There are some films I've put off viewing for a long time as I've been informed they contain material that is simply too strong, too offensive to be tolerated. One of these films is "Naked Blood". Imagine my surprise, then, when I finally sat down to watch the recent US release of this cult movie last night and found the film to be both intelligent and well-made. Yes, it contains some graphic scenes but they need to be put in context with what else is contained within the horror genre. While some of the scenes in "Naked Blood" are, I believe, unique, there's nothing here that will corrupt the viewer or overwhelm him / her with its content. In terms of violence, the bloodshed in "Naked Blood" is no worse than many other underground horror films.
What "Naked Blood" delivers is a thoughtful, almost fly-on-the-wall, unfolding of events as a young doctor's son, Sadao Abe, creates an antidote to pain. When he tampers with his mother's experiment by including his special pain-relieving fluid with her new contraceptive, things go very wrong, very fast.
I knew details of most of the horrific scenes before I watched "Naked Blood" but the movie did contain a few surprises. The effects work is excellent but the film succeeds because of its atmosphere and performances rather than elements of "gross out" horror.
Even with its bizarre ending, I enjoyed "Naked Blood" and would recommend it to genre fans.
7 out of 10.
