Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysAPA Heritage MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)

The Embryo Hunts in Secret

Original title: Taiji ga mitsuryô suru toki
  • 19661966
  • 1h 12m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
869
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • IMDbPro
Taiji ga mitsuryô suru toki (1966)
  • Crime
  • Drama
A man keeps a young employee tied up in his small apartment and tortures her. She is undressed, subjected to various types of bondage, whipped, and tortured with a razor blade.A man keeps a young employee tied up in his small apartment and tortures her. She is undressed, subjected to various types of bondage, whipped, and tortured with a razor blade.A man keeps a young employee tied up in his small apartment and tortures her. She is undressed, subjected to various types of bondage, whipped, and tortured with a razor blade.
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
869
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Kôji Wakamatsu
  • Writer
    • Masao Adachi(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Miharu Shima
    • Hatsuo Yamaya
Top credits
  • Director
    • Kôji Wakamatsu
  • Writer
    • Masao Adachi(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Miharu Shima
    • Hatsuo Yamaya
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 7User reviews
    • 15Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos

    Taiji ga mitsuryô suru toki (1966)
    Add photo

    Top cast

    Edit
    Miharu Shima
    • Yumaas Yuma
    Hatsuo Yamaya
    Hatsuo Yamaya
    • Marukidoas Marukido
    • Director
      • Kôji Wakamatsu
    • Writer
      • Masao Adachi(screenplay)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

    More like this

    Go, Go Second Time Virgin
    7.2
    Go, Go Second Time Virgin
    Violated Angels
    6.9
    Violated Angels
    Shôjo geba-geba
    6.7
    Shôjo geba-geba
    Running in Madness, Dying in Love
    7.1
    Running in Madness, Dying in Love
    Ecstasy of the Angels
    6.2
    Ecstasy of the Angels
    Gendai kôshoku-den: Teroru no kisetsu
    6.3
    Gendai kôshoku-den: Teroru no kisetsu
    Kabe no naka no himegoto
    7.1
    Kabe no naka no himegoto
    Sex Jack
    6.4
    Sex Jack
    Rubber's Lover
    6.3
    Rubber's Lover
    Demons
    8.0
    Demons
    Black Cat
    7.7
    Black Cat
    Chinmoku
    7.2
    Chinmoku

    Storyline

    Edit
    A man keeps a young employee tied up in his small apartment and tortures her. She is undressed, subjected to various types of bondage, whipped, and tortured with a razor blade.
    • dysfunctional marriage
    • freeze frame
    • nonlinear timeline
    • oedipus complex
    • hallucination
    • 45 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Genres
      • Crime
      • Drama
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Connections
      Referenced in Datai (1966)
    • Soundtracks
      Dream of a Witches' Sabbath
      Music by Hector Berlioz (uncredited)

    User reviews7

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    An Early "Precursor" To Japanese Exploitation Cinema...
    EMBRYO HUNTS IN SECRET is the earliest example of film I've seen so far that paves the way for the explicit and violent films that Japan churned out in record numbers just a few years later, and are still quite known for to this day. That's not to say that this is the first Japanese film to show strong exploitative elements - it's just the earliest example that I've personally seen. My copy has no subtitles or English dubbing, so any speculations that I make about the plot are just that - speculation...

    The film surrounds a man and his wife (girlfriend, lover..don't really know for sure...) who have a strange nurturing/violent relationship. At some points they seem like your typical "happy" couple, especially in the beginning of the film, but as the story goes on, the man binds and continuously beats, whips, and humiliates her. There are some strange flashbacks that happen throughout the film which appear to be from the past, and show another couple where the man beats and whips the woman in much the same fashion. Due to how the flashbacks were inserted, I got the feeling that maybe they were "scenes" from the main character's past - perhaps his father and mother - which would help explain his penchant for spousal abuse...but again, this is strictly conjecture. The odd mix of violence and tenderness goes on for most of the running time of the film, until the wife gets free and gets even...

    Unfortunately, I didn't understand enough of what was going on in EMBRYO to get a real grasp on the storyline. It seemed that this could have been a quite haunting film if I'd have understood the character's motivations - but as it is, it's pretty much a bunch of scenes of a guy beating his significant other. Cinematography-wise, the film appears to be pretty ahead of it's time with good editing, and some effective "art-house" style scenes. Overall, I would recommend this one to anyone interested in the origins of Japanese exploitation cinema. EMBRYO is not nearly as strong in terms of violent content as many of the exploit films that came out of Japan in the 70's through today, but it is still an interesting early foray into the genre. 7/10 - would probably have rated it higher had I understood the storyline...
    helpful•7
    7
    • EVOL666
    • Feb 11, 2006

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 1966 (Japan)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Official site
      • Zootrope Films (France)
    • Language
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • Эмбрион охотится тайно
    • Production company
      • Wakamatsu Production
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 12 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Related news

    Spanish Thriller 'Embryo' First Remake of Japanese Film
    Jul 7bloody-disgusting.com

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Taiji ga mitsuryô suru toki (1966)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Taiji ga mitsuryô suru toki (1966) officially released in Canada in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The 10 Most Anticipated Marvel and DC Movies
    See the full list
    Image caption not available
    2:14
    The Most Anticipated Movies and Shows to Watch in May
    Watch the video

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.