Village of Doom Blu Ray Review (Unearthed Films)

Village of Doom (aKa Ushimitsu No Mura) is a 1983 true crime film directed by Noboru Tanaka (Rape and Death of a Housewife, Night of the Felines, Kichiku, Angel Guts: Nami, and Midnight Fairy). It was written by Takuya Nishioka (Torturing the House, Empire of Kids, and Tattoo). It’s based on the novel from author Bo Nishimura (Original Sin). The infamous Tsuyama Massacre, a real life horror story that occurred in May 1938. 21 year old Tsugio Inumaru (played by: Masato Furuoya from Endless Waltz, Disciples of Hippocrates, The Lonely Hearts Club Band in September, Wuthering Heights, Bloody Passion, Sayoko Is Back, and Island of the Evil Spirits) has been bullied by everyone around him. Most of his village has been sent off to the war but he was rejected for it. He feels like a loser most of the time. He takes advantage of some of their lonely wives but they even start to turn him down. He’s finally had enough mental abuse, he’s way past his breaking point. He finally loses his sanity, he goes on a violent killing revenge spree that took the lives of over 30 people including some his own family with a loaded shotgun, Japanese sword and a sharp axe. It still remains to be one of the most gruesome true crimes in Japanese history!!!! Village of Doom was rarely seen or known in the states. It flew under the radar here for some reason. The script covers what happened before the tragedy and all the events that really caused it to happen. Tsugio Inumaru is harassed, bullied, and bent up for the first 73 minutes in Village of Doom until it really goes crazy. It’s a slow burn type of true crime feature. You really have to be very patient with this one because it’s mainly a character study on a very disturbed person. Masato Furuoya is top notch as the lead in Village of Doom. For the most part, you really feel bad for Tsugio Inumaru because he is tormented from so many before he snaps. His revenge isn’t completely innocent, these people treat him like complete trash for no reason. He tries to help and he wants to fit in but it doesn’t really matter. The rest of the supporting cast includes Misako Tanaka (Weakest Beast), Kumiko Ôba (House), Isao Natsuyagi (Emperor), Midori Satsuki (Nihon Kyokaku-Den franchise), Shino Ikenami (Evil Dead Trap 2), Izumi Hara (Island of the Evil Spirits), Renji Ishibashi (Audition), Hatsuo Yamaya (Ultra Q), and Yasuhiro Arai (Evil Dead Trap 2). The last 20 minutes of Village of Doom basically turns into a slasher film. Tsugio Inumaru goes from victim to hunter in this. He brutally slays everyone that wronged him in the past. He uses a variety of different weapons for his gruesome massacre. Village of Doom rewards you for your patience, it’s packed with so much violence and gore for it’s morbidly entertaining insane finale. It’s one of the better final acts that I’ve ever seen. It’s great to see it finally get some attention and love in the United States from Unearthed Films!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Unearthed Films! This 1080p (1.85:1) unrated transfer looks like a more recent restoration but I don’t have the exact information or source for it. It looks better than expected for an 80’s exploitation feature that really didn’t get any love from the states originally. This is the first home video release I remember it having here since maybe the VHS days. It has an Japanese: LPCM Mono track on the disc. The audio is solid but it really picks up for the last 20 minutes. The dialogue is very clean, the chaos is elevated, and the music has a nice boost to it. It has English subtitles. It has an “Audio Commentary” with Asian film experts Arne Venema and Mike Leeder. They chat about the real life story and crimes. They talk about this film and compare it to what really happened. They bring up the cast and crew from Village of Doom here. It has the 15 minute “Dark Asia with Megan: Case #57 Japan’s Darkest Night, Tsuyama Massacre”. This is dedicated to the true crime and tragic story that inspired this movie. It’s really interesting to learn more about this real life nightmare. I honestly didn’t know much about it until this and Village of Doom. It has an 3 minute “Promotinal Gallery”. It has the “Trailer” for Village of Doom. It comes with a slipcover. This definitely fits the Unearthed Classics line because it’s always been a rarity here. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!