Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell (1995) User Reviews

Earl V-Cinema: Shinichi 's Homage to 80s Horror!

[babyjaguar · 6/10 · 20 October 2019]

This short film was made during the early period of 90s Japanese straight -to-video entertainment, but never got released until 2012. It's full of campy fun, obvious references to Evil Dead series and the character of "Ash" to a Japanese body builder.

It's also can be been seen as a pre-Grudge (or J u-on) film since the villain is Hell bent on a grudge toward the living! It worth of look, for earl attempts on Japan V-cinema -- at the beginning of directors like Miike.

A wonderfully insane horror movie that deserves cult classic status

[Jeremy_Urquhart · 7/10 · 29 September 2021]

This is exactly what you'd expect from a movie called Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell (AKA Japanese Evil Dead).

The first half drags a bit, but the second half is so much fun. Never has a movie felt so much like it got incrementally better as it went along, as quite literally every scene was better than the last.

There are obviously technical flaws and limitations aplenty, but most add to the charm of the movie. And while the first half is comparatively show compared to the second, at least it doesn't stretch those tamer 25-30 minutes to 45-50 in order to get this in the more traditional 80-90 minute range.

I hope Sam Raimi's seen this, too. He'd probably really like it. And while it is derivative of Evil Dead 1 (and 2!), it does just enough to make it feel like its own thing. And being filmed before Ringu, it did a creepy scene with a tv first.

Also: the very last shot was surprisingly kind of unnerving.

Come get some

[kevin_robbins · 7/10 · 3 August 2023]

Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell (1995) is a Japanese Evil Dead remake that I recently watched on Shudder. The storyline follows a body builder whose father committed a gruesome crime long before he was born. When his father dies he is left an old house he never knew about. The body builder and his girlfriend visit the house where they become trapped and haunted by the sins of the body builder's father's past.

This movie is written by, stars and is directed by Shinichi Fukazawa, in his directorial debut. This also stars Masaaki Kai, Masahiro Kai and Aki Tama Mai.

This is a movie that's obviously low budget, doesn't take itself too seriously and is much more entertaining than it is "good." However, there are some awesome horror elements. The background music is tremendous and reminded me of an 80s/90s video game. The horror elements are all over the place with some great blood splatter, gore, action scenes and special effects. I enjoyed the use of claymation for some scenes (much like the original). There are some really bad scenes, like the message from the dad; but coverall, this is a lot of fun. I would score this a 7/10 and strongly recommend it.

The Evil Dead Body Builder.

[morrison-dylan-fan · 6/10 · 30 September 2019]

Nearing the end of the Japan viewing challenge on ICM,I decided to warm up for Horror viewings in October. Having read comments about it from UK reviewer Kim Newman and in British mag The Dark Side,I got set to visit the body builder in hell.

View on the film:

Fittingly set in a house which the residence can't escape from, the movie for years appeared stuck from ever seeing the light of day,as it went from being filmed in 1995,not edited until 2005,fully wrapped up in 2009,only to be left on the shelf until it finally reached DVD-R in 2012!

Filmed before a new wave of J-Horror hit, the passing of time give writer/director/ star Shinichi Fukazawa's creation a rough-edge eerie atmosphere, seeping from the graininess of shooting on video wrapped round grubby Splatter Horror shocks. Inspired from The Evil Dead (1981-also reviewed) in a swift haunted house/cabin tale and wacky jet-black comedy visual gags, Fukazawa yanks a tree branch and turns the flick into it's own gleefully nuts Horror,thanks to handmade practical effects of a laughing head, a stop-motion headless body,and spider-like hands all being drenched in blood when running towards the body builder in hell.

