Gyo (ギョ)
Director: Hitoshi Matsumoto

Synopsis: Who would have thought the apocalypse would come in the form of bio-mechanical fart-propelled mutant zombie fish? That would be horror manga artist Junji Ito, the psycho genius behind Tomie and Uzumaki. Based on Ito's Gyo--The Death Stench Creeps and directed by Takayuki Hirao (Futakoi Alternative), with Takuro Takahashi (Garden of Sinners) in charge of character design, Gyo focuses on Kaori, who is attacked by rotting sea creatures while on holiday with her girlfriends in Okinawa. They somehow survive by the skin of their teeth but after Kaori loses cell phone contact with her boyfriend in Tokyo, she rushes back to the city fearing that this is not just poor network coverage… Don't eat before watching this.

Thoughts: Gyo works in mysterious ways. It begins as a nature-run-amok movie where flatulent mutant fish with robot legs wreak havoc wherever they go, and it winds up becoming this nightmarish, apocalyptic movie that's too damn bizarre to be forgotten. The screen fills with the visual representation of the death stench -- like the farty version of Kirby krackle, like a rancid Van Gogh. Having not read the manga the film was based on, I was able to enjoy the film on its own terms, and Gyo works as a collection of repulsive, delirious bafflements, many of which are also oddly delightful. So yeah, this is the stuff of nightmares, but it's also an absurd, what-the-fuck fever dream of a comedy.

Verdict: See it. [Read the full review]