THE BURNING BUDDHA MAN
Cut-out animation, H.R. Giger-esque grotesquerie and Buddhism—an irresistible combination, I say
VIOLENCE VOYAGER
The second feature by Japan’s Ujicha, following the mind-roasting BURNING BUDDHA MAN
MAGIC MIRROR
A worthy, if frustratingly little known, addition to the underground comics scene
A PRAYER FOR HETMAN MAZEPA
With the conflict between Russia and the Ukraine exploding, I say it’s an opportune time to revisit this 2002 feature, which offers a most unorthodox treatment of the skirmish
FANTASTIC PLANET
After THE YELLOW SUBMARINE this is the premiere example of feature-length psychedelic animation
ARENA BRAINS
An avant-garde film in the guise of a music video compilation of a type that was once ubiquitous on VHS
MAD GOD
A dialogue-free depiction of an otherworldly hellscape, peopled almost entirely with stop motion creatures
2021: Bedlam in Print
The latest installment of my annual overview of the previous year’s Bedlam Files-friendly publications
MULHOLLAND DRIVE
One of the most unlikely cult classics of our time: a failed TV pilot reconfigured as a 2001 feature film
MIDORI: THE CAMELLIA GIRL
This was the second film adaptation of Suehiro Maruo’s 1984 ero guro manga, published in English as MR. ARASHI’S AMAZING FREAK SHOW