Guinea Pig: Android of Notre Dame (1988)

Za ginipiggu: Notorudamu no andoroido (1988)

Japanese cyberpunk films are always looking to extend the boundaries of humanity, but hopefully they do so within the constraints of a semi-coherent plot, with actions by the characters that make sense within the twisted view of the narrative. One of the later entries in the notorious Guinea Pig series, Android of Notre Dame is much more tame than its reputation would have you believe. Basically a low budget, shot-on-video rehash of Stuart Gordon's Re-Animator (1985), it tells the story of a dwarf scientist who conducts experiments on dead bodies in hope of finding the cure to his sister's deadly (but unnamed) disease. Most of the film is taken up with the dwarf experimenting on the decapitated head of his corrupt corporate sponsor, which he keeps alive in a elaborate machine.

Download links: 1 2 3 4 (get all Guinea Pigs at Essential Movies)

The Guinea Pig films are a series of 1980's japanese horror films with extremely detailed special effects of gruesome crimes against people. The tapes gained notoriety in Japan during the late 1980s and early 1990s when the first five films of the series were found showcased in the 5,763 videotape collection of japanese serial killer Tsutomu Miyazaki, who reportedly re-enacted scenes from the films as a part of his crimes. Because of the constant controversy surrounding the series, it has now been deemed illegal in Japan to produce any movies with the "Guinea Pig" label. According to Snopes, the films became infamous in the U.S. when in 1991 the actor Charlie Sheen mistook the second film of the series, Flowers of Flesh and Blood for a snuff film and contacted the FBI to report it.