Evil Dead but as stage play and asian

[Krhhmg · 7/10 · 3 March 2019]

It was remarkably hard to get a copy of this, although it was directed in 2012 (while it looks 1980ish). looks like the market for flicks like this is dead, or still in development. the plot is no nobel prize candidate: dude inherits a cursed house, visits it with his ex-girlfriend and a medium who looks a lot like a south park goth kid, and then things get messy.

for the juicy lenght of only one hour, things take a bit to get messy. protagonist gets to show his muscles - mind the title - a couple times, and then a lot of blabla happens before the flash of the first knife. "..in Hell" is slightly misleading, for the whole play takes place in one poorly furnished house. some people, like me, might have expected a blood gushing romp against hordes and hordes of demons. it was a bit sobering when, 40 minutes into the movie, i had to realize there won't be any nightmarish shots of gut spattered caves, tortured souls on asian torture devices, and no encounter with one final big demon. there is one demon alright - exactly one - who likes to body hop, hence changing shape frequently. his final shape though doesn't leave him much opportunities.

as mentioned afore, in the 80s this would've boomed like nothing good. post-millennial, it seems a bit limp in its execution and, of course, acting, but due to its cut-down lenght it is still enjoyable. bruce and sam should watch this.

Charming if not a little bland.

[CDiablo · 4/10 · 31 January 2023]

I'm not sure where or why people really compare this to Evil Dead, that is a comparison that raises expectations way too high in my opinion. It's a short little movie that feels like a group college aged horror enthusiasts put together in a weekend.

2 younger people end up trapped in a Japanese(aka really small) house where a demon tries to kill them. They fight back resulting in several "It's dead, it's all over" moments only for the exact same demon to return for them to fight.

The effects and gore are mostly pretty low quality. As is the filming and shot quality. Lots of super close ups since every room was 6 foot by 8 foot at largest. You can blatantly tell it was put together by a bunch of horror fans wanting to have a bit of fun making the whole thing a bit charming though all around unremarkable.

I don't exactly recommend this one but at least it is short which makes for a decent draw on a bad movie night where you will likely talk over it.

deserves more cult film status

[arlolimbers · 8/10 · 23 November 2022]

Bloody Muscle Bodybuilder In Hell definitely deserves more attention. It feels like a bunch of collage students watched the first two Evil Dead films and collectively thought "we could do that' and they did. The film starts with a wife trying to kill her husband. The husband gets the upper hand and kills her only for her to return from the grave. The film cuts to thirty years later were a body builder, some sort of physic priest and a news reporter are visiting the old house were the events took place thirty ears earlier. From 12:48 to 23:17 some of the shots of empty hallways, rooms and staircases are generally unnerving before every thing kicks into a fun and cheesy gore fest. The blood, guts and gore of the film looks like its made of play dough and red jello but it still has lots of low budget charm. The low quality camera only adds to the fun and adds a grindhouse type quality to it. There is a lot of fun stop motion in this film that reminded me of Basket Case. In conclusion Bloody Muscle Body Builder In Hell should be more recognized for its low budget charm.

Evil Dead in Japan

[BandSAboutMovies · 4/10 · 30 September 2021]

What a path from Japan to my little house in Monongahela, PA, USA: Filmed in 1995. Edited in 2005. Completed in 2009. Released in 2012 on DVD-R. Theatrical release and DVD in Japan 2014. Released internationally in 2017.

After a surprise phone call from his photojournalist ex-girlfriend interrupts the most important part of his day -- his workout -- Naoto agrees to meet her to research haunted houses. Along with a professional psychic, they enter the abandoned home of Naoto's father, a place with a dark secret and a ghost -- Naoto's mother! -- with a grudge decades old.

Then a clock flies off the wall and knocks out the psychic, possessing her with the spirit of the long-dead spirit was has been stuck within the walls of the house. And then the goop and gore start flowing through the floorboards and down the walls and Evil Dead gets referenced, but man this shot on video film is closer to a rip off of a rip off of a direct to video sequel to that movie and that's more than a great thing.

I mean, Naoto even finds a shotgun and says "Groovy." And that's all you really need, you know?

