Tetsuo II: Body Hammer (1992)

Description

The unforgettable, twisted world of filmmaker Shinya Tsukamoto (Tokyo Fist, A Snake of June) explodes onto celluloid with three cyberpunk-fueled tales of body horror and fractured identity. In 1989's Tetsuo: The Iron Man, a mild-mannered salaryman (Taguchi Tomorowo, Tokyo Fist), out for a drive with his girlfriend (Kei Fujiwara, The Adventure of Denchu-Kozo), accidentally hits a deranged metal fetishist (played by Tsukamoto himself), and in the process becomes infected by a mysterious disease that slowly transforms his body into scrap metal. Equal parts Cronenbergian and Giger-esque, Tetsuo: The Iron Man combines striking, high-contrast black and white photography, grotesque body horror and stop-motion animation to create an unforgettable feature debut. In 1992s Tetsuo II: Body Hammer, Tsukamoto swaps black-and-white for richly saturated primary colors, exploring the same themes as the film's predecessor on a greatly expanded scale. Young couple Tomoo (Taguchi) and Kana (Nobu Kanaoka, Tokyo Fist)'s lives are turned upside down when skinheads kidnap their young son, in the process of which the enraged Tomoo spontaneously grows a gun from his arm – and ends up accidentally killing his own child. Fueled by grief and guilt, the once mild-mannered Tomoo continues his bodily metamorphosis, transforming into the ultimate weapon... and setting the stage for an explosive showdown with the metal-worshipping fanatic who leads the skinheads (again played by Tsukamoto). Finally, the short film The Adventure of Denchu-Kozo, shot on a shoestring budget two years prior to Tetsuo’s release, tells the story of a bullied teenager who finds himself transported into a nightmarish future where a group of vampires seek to conquer the world using a machine that creates eternal darkness... a diabolical plan which he alone can thwart, thanks to the large electricity pole growing from his back.