Helldriver – Nihon bundan: Heru doraibâ (2010)

Directed by: Yoshihiro Nishimura | 117 minutes | horror, science fiction | Actors: Yumiko Hara, Eihi Shiina, Kazuki Namioka, Yûrei Yanagi, Minoru Torihada, Gadarukanaru Taka, Asami, Yukihide Benny, Norman England

If director Yoshihiro Nishimura wants to treat you to dinner, turn it down! Before you know it, he’s talking about his films or offering a ‘means of inspiration’ and you don’t want that. Nishimura makes very raunchy splatter horror movies that are so over the top that it becomes funny. However, that does not mean that you should not look at his oeuvre with a full stomach, because the special effects just look gross. In addition, the filmmaker has a talent for serving you the most outlandish stories that are so freaked out that you suspect that Nishimura is not averse to mind-altering drugs. So just politely decline that invitation…

‘Helldriver’ paints a rather pessimistic picture of Japan. A mysterious comet has turned much of the population into murderous zombies. The government has cut up the country and fenced it off with a wall. The idea is that no zombies can get in and out. The undead are led by Rikka, a deranged psychopath. So humanity is in bad shape. Fortunately, there is also Kika: Rikka’s daughter. Mother and daughter hate each other. Armed with a chainsaw sword, daughter sets out to finish off her mother (and hordes of zombies).

‘Helldriver’ is a splatter horror film in the vein of ‘Tokyo Gore Police’, ‘Machine Girl’ and ‘Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl’ and then the fan knows enough. Nishimura is not childish in terms of violence and presents countless scenes in which arms, legs, heads, crotches and chests are torn open. The budget was – traditionally – not very generous, so the scenes of violence look very cheap. And gross. The amount of blood also takes extreme forms. Losing an arm quickly costs three buckets of blood in the deranged universe of ‘Helldriver’. Well-known fare for fans of the genre. The novelty – incredibly blunt scenes of violence that go on non-stop – is long gone, but ‘Helldriver’ still manages to stay fresh.

Nishimura is very ambitious and uses different locations and decors. He has also found a lot of extras willing to participate. There are even a few mass scenes to be seen. In addition, he introduces a lot of colorful characters. In terms of flamboyant clothing, they are not inferior to characters from a manga. In fact, ‘Helldriver’ is an anime incarnate! Just because certain things work in a cartoon doesn’t mean that they also work in a feature film. ‘Helldriver’ is a grotesque film that should not be taken seriously for a moment.

The acting is decent. Cult actress Eihi Shiina (known for her role in ‘Audition’) goes over the top and steals every scene she’s in. Yumiko Hara is also doing well as zombie slayer Kika. The cast knows how to hit the right note and that creates a relaxed atmosphere. However, the playing time of two hours is just too long. It could have been a bit more compact, because the film drags on some parts. That does not alter the fact that ‘Helldriver’ is a great film for genre fans.