A few years ago, a rash of brutal and shocking killings struck Japan. Later the murders were attributed to a young man dubbed the Otaku Murderer (or The Collector). In much the same way that the Ed Gein legend inspired Robert Bloch and Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho and later Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the Otaku Murders have themselves begun to serve as inspiration for the likes of Asian Horror Cinema.

Japanese cult director Ataru Oikawa (the Tomie trilogy) sets his voyeuristic lens out to capture the horror of Yumiko (Sachiko Kokubu) a beautiful young designer who finds her life terrorized by a would-be stalker who seems hellbent of taking her as his bloody bride.

Shot digitally in 2004, Tokyo Psycho is oozing with stylized imagery and its brisk pace, running at only 79 minutes, does wonders for keeping the story moving. Several things impressed me about this film, beginning with the shot composure. Oikawa has a wonderful eye for interesting angles, as evidenced in the Tomie series. I often forgot that I was watching a film shot on video, which in and of itself is a mighty feat. Oikawa offers some Kubrick inspired tracking shots as the camera twists and turns around the hallways of Yumiko’s apartment complex. The fluid motion of the scenes supplies the unnerving nature of the design, much as they served Kubrick in The Shining. The element of forward motion in the film really works to keep the audience interested and that interest is crucial as the film offers little in the way of blood, guts and action, instead focusing on the cat and mouse posturing between the killer and his prey. I was quite surprised by the lack of blood, so much so, that when the first traces of crimson began to creep into frame, I was struck by their depth and brilliance and for that moment, I applaud director Oikawa. To often in todays over the top visceral orgies of violence, the audience is inundated with so much carnage that it ultimately serves as a sacrifice to the actual plot of the film. The other aspect of production that impressed me belongs squarely to the leads.

Sachiko Kokubu’s performance as Yumiko was bright and affecting. Her luminous beauty would likely be the subject of obsession for many a lost and lonely soul, and so it seems fitting that she would inspire such rabid devotion. Aside from her obvious physical traits, Kokubu gives a textured portrayal of a woman who has nowhere to turn when she discovers that a maddening killer has infiltrated her life. She is particularly convincing upon discovering a terrible truth about her best friends fiancé and brings that scene to its horrifying conclusion simple through the expressive nature of her eyes. The other notable performance in the film comes from Masashi Taniguchi, as the twisted psychopath. Rarely on screen do we witness a killer who takes such maniacal joy in torturing his victims. In fact his agreeable and lighthearted nature makes him all the more vicious and unsettling when he is unmasked.

Panik House’s DVD release of the film offers a nice package of special features, including a very brief look behind the scenes, that really just serves up a few frames of the actors on set and tosses off a couple of quips here and there. A more interesting inclusion comes courtesy of underground writer Selwyn Harris (SexWrecks, Animal Instincts III) that covers the history behind the real life murders that inspired the film. The overview is interesting but Harris, often goes for the more sensational aspects of the cases making his summary read a bit more like a warped sex tale than a clinical look at the brutality of the serial killers deeds. Also included on the Disc are production galleries and still sets along with Audio Commentary from director Oikawa. It is a solid release for a film that truly takes a surprising and satisfying journey into the mind of madness.