The iconic snuff movie myth of 1980s and 1990s VHS culture is explored in this bloody direct-to-video shocker from Yamanouchi Daisuke, as a journalist investigates a notorious snuff video, only to face unexpected horrors along the trail.
One of VHS culture’s most enduring myths is that of the snuff movie, a topic that was hot already, but became massive with the arrival of home video. The 1980s and 1990s saw fiction films galore made on the subject. And this one feels almost like a summary of that sub genre in horror, as well as a reflection on it. At first, Muzan-e: AV Girl satsujin Video wa sonzai shita! appears a bit like investigative documentary filmmaking, with a female journalist chasing the trail of a notorious snuff video and its origins. But then, things take an unexpected turn… Part of the charm of smut maestro Yamanouchi Daisuke’s most famous exercise in horror, lies in the nature of its production as a direct-to-video release, that is, as a film meant to be watched at home, most likely alone, just like a snuff movie. In addition, the film shows us quite a few video stores, which adds a lovely vérité dimension. And, yes, there will be blood, and lots of it…
