Movies
[Fantasia Review] ‘Parasyte: Part 1 and 2’: A Wild, Uneven Duology
Parasyte was an award-winning manga series that ran from the late ‘80s to the mid-‘90s. Like most things released during that time period, Parasyte was revived in the 2000s. In this case it was two live action movies – Parasyte: Part 1 and Parasyte: Part 2, both directed by Takashi Yamazaki (Space Battleship Yamato). Both films made their Quebec premieres at the 2016 Fantasia Festival and I’m really glad they were shown early in the afternoon because I’m not a coffee drinker and both Parasyte films are like adrenalin shots to the eyeballs.
A sharp blend of gruesome sci-fi horror and comedy, the films tell the story of a parasitic alien species that infests Tokyo. These small, worm-like creatures crawl into people’s ear and take over their brain, changing their cellular structure to make them flesh-eating, shape-shifting creeps. They pass as human just fine (if a little emotionless), but when they’re ready to feed or attack, the heads contort into these crazy tentacle monsters that look absolutely wicked. The very first transformation/kill garnered howls from the Fantasia crowd.
Petulant teen Shinichi (Shota Sometani) happens to have fallen asleep with his earbuds in. So when an alien worm tries to get in, he’s blocked and only manages to infect Shinichi’s right hand. The hand-alien (handlien?) is highly intelligent and observant and calls himself “Migi,” the Japanese word for “righty.” With his straightforward logic about human behavior, Migi is the source of much of the film’s comic relief. Gradually, Shinichi forms an alliance with Migi (though masturbation is pretty awkward) and the two begin to unravel the parasites’ plan for the human race. You can probably guess what it is. Did you say wipe them out? That’s a bingo.
Parasyte: Part 1 is a whirlwind of a film, with heaps of action, wild special effects, and horrific deaths, all with a sincere beating heart at its middle. The relationship between Shinichi and his mother anchors much of Part 1 and leads to dramatic moments of heartbreaking proportions. The small human moments are what make all the cartoon violence and grisly mayhem have true impact. Shinichi has to come to grips with a lot of insanity and tragedy in this first film, which leads to his transformation into a superhero-type, parasite-hunting vigilante in Part 2.
For a moment, imagine if there was a Gremlins 3 and instead of maintaining the horror-comedy tone of Gremlins and Gremlins 2, Billy Peltzer sat around with Gizmo and talked about what it means to be human and our effect on the planet. Imagine that and you’ll understand the sharp tonal shift between Parasyte Part 1 and 2.
Part 2 still has tons of crazy action and tense moments, but the shift in tone is so severe it took away from a lot of the excitement I had built in my chest after the first film. On the flip side, Part 2 does have some great payoffs.
In the final two hours, the parasites have infiltrated politics in Tokyo and become like a well-oiled, sociopathic machine. Much of the philosophical questions about humanity and whether it deserves to go on is put forth by parasite Ryoko (Eri Fukatsi), who’s on the fence about human extinction. She’s in stark opposition to ultimate parasite baddie Goto (Tadanobu Asano), who pulls no punches about his intention to destroy all humans.
The action scenes are really spectacular, particularly Shinichi’s final fight. Much of the clashes are just that – the clanging between parasitic tentacles shaped like blades. Gradually the fights get more sophisticated, especially as Shinichi learns how to use his new half-breed powers. The bond that forms between him and Migi begins as comic, but by this final rumble, it’s a co-dependence that brings mounds of drama. I was shocked how much I cared for that little handlien.
Really funny and impressively gruesome, the Parasyte duology is worth seeking out if you dig your imports wild and weird, but with plenty to say about the crazy world we live in.
The film screened at the ongoing Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal.
PART ONE:
PART TWO:
Judging from the unprecedented box office success of Kane Parsons’ Backrooms adaptation, you’ve likely already seen the liminal horror hit that managed to make audiences afraid of empty hallways and bad wallpaper. And now that so many of us have already entered the yellow labyrinth (some of us more than once), the time has come to discuss the spoiler-filled details that make the movie so fascinating in the first place.
And if there’s one element here that makes the Backrooms movie stand out from any previous lore/mythology, it has to be the genius addition of the Still Life entities. Warped recreations of real people that somehow wandered into the Complex, these misremembered creatures are responsible for some of the most disturbing imagery of 2026 – as well as laugh-out-loud memes created by one of the film’s very own concept artists.
However, true to Parsons’ word that the movie would rely heavily on practical effects, each of these distorted monsters was brought to life by real actors under heavy layers of makeup and prosthetics (with the occasional splash of CGI enhancements). While Anora and If I Had Legs I’d Kick You actress Ivy Wolk wasn’t among these performers, despite what Letterboxd might have you believe, the creature cast did benefit from veteran players with plenty of genre experience.
For starters, Alien: Romulus alumni Robert Bobroczkyi (who previously brought that film’s horrific Offspring to life during its most memorable sequence) plays the flick’s main antagonist, the Still Life version of Captain Clark. And though there was some obvious CGI involved in making the character’s peg-leg and nightmarish face more believable, Bobroczkyi’s monstrous performance and his natural 7’7″ frame helped to make that final chase sequence a clear highlight among this year’s genre offerings.
The film’s Texas-Chain-Saw-inspired “dinner” scene also features a freaky collection of less-aggressive Still Life creatures in the form of the Bearded Man, the Red-Headed Woman and, strangest of them all, the cheekily named “Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life” (who earned this title among fans and crewmembers as a reference to his apparent affinity for lamps).
While this was the first major horror outing for both Patrick Baynham (The Bearded Man) and Dana Mahmood (Archibald), Rhiannon Roberts has worked as a stunt performer in everything from Yellowjackets to HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation – which is probably why The Red-Headed Woman is the most active out of Clark’s impromptu “family.” That being said, the Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life is my personal favorite of the bunch simply because his anachronistic outfit suggests that the Backrooms phenomenon might be a lot older than the Async Foundation. I also love how hard he tries to be helpful with that little light of his!
That might be it for the Still Life entities, but I think horror fans will also be pleased to hear that the film’s Found Footage prologue stars none other than Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City star Avan Jogia as Naren Warne – and American Mary herself Katharine Isabelle also shows up in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo at Mary’s house party towards the middle of the story (though I have a feeling that she originally had a bigger part that was likely cut for time).
At the end of the day, Parsons’ Backrooms may have been an auteur-driven project motivated by the young director’s unique take on the classic creepypasta, but film has always been a collective artform, so it’s fun to see just how many talented performers it takes to bring this kind of supernatural nightmare to life in a way that connects with so many people.
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