Review by: L.L Soares
Date: 22nd May 2008
I was pretty excited when the American cable channel Showtime began showing their MASTERS
OF HORROR series. The idea behind the show was great. Take some top-notch, and mostly A-
List, horror directors and let them push the envelope and go further than past anthology shows.
The results, however, have been a mixed bag. Although I'd say that there have been more
interesting or downright good episodes than there have been clunkers.
Having seen the first season, the one thing that has struck me most is how Showtime has reneged
on their original concept. They have shied away from truly Subversive Cinema by first censoring
Dario Argento's episode JENIFER (an oral sex scene gone awry) and then refusing to air Takeshi
Miike's installment, IMPRINT.
Some of my favorite episodes of the show have been John Carpenter's stellar outing CIGARETTE
BURNS, John Landis's return to form in DEER WOMAN (a perfect blend of humor and horror that
harkens back to his AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON) and Argento's aforementioned, and
totally twisted, mini-masterpiece JENIFER.
But now, having seen Miike's banned episode, I think IMPRINT is easily the best of the bunch. This
isn't really much of a surprise. Miike's film AUDITON is in my top 10 of best horror movies (or any
movies) ever made, and he directs IMPRINT with the same kind of disturbed poetry that
permeates his best work.
Billy Drago, the quirky, intense actor who has appeared in everything from B-movies like the Chuck
Norris flick HERO AND THE TERROR and the recent HILLS HAVE EYES remake (as Papa Jupiter)
to television shows over the years, from T.J. HOOKER to CHARMED, plays Christopher, an
American who begins the episode taking an eerie late night boat ride, on a river full of corpses, to
an island in 1890s Japan. He has searched all over the country for the beautiful Komomo (Michie
Ito), his one true love, who he promised he would one day rescue and take away from her life of
prostitution.
The island is full of prostitutes, and while Komomo is not there, Christopher is forced to choose
someone else for the night. With dozens of women reaching out for him from behind barred
windows, he chooses an isolated woman (Youki Kudoh) at the back of the room, who it turns out
is disfigured.
When he is alone with his choice, the woman sees right through him and knows that he pines for
someone else. She gets him to talk about Komomo and his plans to find her, and then reveals that
she knew his great love. The prostitute then goes on to tell him the story of how his beloved
Komomo met her horrific end.
At first she tells him a story of how Komomo was the only one on the island to be nice to her, and
how the other prostitutes hated Komomo because of her beauty. When the Madame’s jade ring is
stolen, and Komomo is framed for the theft, the other women take great glee in finally having an
excuse to punish the girl who is prettier and thinks she is better than they are. They all bring her
to a punishment room, where they wait eagerly for Komomo’s comeuppance. What happens next is
a long, drawn-out torture scene involving at first burning incense and then long vicious needles
applied to fingernails and gums, which was probably a big part of Showtime’s reluctance to air the
episode.
Once the disfigured prostitute’s story is over, however, Christopher knows that she is not telling
the entire truth, and demands that she tells him everything. This results in her telling the story
twice more, about her own childhood and about how she met Komomo, and Komomo’s torture and
death. Each time, the story changes slightly. The structure of the episode is similar to the classic
Japanese film RASHOMON, except that instead of telling the story from several characters’ point
of view, IMPRINT tells us multiple versions of the same story from one person's.
I do not want to give too much away, but, as the story gets more horrific with each telling, we
start getting into such taboo areas as incest and abortion (probably the number one reason why
this episode did not air on American TV). Throughout, there is a strong surreal quality to the
proceedings that makes us feel as if we’re drifting through a nightmare, up to the ending which is
completely bizarre, yet effective.
I thought the lead actors were all good, even Drago whose character seems to be a little over the
top in some scenes. Drago’s performance worked for me, however, and added to the nightmarish
tone.
Miike is a director who does not shy away from shocking images and truly disturbing subject
matter, but he is also a visual poet, and there is as much beauty and strong use of color in
IMPRINT as there is repulsive and terrifying imagery.
While I did think IMPRINT was a strong, disturbing film, and am not surprised by Showtime’s
timidity in not showing this episode, especially in the current political climate here, I do not agree
with their decision at all. IMPRINT is a very powerful episode and Miike is a true artist. Since
horror is supposed to push our buttons, Miike succeeds in proving that he is a true Master of the
genre. If it had caused more controversy by being aired, then it would have simply confirmed the
promise of the series. A premium cable channel that claims to offer true freedom to film makers
needs to stick to its guns.
I suppose we should be thankful that IMPRINT has seen the light of day at all, and that we’re
finally able to watch it on DVD. But I find it supremely ironic that the one episode they didn’t show
was the crown jewel of the bunch.
