Who) is my kind of alien -- a blue, putrid, gooey puddle who creeps across a spaceship floor like runaway diarrhea . Shapeless, perhaps attractive on his own planet, mean-spirted, evil, he defines what a monster -- a thing! -- really is. I love the Gokemidora. I love him for his otherworldly ways.

Goke - Body Snatcher From Hell (When Horror Came to Shockiku collection; Criterion) , is perfect Japanese pulp, a film so nutty, so inventive, so gosh darn entertaining, it plays like an unearthed Ed Wood film from an alternative universe where Ed insisted on solid production values, eschewed stock footage, pressured his writer to strengthen the characterizations, but forged ahead, as Eddie always did, with audacious concepts that were truly his own.

Of course, Ed didn't direct Goke; that credit goes to Hajime Sato, the talented director of one of Japan's genuine (almost) unseen gems, the '65 Ghost of the Hunchback (aka House of Terrors aka Kaidan aidan semushi otoko; Toei); a film whose only Western release was in Italy. For a while, a crappy VHS of the Italian release did the grey market rounds, and that's how I caught and fell immediately in love with its utter strangeness, insanity, and thick mood.

For big hunchback fans, it's the cat's meow.

The Italian release is dubbed.

Below is the stunning colour poster:

Horror and sci-fi meet and greet in Goke, a true original that fuses outrage at the war in Vietnam (and war itself) with a survival story not unlike Ishiro Honda's brilliant Matango, released five years earlier. After a plane encounters shabby weather, a distressed, red sky, a terrorist threat, and a close call with a light resembling the outer glow of a saucer, the pilot manages to crashland the craft on a rocky plateau where creepy horrors lurk. The feel for atmosphere and suspense that Sato demonstrated so well in Hunchback is in plentiful supply in Goke. While finessing a strong science fiction scenario, Sato lays on the scares and surprises with masterful strokes, a rich choice of colors, and an exotic location. Stunning cinematography by Shizuo Hirase, who also shot The X From Outer Space and Genocide (two other titles included in this box set), and fine special effects and miniature work, combine to produce a stellar work truly deserving classic status.

The film's climax features a superb shot of dozens of glowing alien spaceships hurtling towards a compromised version of our home planet. It's a grand, epic ending that Ed Wood would have applauded. Of course, by '68, (when Goke hit screens) Ed had had his heyday (relatively speaking), and his finest works, Plan 9 From Outer Space, and Bride of the Monster, were already nine and fourteen years old respectively. One watches Goke with warm appreciation for its purity and innocence, and laments how terribly calculated and bloated so much sci-fi and horror is these days.

The fourth film in this wonderful box set is the hypnotic Living Skeleton, a film I've covered on this blog several times already over the years, and surely an influence on John Carpenter's The Fog.

A link is here: http://phantomofpulp.blogspot.com/2009/07/living-skeletons-never-die.html

The Criterion version is, for the first time, officially subtitled in English, while the transfer appears similar to the Shockiku Japanese DVD I've reviewed.

If you're curious about Goke's true origins, the film doesn't go there. Although he's a body snatcher in the tradition of flicks like The Thing and The Hidden, he's most probably not from hell. Unless hell is running trips to Earth via spaceship these days.

Plan to spend an evening with the 'Gokemidora'. I won't say he doesn't bite. That would be denying his true nature.

DVD's and Blu-Rays You Must Not miss

 

If you enjoyed the brilliant Animalada (Synapse), you'll appreciate this unofficial companion film on the same subject. Director Ulrich Seidl has a unique voice and a sharp eye for composition. 

 

Graeme Whifler's Neighborhood Watch was retitled Deadly End, a shitty, generic title. But don't be fooled. This ultra-dark and disturbing horror flick has a Stuart Gordon sensibility and grim intentions. It's set in a world not unlike Gordon's King of the Ants crossed with the paranoia landscape of Arlington Road. 

 

Recommended to me by my dear friend John Arden, a true aficionado of cinema, it's a strange and fascinating '72 flick that bears similarities to Bob Clark's Deathdream, but it's a unique beast that blends a simple love story with a tale of grotesque dread. The horror is too undercooked for some (read most reviews), but I liked it very much, and thought it massively original.

 

Nothing I can add to the chorus of approval on this little number, the late Ken Russell's epic on religious hysteria. The BFI DVD is as good as this film will ever look on anything but Blu-Ray.  

 

A new transfer from the Brits, excellent liner notes, and a fine piece of foreign poster art. The film almost feels quaint now in a Fred West kind of way.  

 

This ball-tearing crime drama (a British four-parter) features a killer cast and enough violence, intrigue, sleaze, and appalling behavior to power a movie studio for a month. Underseen and underappreciated, it is a revelation, and more than equal to material churning from paycablers such as HBO.

 

I know grotesque, so when I say this is truly grotesque, trust me. Bondage Game doesn't begin to describe the glorious, brain-damaged filth on display here. Only for true enthusiasts. 

 

True crime is going ratings-crazy on Australian TV, and there seems to be a new recreation of some criminal's appalling life every time you open the TV guide. This assembly of appalling behavior is hard-hitting and as fascinating as Chopper.   

 

 

Andrzej Zulawski's L'Amour Braque is riveting stuff, and this DVD from Mondo Vision is essential.

 

Stunning Hungarian classic about a serial seducer is given immaculate restoration treatment by the UK's Second Run.

 

Almost a lost movie until now, Lost Boundaries, from the Warner Archives, tells the fascinating and true story of a black doctor who decides to be a white man (for good reason). A true curiosity from the 40's.

 

Another stellar recommendation from the indefatigable Mr. Arden, this true New Zealand crime drama focuses on a notorious shooter who became the worst mass murderer in the country's history. Directed in a documentary-like style, it assembles character details (of victims and shooter) that are jaw-dropping.    

 

Love the book, loved the film when I first saw it almost two decades ago. This new Blu-Ray from Summit is of the highest quality, and there are some fantastic extras including a directory commentary and vintage behind-the-scenes footage. 

 

This searing drama about a community's reaction to the slapping of a child at a party went off like six months of fireworks when it was first screened in Australia, triggering heated debate and much controversy. It really is an extraordinary piece of writing and filmmaking, and is blessed with incredible performances.   

 

This Blu-Ray of one of the best films ever made is demonstration quality, and it stands the test of time like no other. 

 

Six staggering installments in which cameras not only follow, but actually ride the backs of birds in flight as they cross the world in search of food. Stunning photography, a rousing score, and a celebration of a creature whose ingenuity knows no bounds. One of the best nature documentaries I've ever seen.

 

This is funny. It's a restoration (from Legend Films) of Plan 9 (for colorization purposes). The best part: The "extra" is the original, black and white version (also restored), so all is forgiven. Great to see Ed getting his due. 

This just arrived today. From the rundown of what it includes on the back cover, it's obligatory viewing. From Synapse.