Recent Reviews
DVD Review: IMPRINT (Masters of Horror)
By Dave Dreher
Sep 24, 2006, 00:48

The notorious “banned from cable broadcast” Masters of Horror episode IMPRINT is coming out on DVD this Tues.  I got an early look at the disc.  As most of you who read the site with any regularity know, I am not a big j-horror fan.  Never have been, probably never will be but I do feel that I know the genre just a bit.  I know many of you are right now asking yourself “if this idiot knows he doesn’t like j-horror, then why in the hell is he reviewing a j-horror title?”  Good question my friend.  Truth is, I wasn’t going to review this title but after wasting an hour of my life on this mind numbing exercise of excess I felt I had to do something to justify the time I had just spent sitting through what for my money is probably the most vile piece of crap to ever enter my DVD player.

So, you’re probably guessing by now that I didn’t care for it. 

I know a lot of you out there are going to disagree with me and I urge each and every one of you to pick this title up and judge for yourself.  Remember, this is just my opinion and in the grand scheme of things who really give a shit what I think.

Much like The Devil’s Rejects and HOSTEL before it IMPRINT is a torture piece.  It is about some poor soul being dehumanized and abused to a point of madness or death.  I find nothing scary about this.  I do find it disturbing but we aren’t watching an episode of Masters of the Disturbing, we are watching Masters of Horror and I feel this episode not only falls short but has no business even being included in what I thought was a prestigious offering of horrors best.  Technically the episode in near flawless.  Beautifully shot, framed, lit, etc.  The fault lies squarely and directly on the material. 

I would never argue of Director Takaski Miike’s right to be included as a Master of Horror, I would only question his choice of material to represent himself in this medium.  After this viewing I can’t help but wonder the true reason why Garris and Co. chose to not include this film in the Showtime run.  I know they stated that some of the content was questionable, but wouldn’t that hold true for just about every episode of the series?  Seems like a bit of a cop out to me.

Truth be told, this episode is by far the weakest of the series.  I know I came down pretty hard on Tobe Hooper’s Dance of the Dead but IMPRINT makes Tobe’s outing look downright Oscar worthy.

The only IMPRINT this disc will be leaving is the dust ring that forms on the shelf around it because it will be a long time till this one finds it way into my player again.

On a brighter note Anchor Bay has once again pulled out the stop in special features and packaging.  If you decide to pick this one up here are all the goodies that will come with it and a quick synopsis of what it is all about:

Widescreen Presentation enhanced for 16x9 TVs

Also On DVD

Audio Commentary With Authors Chris D. and Wyatt Doyle

I Am The Film Director Of Love And Freedom: Takashi Miike

Imperfect Beauty

Imprinting

Screenplay (DVD-ROM)

Screensaver (DVD-ROM)

Still Gallery

Takashi Miike Bio

Trailers

In 19th century Japan, an American journalist (Billy Drago of THE HILLS HAVE EYES) searches for the prostitute he’d loved and left behind years earlier. But on an island where demons and whores rule the night, a deformed courtesan awaits with a tale of extreme cruelty and perverse vengeance.What follows is an unspeakable orgy of torment and depravity, where the lusts of the damned will inflict wounds that remain forever.This is IMPRINT.

Youki Kudoh of MYSTERY TRAIN and MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA co-stars in this justifiably controversial mindblower directed by Takashi Miike (AUDITION, ICHI THE KILLER), based on the Japanese horror novel Bokee Kyotee and adapted by AUDITION screenwriter Daisuke Tengan, now presented completely uncut and uncensored for the first time ever in America.

IMPRINT is available as of Sept. 26^th.