Japanese culture was going through its own revolution in the late 1960s, producing a number of erotic horror films that smash social norms with unusual presentations of sexually explicit stories. This is one of the best examples, and even if you can’t get past the content you still have to admire the style. Most of the film takes place in one incredible set, where a model has been abducted. The walls are covered in multiple large sculptures of women’s body parts. while the room itself is dominated by giant statue of an upholstered naked woman. The kidnapper is a blind sculptor and his “temple of erotic touch” has been his inspiration. He now plans to use the model to take his art even further.
The basic story is similar to The Collector, but the Japanese approach is completely different from British repression and chilling politeness. The set enhances the dramatic idea of a visual artist compensating for being blind, and in a move that goes against logic but opens the film up in interesting ways, the model comes to understand the artists goal and is curious to see if maybe they’re onto something to where she will be immortalized by his work. Step back and this is morally troublesome and irresponsible, but lean in and you become fascinated by the couple’s hedonistic spiral. Either way it’s intellectually disturbing and visually unforgettable.
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