A wild, bloody, wonderfully fun low-budget horror romp

[I_Ailurophile · 9/10 · 12 September 2023]

It's so rare that we get to see independent features from around the world, especially from any time before the Internet made it easier to make one's work widely available. This title readily betrays its nature from the moment we start watching, from the grainy and lo-fi production values, to the small cast and crew that sees filmmaker Shinichi Fukazawa taking on multiple roles himself, to the relatively modest effects. One can see the kinship this shares with similar titles we may have seen, contemporary or otherwise, and while the presentation is somewhat unrefined, none of this is a criticism. If anything, it speaks well to Fukazawa that he made 'Bloody muscle bodybuilder in hell' at all, and that despite limited resources it nevertheless looks as good as it does - this is a lot of fun!

The storytelling is comparatively simple and direct, perhaps, but it's all that it needs to be to provide fuel for a cheeky horror romp, including dashes of clever humor in just the right places and ways. There's a lighthearted mirth seen even in Shinichi Okuda's photography as he lets his imagination take hold, and it's immediately apparent that the cast is having an absolute blast with all the ridiculousness - while turning in performances that are genuinely admirable, befitting the wild tone of the movie. Wearing hats as writer, director, producer, editor, and chief star, Fukazawa was able to exercise substantial creative control to bring his vision to life, and the result is a joyously over the top extravaganza of blood, gore, action, and comedy: everyone is here just to have a good time, and by Jove do they.

Moreover, this wears its influences on its sleeve in most every regard, and the fact of it just makes the picture even more enjoyable. That extends not least to the effects - for while it's undeniably true that Fukazawa was working with limited means to bring this to fruition, it's also obvious how much care went into the blood, gore, and violence. The tale, of a man trapped in a house with a vengeful spirit, provides ample opportunity to see just how bombastic the whole could be within its tenor, and the filmmaker went all out, including even stop-motion animation amidst the reverie of crimson and viscera. Even at their most low-grade the effects only ever embrace the vim and vigor of the project, and it's impossible not to get swept up in the silly, freewheeling carnage.

One could easily nitpick, and stand this beside big-budget monstrosities and show the insufficiencies - but to do so is entirely missing the point. 'Bloody muscle bodybuilder in hell' is an exercise in genre film-making purely for the raucous joy of it, and there's no disputing the earnestness and hard work that went into it, nor the skill and ingenuity that are constrained only by how much cash Fukazawa had to make it. The name alone is eye-catching, the premise is promising, and I assumed I'd like it, but when all is said and done I'm sincerely impressed. We can quickly catch onto the type of feature this represents, and it has no illusions about being anything more than it is and is happy to play in that space. With all this in mind, the enthusiasm of those involved is handily passed on to the audience, and 'Bloody muscle bodybuilder in hell' becomes a fantastic, endearing horror flick that deserves much more recognition. If you're a fan of horror, you owe it to yourself to check this out!

Cheapest of the cheap

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 13 May 2021]

BLOODY MUSCLE BODY BUILDER IN HELL (2012) is a Japanese indie horror flick that's pretty much the Japanese version of EVIL DEAD 2; the whole story is littered with references and copies of various scenes from that movie. It was actually made two decades previously so has that low-fi analogue 1990s shot-on-video look; if you're looking for glossy and professional then go elsewhere! The story is simplicity in itself; a bodybuilder and two friends visit an abandoned murder house and are attacked by an evil spirit that has the power to reanimate the dead...

There's a little atmosphere and the creepy run-down house reminded me of the one in the GRUDGE films, but the rest is lost in a welter of gore and primitive stop motion effects. There's some offbeat humour to enjoy, but the film is never quite as wacky or inventive as I was hoping. Our hero gets to shout "groovy" and copy Bruce Campbell's performance in every way imaginable, while severed body parts attach themselves together before attacking and there's even a riff on the famous scene in HELLRAISER where a skeleton grows meat on the bones. It's all very cheap and cheerful, but at just an hour in length I'm not sure I'd want to pay full whack for the DVD; thankfully Terracotta have uploaded their print to Amazon Prime for us to watch for free.

