Blu-ray Review: Audition (1999)

January 26, 2019

Written by DanXIII

Daniel XIII; the result of an arcane ritual involving a King Diamond album, a box of Count Chocula, and a copy of Swank magazine, is a screenwriter, director, producer, actor, artist, and reviewer of fright flicks…Who hates ya baby?

Audition is a classic fright flick that catapulted the absolutely insane mother fucker that is Takashi Miike in to the hearts of gonzo cinema lovers worldwide (though he was already el hombre in his home turf of Japan thanks to some rather bloody fare such as Fudoh: The New Generation) and most of you gore hounds have certainly laid your eerie eyeballs on it at some point since it’s release 20 fuckin’ years ago (holy shit…). Anyway, if you haven’t here’s a brief sinister synopsis before I get into why this new Blu-ray edition comin’ your way from Arrow Video and their beastly bedfellows MVD Entertainment is worth your hard earned dough…
Shigeharu Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi), a middle-aged widower, is catching static from his 17-year-old son, Shigehiko (Tetsu Sawaki) to get back on the dating bicycle and join the Tour De Trim (so to speak). At the urging of a pal, Aoyama begins hiding auditions for a new wife, and he immediately begins thinking with his dick and falls for the ultimate hottie that should be considered a nottie; Asami Yamazaki (Eihi Shiina). Why is Asami a “nottie”? Well she’s as fucked up as she is hot…and by fucked up, I mean she’s in to removing men’s body parts as she sees fit…just ask the dude that is basically a torso that she keeps in a sack and feeds her vomit to. Will Aoyama survive his obsession with his body intact, or will Asami’s torturous ways spell his demise?
For better or worse audition became a trend setter in the world of exploitation cinema, and it’s pop culture acceptance led (for better or worse depending on your personal tastes) to the creation of mega-hits such as the Saw and Hostel series. But, as with most exploitation cinema, there is a bit of an underdog takes revenge/social commentary vibe going on. Asami does what she does due to her mistreatment by men in her past, taking her fate in her own hands and becoming a manifestation of the often marginalized woman play in Japanese culture. That’s heady stuff for a film preoccupied with slurppin’ up barf and cuttin’ off limbs willy-nilly…but that’s what makes the piece both memorable and enduring (i mean here we are discussing the flick two decades after it’s release).
So how does Arrow celebrate the film for this new Blu? How about with a new 2K restoriation taken from original vault elements? Not good enough for ya? Well, you also get audio commentaries from Miike and Screenwriter Daisuke Tengan, and Miike biographer Tom Mes. Both contain plenty of info on what it took to get the film to screen, as well as it’s lasting impact. Following that we get interviews with Miike, Ishibashi, Shiina, Renji Ishibashi (who played the man in the wheelchair…you’ll see when you view the film), and Ren Osugi (who played the aforementioned man in the sack), and an excellent appreciation of the film courtesy of Japanese cinema historian Tony Rayns. Bringing up the ass end are trailers and a stills gallery.
Audition is an absolute classic of a fright flick, with enough terror, both physical and psychological, and gross out gags to make it linger in your mind long after the credits have rolled…if you haven’t seen it, do so immediately!
 

 

Share This Article

You May Also Like…