Description
Title: Guzoo: The Thing Forsaken by God – Part I (1986)
Alternate Titles: Life After Dead; Guzoo: La Creatura Dimenticata da Dio; Guzû: Kami ni misuterareshi mono
Genre: Horror, Science Fiction
Plot Synopsis: Four high school girls—Minako, Yuka, Katsuko, and Mayumi—decide to spend their vacation at a secluded summer home owned by Minako’s father, a professor of archaeology. Upon arrival, they are greeted by Tomoko Kujô, the professor’s assistant, who is conducting mysterious research in the basement. The girls notice strange occurrences, including a foul odor and missing mirrors. Unbeknownst to them, a horrific creature with tentacles, known as Guzoo, resides in the basement. This ancient being, abandoned by God and following a different evolutionary path, begins to prey on the girls, leading to a series of gruesome and terrifying events.
Cast and Crew:
- Director: Kazuo ‘Gaira’ Komizu
- Writers: Kazuo ‘Gaira’ Komizu (screenplay), Hitoshi Matsuyama (story), Junzô Takagi (story)
- Cast:
- Yumiko Ishikawa as Minako Takamura
- Naomi Kajitani as Yuka Nagai
- Kyôko Komiyama as Katsuko Ôsawa
- Tomoko Maruyama as Mayumi Kawasaki
- Hidemi Maruyama as Tomoko Kujô
IMDb Link: Guzoo: The Thing Forsaken by God – Part I (1986)
Reviews from Letterboxd:
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c h r i s – ★★★★★ “Very much my kind of Lovecraftian SOV Japanese monster flick clocking in under 40 minutes which in turn has plenty going for it.”
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Lou (rhymes with wow!) – ★★★☆☆ “A short-ish movie from Japan where four girlfriends encounter/fall victim to a tentacle monster, while vacationing in a secluded holiday home. Contains kills with lots of goopy gore and a monster that stepped straight out of a campy 50’s B-movie.”
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Ian West – ★★★★☆ “It’s hard not to admire a ero-guro Prince of Darkness. Needs more Guzoo… but I can’t fault this for that because this is the best kind of sleazy tentacle decadence.”
Meta Description: “Guzoo: The Thing Forsaken by God – Part I” (1986) is a Japanese horror-science fiction film directed by Kazuo ‘Gaira’ Komizu. The story follows four high school girls who, during a vacation at a secluded summer home, encounter a horrific tentacled creature in the basement, leading to gruesome and terrifying events.
Title: Conton (1987)
Alternate Title: Jûshin densetsu
Genre: Horror, Science Fiction, Drama
Plot Synopsis:
Goh, a college student, is plagued by recurring nightmares in which he is pursued by a grotesque demon. As his dreams intensify, they begin to blur with reality, leading him into a terrifying descent where the boundaries between his subconscious fears and the real world become indistinguishable. Simultaneously, Goh faces relentless harassment from yakuza loan sharks, further exacerbating his mental turmoil. The film explores themes of psychological horror, the impact of stress on perception, and the manifestation of inner demons.
Cast and Crew:
- Director: Takuro Fukuda
- Writer: Takuro Fukuda
- Cast:
- Kazuhisa Kawahara as Yakuza Leader
- Katou Tadayoshi as Goh
- Kyoko Katayama as Emi
- Manta Yamamoto
- Noriko Irikura
IMDb Link:
Conton (1987)
Reviews from Letterboxd:
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c h r i s – ★★★½
“Mega ultra sweaty rubber monster nightmare mayhem… just enough gross out moments involving melty-face and vomit regurgitation.” -
ELECTRICWIZARDx – ★★★½
“Japanese v-cin SOV gore and monster FX short leaning heavily into late 80s camp.” -
Ziglet_mir – ★★
“Conton portrays the dreams of a young boy melding into his reality… The grainy VHS quality of the rip only adds to the atmosphere.”
Meta Description:
“Conton” (1987), directed by Takuro Fukuda, is a Japanese horror film that delves into the psyche of Goh, a college student tormented by nightmares of a demon. As his dreams encroach upon reality, Goh’s life spirals into chaos, confronting themes of psychological terror and the thin line between dream and reality.
plus Bonus:
Title: Thriller Zone (1995)
Genre: Horror
Plot Synopsis:
“Thriller Zone” is a horror anthology comprising three distinct segments:
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The Last Hand: After surviving a heart attack, Morty returns to his regular poker game, only to be confronted by a sinister figure he thought was dead. As guilt consumes him, Morty begins to experience disturbing hallucinations.
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The Final Hour: Set in the year 2213, a convicted murderer is transported for an appeal trial and forms an unexpected connection with the ship’s pilot.
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Fanatical Extreme: A condensed version of the 1982 film The Last Horror Film, this segment follows taxi driver Vinny Durand as he obsessively attempts to cast his favorite actress in his horror movie, leading to unsettling consequences.
Cast and Crew:
- Directors: David Winters, Glenn Takakjian, Lawrence L. Simeone
- Cast:
- William Forsythe as Marcus Deerfield (segment “The Final Hour”)
- Carol Kottenbrook (segment “The Final Hour”)
- Robin Leach as Second Reporter (segment “Fanatical Extreme”)
- Caroline Munro as Jana Bates (segment “Fanatical Extreme”)
- Joe Spinell as Vinny Durand (segment “Fanatical Extreme”)
IMDb Link:
Thriller Zone (1995)
Reviews from Letterboxd:
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Kaijuman – ★½
“No joke, the final 50 minutes in this horror anthology is a condensed version of The Last Horror Film (1982). It’s the highlight of the entire damn movie because it’s a legitimate cult classic and Joe Spinell rules.” -
Bruce Rogers – ★★★½
“The first two shorts are both okay in that mid-nineties SYFY channel story with a twist way, but the truncated The Last Horror Film that rounds out the trilogy was a real treat and surprise.”
Meta Description:
“Thriller Zone” (1995) is a horror anthology featuring three segments: The Last Hand, exploring guilt and hallucinations; The Final Hour, a futuristic tale of a convict’s journey; and Fanatical Extreme, a condensed version of The Last Horror Film (1982), delving into obsession and the dark side of fandom.