Low-Budget homage to Evil Dead

[markusibbetson · 5/10 · 25 March 2024]

If you're looking for a film that is high on gore and low on seriousness, then this is probably a film for you.

This Japanese homage to the Evil Dead is hilariously bad. With large amounts of gore and an obviously small budget, this film is for those seeking a film that is so bad its good.

Quite a few times I laughed out loud at the antics and special effects in this film, with more than one SFX achieved with a still image.

If you want blood, dismembered bodies, severed heads running around on severed hands and plenty of ham acting, then I would strongly recommend this film, especially if you want to watch a film that doesn't require you to engage your brain.

Currently available to watch on Shudder.

Groovy *in Japanese*

[phanthinga · 8/10 · 20 April 2019]

I'm checking out Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell (2012) purely because of the catchy title and how the movie marketing itself out to be The Japanese version of Evil Dead so naturally, as a big fan of low budget horror movies like I am this movie seems like it right up my alley and after 60 minutes I can tell you guys that this movie freaking deliver what it promises. The movie makes me smile every time I see a homage scene to Evil Dead 2 and how deadpan the characters look when they see how crazy stuff happen but not one time that I think it just a cash-in on the Evil Dead name because the movie doesn't force the slapstick comedy down your throat so when it needs to be tongue in cheek it works and when it needs to be creepy the movie can legit make your heart jump with the distorted Image of the ghost and the old VHS look of the movie. The practical gore effects are there and it may look low budget some time it still very impressive in my opinion

A generally fun and over-the-top genre effort

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 8/10 · 5 August 2022]

After learning he's inherited a house, a man and his girlfriend invite a psychic to the house to help her with a story she's writing that details the unique history of the house, but when the ghost of his dad's jilted girlfriend possesses the psychic to kill him sets out to stop it from happening.

There's quite a lot to like with this shot-on-video effort. Among the better qualities here come from the enjoyable and overwhelmingly cheesy setup featured here. The initial introduction here that explains how the house is haunted works nicely enough to provide the reasoning as well as the action showcasing everything. As well, the reasoning to get him and his friends to the house by looking through the place in order to investigate the location as well as get information for the article his girlfriends' writing comes off quite nicely. These scenes are all rather chilling with the remark about being watched and the walk-through shortly afterward providing some chilling moments. That gives the film some rather decent and enjoyable shock scenes of the haunted house coming to life and affecting their trip. The first seance attempts that spell the beginning of the danger as the ghostly limbs are shown behind people unknowingly or manipulate objects to injure those in the room is a rather fun sequence with some chilling imagery. A later attack by the ghost on the medium where she possesses his body to attack him and his girlfriend is even better as it kicks off the frantic final half where the possessed bodies come to life for a series of brutal, high-energy confrontations. Getting to see the cheesy effects work and creative ideas here seeing the way the two battle the disembodied body parts continually attacking them gives everything a great touch and has plenty to like about it. There isn't much to dislike here. One of the few drawbacks here comes from the rather obvious amount of homage and ripoffs this one goes through during the film. The overall setup and approach here are so clearly and plainly taken on from one of the genre's classic entries which carry into some of the other sequences later on. How sequences play out wholesale as well as camera angles and even lines straight from the film come which doesn't hide the influences taken and become somewhat detrimental here. As well, there's also the overall cheap and low-budget look here which comes from the generally obvious effects work that looks cheap and can potentially put some off on the film.

Rated Unrated/R: Extreme Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.

