Tetsuo 2: Body Hammer 1992

Just weeks ago I came across the Japanese experimental body horror film Tetsuo: Iron Man in a charity shop. Amazingly, this weekend just gone, I found Tetsuo 2: Body Hammer. I don't think I have ever come across either in the past decade, so to come across both of these two rare dvds seperately and so recently is quite a find.

I liked this one more than the first, which I was quite taken with. There was certainly more of a plot to follow, and more impressive special effects. I especially liked the sequences showing the increasingly drastic transformations which made use of some very impressive quick cut stop motion techniques to show metallic noodles protruding and flailing wildly from the subject, it looked not unlike certain see anemones from a David Attenborough doc.

I found that the 'sequel' (strictly speaking it is a sequel, but is a stand alone story that explores some of the same themes as the first) does a great job of expanding on the original concept and style without losing touch with its roots or becoming too big for it's own good. It quite rightly has a larger scope and scale than the first film, but actually manages to make it more personal. It put me in mind of Bride of Frankenstein, which pulled off the same trick to wonderful effect almost 100 years ago.

As a whole, both films would make a great double feature, and come highly recommended for fans of extreme cinema.