Director – Koyu Ohara (Sins of Sister Lucia, Rope Hell)
Starring – Erina Miyai (Zoom In: Rape Apartments, Women in Prison), Yuki Yoshizawa (Anne’s Lullaby, Hell of Roses), and Yoko Azusa (Female Teacher Hunting, Crazed Fruit)
Release Date – 1979
Rating – 3/5
Blu Release – 2.5/5
When I get a package in from Impulse Pictures I know that I’m about to see some crazy and sleazy movies from Japan. Their Nikkatsu Erotic Films Collection usually entertain and are one of my favorite parts of my collection. Several months back I received Love Hunters on blu and was surprised that the film was actually released on blu. Up until now I had only received these releases on DVD. A few days back I received another package from Impulse and this time it was two blus releases from the Nikkatsu Erotic Films Collection.
The first one I decided to check out is 1979’s Zoom Up: Murder Site that was also released under Zoom Up: Rape Site. This is the second or third film I’ve seen in the Zoom Up series and it was just as entertaining as the others. Thank you Impulse for sending this one over.
**Spoiler Alert** The film is centered around a serial rapist/murderer that has the city scared. The police is tracking down any lead they can which results in the wrong person becoming the suspect. Stuck in the middle of the mayhem is a woman that has committed adultery and believes the real killer witnessed her infidelity. **Spoiler Alert**
The Zoom Up series is a little rough at times but this one set the bar. It looks like this may be the first film in the series but I can’t really confirm this but based on the release date I believe this is the first one. With that being said, I enjoyed it. Rape based films are not my thing and I find movies like that very uncomfortable but this one was able to walk a fine line between story and shocking.
The acting in this one is decent but some of the scenes were a little underacted. The characters are very cliched and generic but the cast doesn’t try to deliver great performances. We get the sex scenes that are full of life…and death while the rest of the film is dry and unenergetic.
The story for this one work for an erotic horror tale. The rape doesn’t over do the film and the story is full of eroticism and crime thriller elements. With that being said, the story doesn’t really flow straight forward. We have some trippy dream-like sequences along with some side stories that splits the story up some. I can appreciate a film like this that doesn’t rely solely on the rape angle in the story.
Finally, the film has some death and practical effects with one awesome scene in particular but if you are looking for a real splatter flick you will be disappointed. The practical effects look solid enough but the nudity is the real selling point of this one. Overall, Murder Site is a wild and sleazy ride. It will not be for everyone but for those of you that are looking for the raunchy side of cinema you will find something entertaining here. The transfer looks great as well but the lack of suplemental content makes this release a little disappointing.
Special Features:
Reversible Cover Art