A masterpiece in disguise

[jamisonryon · 10/10 · 19 July 2022]

I was expecting a cheesy, cheap, over the top evil dead ripoff. This is not that. The movie starts out very creepy and unsettling with its horror while the cast is slowly picked away. As the film progresses you get to see some really good special effects and very well done camera angles/movements. The acting is amazing and so is the director. This movie is pretty obviously inspired by the evil dead, but by no means does it copy or insult the name. I'm very impressed with this film and I personally would love to see more from this director as he definitely has a lot of talent and just needs a larger budget to show it off. 10/10 movie, would 100% recommend :)

Hilarious!

[jp_91 · 10/10 · 3 April 2022]

"Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell" is an insane movie based on "The Evil Dead" and "Evil Dead II", albeit with a smaller budget. The story, without being original, works very well and gives it its own style with somewhat obvious comic elements. The cinematography looks very amateurish and the camera movements are inspired by the aforementioned "The Evil Dead". The make-up effects are good and at other times they look so fake that they are charming as they go perfectly with the style of the movie. A low-budget Japanese horror-comedy classic.

Great title. Fun film.

[BA_Harrison · 8/10 · 3 November 2021]

Bloody Muscle Body Builder In Hell calls itself 'the Japanese Evil Dead', because it's Japanese and it shamelessly rips-off The Evil Dead (and EDII). Seems reasonable enough to me. And like the Evil Dead, it's a total blast once director Shinichi Fukazawa begins to pile on the excessive gore and splat-stick comedy.

The film starts off relatively restrained, with a prologue set in Tokyo, 1978, that sees a man, Naoto, killing his wife and burying her body under the floor of his house. Years later, Naoto's son, bodybuilder Shinji (who still has a long way to go before rivaling the likes of Schwarzenegger), inherits the property, and takes his girlfriend Mika there so that she can write an article about the supposed haunted house. A psychic accompanies them on the trip.

Once inside the house, the psychic examines all of the rooms, detects an evil presence, and begins to see ghostly apparitions, and soon after the fun really begins...

Mistaking Shinji for his father, the vengeful spirit of the murdered woman possesses the psychic, and Fukazawa lets loose with the craziness, piling on the blood and guts, missing no opportunity to give his own interpretation of key scenes from Raimi's horror classics: the possessed man pops up to provide shocks, but is decapitated with a shovel; the body is chopped up, quivering parts scattered all over the floor; these pieces suddenly have a life of their own; Mika is bitten and becomes possessed herself; and Shinji arms himself with a shotgun and utters the Japanese equivalent of 'Groovy'.

It's all totally devoid of originality, of course, but the whole bloody shebang is imbued with such energy and a clear love for Raimi's films that it's hard not to like. 7.5/10, happily rounded up to 8 for IMDb.

Bloody fun even if over the top!

[abduktionsphanomen · 9/10 · 12 March 2023]

Bloody Muscle Bodybuilder in Hell (Originaltitel: Jigoku no chimidoro massuru birudâ) - 1995 (This Film Rates an A ) A man stabs a woman to death and her blood gets soaked into a metal necklace. He attempts to bury her in the floorboards, but she comes alive. Flash forward to a bodybuilder named Shinji and his ex-girlfriend who is into photographing haunted houses. They get together with a psychic and visit abandoned and seemingly haunted houses. The three visits one in particular, it was owned by Shinji's father. The psychic senses something is watching them. He tries to summon a woman's spirit and starts having horrific visions. All does not go as planned of course and its all-super bloody fun from here. The gore isn't extensively realistic but there is plenty of good spurting blood scenes. Its satisfying even if over the top in so many ways. The comedic moments are very funny and effective (28 min mark, 43 min mark. 52 min mark) and are often followed with lots of blood. You'll laugh but you'll love. The soundtrack is good and has some creepy moments that enhance and highlight the scenes (12 min mark, 18 min mark, 27 min mark, 28 min mark, 33 min mark). No T&A. The overall film quality isn't there but what's present is artistically fantastic in that Japanese WTF sort of way. Plus, he said "groovy".