Masters of Horror: Imprint (2006) [horror, torture, gore]

Unfortunately I was one of the few who couldn’t watch Masters of Horror when it first aired. I had to wait until it was released on DVD. I did however hear about the controversy of Imprint and how it wasn’t aired. Despite that, Imprint is a very good installment in the Masters of Horror series.

There’s about 3 kills in Imprint (not counting the fetus we see). None too graphic (except the fetus). The torture scenes of Komomo were more disturbing than anything else. There’s also the special effects for “Little Sis”.

The two leads, Billy Drago and Yuki Kudo, do a great job in acting. Billy Drago (known for Vamp, Mirror Mirror 3 & 4, Tremors 4, and The Hills Have Eyes [2006]) plays Christopher, an American looking for his lost love. Yuki Kudo plays the Woman. The prostitute who tells Christopher what happens to Komomo and her own sad story. I do have to give props to Michie, who plays Komomo. Some of the contortions she did were terrifying.

Imprint opens on Christopher, making his way to an island where the prostitutes were living. He is in search of one specific prostitute but she is not there. He does start talking to one called The Woman, whose face is half disfigured. She first tells him a sad story about herself and then what happened to Komomo. Though part of it was a lie. She eventually tells the real truth about herself and Komomo. The stories are horrifying.

I really liked the dark tones in the movie, contrasted with the red wigs of the ladies. Also, the atmosphere was dark and creepy. A kind of ethereal feel to it. I found the story pretty interesting as well as good acting. A good fit in the Master of Horror franchise. I would definitely recommend this if you are into Takashi Miike movies and if you don’t mind some graphic images of fetus and torture.

Let’s get into the rankings:

Scary/Creepy: 5/5

Sex/Nudity: 2/5

Kills/Blood/Gore: 5/5

My Enjoyment: 5/5

My Rank: 4.2/5

Imprint Review