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[DVD Review] Takashi Miike Delivers a Haunting Tale with ‘Over Your Dead Body’

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It was almost a year ago now that Shout! Factory announced they had acquired the rights to Takashi Miike’s Over Your Dead Body. Since that time however, no release date has been announced which is kind of a bummer if you’re in North America. For those of you that are Region Free, Australian-based Eastern Eye did release the film on DVD last month and I decided to check that out because I’m impatient. And I must say this movie is insane.

The film follows a theatre troupe in the middle of rehearsals for the performance of a 200-year-old play. The play deals with murder, betrayal and vengeance. Miyuki Goto (Ko Shibasaki) and Kosuke Hasegawa (Ebizo Ichikawa) are not only a coupe in real life, but are also cast as the lead couple in the play. Soon their real lives begin to mirror that of the play and the line between reality and fiction is heavily blurred.

To say too much about the plot of Over Your Dead Body would be to ruin it. The gist of it is that Kosuke’s character in the play turns out to be a terrible husband, living a life of lies behind the back of Miyuki. Eventually this bleeds over into real life. The deception in Over Your Dead Body doesn’t just lie with the characters however, as Miike plays tricks on us, the audience. For much of the film we have no idea what’s real and what isn’t. Is what we’re seeing happening in the play or is it happening in real life? Perhaps it’s just happening in the minds and fantasies of the characters? Or is it possibly all of the above? The majority of the time it’s never quite clear and constantly keeps you guessing and questioning everything unfolding before your eyes. It’s quite brilliant.

There are some things that happen in Over Your Dead Body that you can’t un-see. While it’s not an overly graphic movie, it makes every bit of blood and gore count. At one point a girl gives herself an abortion of sorts while in the shower. I don’t look away often in movies, but this is one where I had to turn my head, at least a little bit. That didn’t really help much because it’s actually the sound in this scene that gets you. That is something I will never be able to shake. Even as I type this I can hear and see the scene playing over again in my head.

Over Your Dead Body is haunting, graphic, gruesome and beautiful all at once. It is Miike. For as visually stunning as the film is, I think real beauty is the way the story unfolds. Because Miike essentially removes the line between reality and fiction you’re never quite sure where the movie is going to end and as a result it keeps you on your toes. It’s refreshing not to see the finish line from the start. I wouldn’t say Over Your Dead Body is a masterpiece, but it’s close to it. My one issue with the movie, and it’s fairly minor, is that it does take a little bit to get going. I’d say the first half hour or so is a tad on the slow side, but once it kicks things into gear it never looks back. Miike creates a weaving tale that blends two worlds together to deliver a twist of an ending.

Over Your Dead Body is currently available on Region 4 DVD from Eastern Eye.

Chris Coffel is originally from Phoenix, AZ and now resides in Portland, OR. He once scored 26 goals in a game of FIFA. He likes the Phoenix Suns, Paul Simon and 'The 'Burbs.' Oh and cats. He also likes cats.

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‘Lisa Frankenstein’ Shambles Onto Blu-ray in April With Audio Commentary and Deleted Scenes

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lisa frankenstein trailer 2

The horror-comedy Lisa Frankenstein is headed home to physical media, with the film zombie-walking its way onto DVD and Blu-ray from Universal on April 9, 2024.

Directed by Zelda Williams and written by Diablo Cody (Juno, Jennifer’s Body), Lisa Frankenstein will also be available for a lower price on Digital beginning March 29.

Special Features include:

  • Audio commentary by director Zelda Williams
  • An Electric Connection featurette
  • Resurrecting the ‘80s featurette
  • A Dark Comedy Duo featurette
  • 5 deleted scenes
  • Gag reel

Meagan Navarro wrote in her review for Bloody Disgusting,” Billed as a coming-of-rage tale, Lisa Frankenstein instead offers a celebration of outcasts and weirdos.”

“It makes for a sugary sweet, almost wholesome effort held together by a trio of infectiously winsome performances,” Meagan’s review continued. She added, “As a celebration of teen girls and outcasts who just want to be loved, Lisa Frankenstein ultimately charms.”

Kathryn Newton (Freaky) and Cole Sprouse (“Riverdale”) lead the cast for Focus Features, and the new film is rated “PG-13” for “bloody images and sexual material.”

Carla Gugino (The Fall of the House of Usher), Liza Soberano (Alone/Together), Joe Chrest (Stranger Things) and Henry Eikenberry (The Crowded Room) also star.

[Related] ‘Lisa Frankenstein’ and ‘Jennifer’s Body’: A Match Made in Hot Pink Heaven

In Lisa Frankenstein, “Set in 1989, the film follows an unpopular high schooler who accidentally re-animates a handsome Victorian corpse during a lightning storm and starts to rebuild him into the man of her dreams using the broken tanning bed in her garage.”

Here’s the full official plot synopsis: “A coming of RAGE love story about a misunderstood teenager and her high school crush, who happens to be a handsome corpse. After a set of playfully horrific circumstances bring him back to life, the two embark on a murderous journey to find love, happiness… and a few missing body parts along the way.”

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