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Baptism Of Blood
AKA Senrei
Directed By Kenichi Yoshihara
Released: 1996
Starring: Rie Imamura, Risa Akikawa, Chihiro Tago, and Naoko Amihama
Running Time: 93 minutes
DVD Released By Asia Pulp Cinema
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Beautiful film actress Matsuko Uehara (played by
Risa Akikawa) goes into hiding after she develops a disfiguring skin
disease. She and Dr. Edmond Meredith (Tatsuya Go) plan to use his brain
transplant machine to give her a younger body. Fifteen years later, they
finally have the perfect specimen: Matsuko’s teenage daughter Sakura
(played by Rie Imamura). As if Sakura didn’t have enough problems what
with her lecherous piano teacher, Masahiko (Chihiro Tago), she now has to
deal with her mom’s body-snatching? Geez!
Kenichi Yoshihara directs Baptism Of
Blood a film that is proof that
sometimes things are obscure for a reason and your directorial debut can
also be your swan song. Okay, maybe I’m being a little hasty here.
Yoshihara hasn’t made a film in 11 years but after this one, I have to say
he’s probably done. Anyway… What
Baptism Of Blood lacks in plot,
acting, and pacing, it (nearly) makes up for in all out kookiness. The
film sports a low budget (except where gore effects are involved) and
ultra-minimal sets that actually work in its favor.
There are these weird moments when the planets align and
Baptism Of Blood
actually kicks out the jams for a moment or two. The scene where Sakura
(with Matsuko’s brain in her body) threatens Kazuyo’s baby carriage (with
her baby inside it!) with a minivan is amazing. There’s also a beautiful
bitch-slap session when Matsuko pummels one of Sakura’s friends for
accidentally scratching her perfect face. Reverse Oscar for everyone
involved! Do they make Academy Award statues sitting on a little gold
toilet? Boy, I’d love to hand those bastards out!
If you have an unequivocal love of Japanese horror films then
Baptism Of Blood
will either stretch it to the breaking point or kill it completely. You
will be as astounded by the absence of an even remotely mediocre ending as
you will by the audaciousness of the phallicized brain switching machine.
So that’s where the money went! Straight to the big black penis apparatus!
Thank you, thesaurus.
Oh, if only the plot have held out we might have a minor bad classic on
our hands. The film is quite kinky and sometimes just plain wrong. The
whole thing with 15 year old Sakura (with Matsuko’s brain in her body!)
sleeping with her piano teacher… No comment. The clunkiness of the script,
the not-so-subtle perverse themes, the unintentional hilarity, and some
nasty gore scenes make this an interesting viewing experience to say the
least. I’m going to go out on a limb here and actually say that I actually
really like this one but please, please understand how terrible this is
before you muster up the courage to face the misleadingly titled
Baptism Of Blood.
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Links:
For more info, hit up
Asia Pulp Cinema.
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More Screenshots Here
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