Ginî piggu: Manhôru no naka no ningyo (Video 1988)

An artist finds and rescues a mermaid in a sewer. He takes her home with him and she develops sores all over her body that begin to pustulate and bleed. He uses what oozes from her sores to... See full summary »

Director:

Hideshi Hino

Stars:

Shigeru Saiki, Mari Somei, Masami Hisamoto

Cast

Credited cast:
Shigeru Saiki	...	The Artist
Mari Somei	...	The Mermaid
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Masami Hisamoto
Gô Rijû
Tsuyoshi Toshishige

Storyline

An artist finds and rescues a mermaid in a sewer. He takes her home with him and she develops sores all over her body that begin to pustulate and bleed. He uses what oozes from her sores to paint her portrait. When he can no longer handle it anymore he breaks down and dismembers her body.

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Plot Keywords:

sewer | mermaid | artist | japanese horror film | bathtub | 

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Genres:

Horror

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

25 July 1988 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Guinea Pig: Mermaid in the Manhole

Company Credits

Production Co:

Japan Home Video (JHV)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

63 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Crazy Credits

At the end of the credits there is a small scene in the sewer where we hear something move in the water.

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Connections

Edited into Guinea Pig's Greatest Cuts (2005)

User Reviews

Magical stuff, both poetic and emetic

I'd say that this is probably the best of the Guinea Pig movies, at least from an artistic standpoint. The folks that say this is pointless or mindless are really missing out because this is as affecting a study of a sad, lonely mind as I have ever come across, with interesting ambiguity to the events being shown, and of course, tons and tons of grue. The plot I shall not dwell upon since others here have and there isn't much to it anyway. The important thing to note is that the painters wife has left him. In light of this fact it is easy to see that the entire film represents his desperate attempts to hold on to beauty, running away from the horror of reality until he cannot escape anymore and must face up to it. More unnerving than all the pus and worms here is the prospect of reality ultimately destroying hope. Of course, its equally possible to not think about the psychological implications of this one and still enjoy it as an exercise in grim and exceptionally well done special effects. Putrefaction has never been so prolonged, detailed and grossly colorful as it appears here. I can't say I found it actually sickening since I have definitely seen more unpleasant things, but some will undoubtedly find this pretty foul. People deterred by the subject matter or by this films pedigree as part of the Guinea Pig series are really missing out though. This is a masterpiece of transgressive cinema, far more worthwhile and valuable than the rest of the series and a marvellous treat for anyone that can stomach it.