From Japan comes the disturbing Baptism of Blood (1996)
which sees aging actress Matsuko (Lisa Akikawa) suddenly come down with a dis-figuration
facial disease which prompts her to retire from the public. Instead she pours all her attention into
raising her daughter Sakura (Rie Imamura) only she rules her daughter’s life
with an iron fist hidden away in her old and crumbling mansion. When Sakura over hears her mother’s ghastly
scheme to transplant her brain into her own, she must find a way to escape her
mother before it is too late.
Based on the manga by famed horror writer Kazuo Umezu, the
film is written and directed by Kenichi Yoshihara who does a great job
translating the material to the big screen even though I think that he could
have gone even a little further with Umezu’s style in translation. This being said fans of Umezu’s manga will enjoy
this adaptation. It’s a shame that Yoshihara
hasn’t directed anything else as from this film he has potential to really
create something unique with his style (especially if it was more material from
Umezu).
Although not a spectacular film, it has its charms and was a
decent adaptation of Umezu’s work. It
will satisfy Umezu’s fans as many of the other adaptations have been hit or
miss but even though this one plays it safe, it does a great job with the characters
despite any other faults.
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