Date: 22nd May 2008
I was pretty excited when the American cable channel Showtime began showing their MASTERS
OF HORROR series. The idea behind the show was great. Take some top-notch, and mostly A-
List, horror directors and let them push the envelope and go further than past anthology shows.
The results, however, have been a mixed bag. Although I'd say that there have been more
interesting or downright good episodes than there have been clunkers.
Having seen the first season, the one thing that has struck me most is how Showtime has reneged
on their original concept. They have shied away from truly Subversive Cinema by first censoring
Dario Argento's episode JENIFER (an oral sex scene gone awry) and then refusing to air Takeshi
Miike's installment, IMPRINT.
Some of my favorite episodes of the show have been John Carpenter's stellar outing CIGARETTE
BURNS, John Landis's return to form in DEER WOMAN (a perfect blend of humor and horror that
harkens back to his AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON) and Argento's aforementioned, and
totally twisted, mini-masterpiece JENIFER.
But now, having seen Miike's banned episode, I think IMPRINT is easily the best of the bunch. This
isn't really much of a surprise. Miike's film AUDITON is in my top 10 of best horror movies (or any
movies) ever made, and he directs IMPRINT with the same kind of disturbed poetry that
permeates his best work.
Billy Drago, the quirky, intense actor who has appeared in everything from B-movies like the Chuck
Norris flick HERO AND THE TERROR and the recent HILLS HAVE EYES remake (as Papa Jupiter)
to television shows over the years, from T.J. HOOKER to CHARMED, plays Christopher, an
American who begins the episode taking an eerie late night boat ride, on a river full of corpses, to
an island in 1890s Japan. He has searched all over the country for the beautiful Komomo (Michie
Ito), his one true love, who he promised he would one day rescue and take away from her life of
prostitution.
The island is full of prostitutes, and while Komomo is not there, Christopher is forced to choose
someone else for the night. With dozens of women reaching out for him from behind barred
windows, he chooses an isolated woman (Youki Kudoh) at the back of the room, who it turns out
is disfigured.
When he is alone with his choice, the woman sees right through him and knows that he pines for
someone else. She gets him to talk about Komomo and his plans to find her, and then reveals that
she knew his great love. The prostitute then goes on to tell him the story of how his beloved
Komomo met her horrific end.
At first she tells him a story of how Komomo was the only one on the island to be nice to her, and
how the other prostitutes hated Komomo because of her beauty. When the Madame’s jade ring is
stolen, and Komomo is framed for the theft, the other women take great glee in finally having an
excuse to punish the girl who is prettier and thinks she is better than they are. They all bring her
to a punishment room, where they wait eagerly for Komomo’s comeuppance. What happens next is
a long, drawn-out torture scene involving at first burning incense and then long vicious needles
applied to fingernails and gums, which was probably a big part of Showtime’s reluctance to air the
episode.
Once the disfigured prostitute’s story is over, however, Christopher knows that she is not telling
the entire truth, and demands that she tells him everything. This results in her telling the story
twice more, about her own childhood and about how she met Komomo, and Komomo’s torture and
death. Each time, the story changes slightly. The structure of the episode is similar to the classic
Japanese film RASHOMON, except that instead of telling the story from several characters’ point
of view, IMPRINT tells us multiple versions of the same story from one person's.
I do not want to give too much away, but, as the story gets more horrific with each telling, we
start getting into such taboo areas as incest and abortion (probably the number one reason why
this episode did not air on American TV). Throughout, there is a strong surreal quality to the
proceedings that makes us feel as if we’re drifting through a nightmare, up to the ending which is
completely bizarre, yet effective.
I thought the lead actors were all good, even Drago whose character seems to be a little over the
top in some scenes. Drago’s performance worked for me, however, and added to the nightmarish
tone.
Miike is a director who does not shy away from shocking images and truly disturbing subject
matter, but he is also a visual poet, and there is as much beauty and strong use of color in
IMPRINT as there is repulsive and terrifying imagery.
While I did think IMPRINT was a strong, disturbing film, and am not surprised by Showtime’s
timidity in not showing this episode, especially in the current political climate here, I do not agree
with their decision at all. IMPRINT is a very powerful episode and Miike is a true artist. Since
horror is supposed to push our buttons, Miike succeeds in proving that he is a true Master of the
genre. If it had caused more controversy by being aired, then it would have simply confirmed the
promise of the series. A premium cable channel that claims to offer true freedom to film makers
needs to stick to its guns.
I suppose we should be thankful that IMPRINT has seen the light of day at all, and that we’re
finally able to watch it on DVD. But I find it supremely ironic that the one episode they didn’t show
was the crown jewel of the bunch.
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Masters Of Horror: Imprint
DVD/APPROX. 63 MINS/2006/USA-JAPAN UNRATED
DVD/APPROX. 63 MINS/2006/USA-JAPAN UNRATED
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