Imprint
Unfortunately I was one of the few who couldn’t watch Masters of Horror when it first aired. I had to wait until it was released on DVD. I did however hear about the controversy of Imprint and how it wasn’t aired. Despite that, Imprint is a very good installment in the Masters of Horror series.
PLOT:
In the 1800s, an American returns to Japan to find the prostitute he fell in love with, but instead encounters a deformed prostitute. She tells him of Komomo’s passing, and learns of the tragic story of her life.
Photo Credit: IDT Entertainment
Season 1 Episode 13
Released: Apr 7, 2006
Runtime: 63 mins
Director: Takashi Miike
Writer: Mick Garris, Daisuke Tengan, Shimako Iwai
Actors: Billy Drago, Shiho Harumi, Michie
MY THOUGHTS
This island isn't in the human world; demons and whores are the only ones living here.--The Woman
There’s about 3 kills in Imprint (not counting the fetus we see). None too graphic (except the fetus). The torture scenes of Komomo were more disturbing than anything else. There’s also the special effects for “Little Sis”.
The two leads, Billy Drago and Yuki Kudo, do a great job in acting. Billy Drago (known for Vamp, Mirror Mirror 3 & 4, Tremors 4, and The Hills Have Eyes [2006]) plays Christopher, an American looking for his lost love. Yuki Kudo plays the Woman. The prostitute who tells Christopher what happens to Komomo and her own sad story. I do have to give props to Michie, who plays Komomo. Some of the contortions she did were terrifying.
Imprint opens on Christopher, making his way to an island where the prostitutes were living. He is in search of one specific prostitute but she is not there. He does start talking to one called The Woman, whose face is half disfigured. She first tells him a sad story about herself and then what happened to Komomo. Though part of it was a lie. She eventually tells the real truth about herself and Komomo. The stories are horrifying.
I really liked the dark tones in the movie, contrasted with the red wigs of the ladies. Also, the atmosphere was dark and creepy. A kind of ethereal feel to it. I found the story pretty interesting as well as good acting. A good fit in the Master of Horror franchise. I would definitely recommend this if you are into Takashi Miike movies and if you don’t mind some graphic images of fetus and torture.
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I wanted to take a quick break to let you know I found these great deals on Amazon for Masters of Horror merchandise. I’ve applied to Amazon’s affiliate program and if I can get three purchases I will be accepted into the program. This will be of tremendous help with starting my small business.
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And now for your Forever Final Girl Exclusive…Did you know?:
Shimako Iwai, the author of the novel on which the film is based, appears as the sadistic torturer.
This episode was originally going to be shown on Showtime in January 2006, but the station banned it. It debuted in America on DVD on September 26, 2006.
In Masters of Horror The Screwfly Solution episode there is a scene where the soldiers are shown videos in order to have their responses monitored, one of the screens is showing a clip from Imprint.
The cover to the DVD boasts the tagline "Banned from cable broadcast".
Let’s get into the rankings:
Scary/Creepy: 5/5
Sex/Nudity: 2/5
Kills/Blood/Gore: 5/5
My Enjoyment: 5/5
My Rank: 4.2/5
IMDB: 6.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes: critics: -/10 audience: -/10
Letterboxd: 3.4/5
