Ruptured Review: American Guinea Pig: Bouquet Of Guts And Gore

 

Country of origin- USA 

Year of release- 2014  

Director- Stephen Biro 

Stars- Ashley Lynn Caputo, Caitlyn Dailey, Lilly Dickenson, Eight The Chosen One

 

Because this is still a very recent release I won’t be talking too much about its plot, or subtext, I will leave that for you to more thoroughly discover when you watch the film. Essentially the film revolves around three snuff filmmakers, who kidnap a mother and daughter and proceed to systematically, and ritualistically torture, dismember and mutilate them. To stop the women from making any noise the film makers inject them with a paralysis inducing drug, which means that the victims are awake through the whole gruesome process, but cannot cry out in pain. This is a particularly disturbing aspect of the film, as you find yourself as the viewer trying to comprehend the kind of agony these women are going through, yet they are unable to even scream.

This film is the start of a series of films in the American Guinea Pig series, which in more than name alone is a homage to the classic, and continuously infamous Japanese Guinea Pig series of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Bouquet of Guts And Gore is however a homage to one specific Guinea Pig film, and that is the masterpiece that is Flowers of Flesh And Blood (1985). This film holds numerous little homages to that classic, for example the idea that the victim would be drugged so as to be unable to scream is a key example, along with the very ritualistic dismemberment.

This film however does very effectively manage to craft its own little corner in cinema hell, without simply piggy backing on the original Japanese Guinea Pig series, and without being related in name alone. This is a commendable achievement on the part of the filmmakers. This brings me on to some the best features of the film, firstly the visual effects which is the combined work of Stephen Biro, Melanie Dean, David Hood, Marcus Koch (who is set to direct the next American Guinea Pig film), Shelby McIntyre and Chris Polidoro.

It goes without saying but all the effects in Bouquet of Guts And Gore are stunningly well done, extremely nasty and best of all, practical. This is very important as the film relies heavily upon it ability to shock with its gore. The second important feature of this film is the cinematography, which is done by the excellent Jim Van Bebber (The Manson Family, Deadbeat At Dawn). The film is shot on a grimy mix of 8mm and VHS, which gives it a distinctly grotty and unsettling feel that adds a tremendous amount to the overall atmosphere throughout the film. This atmosphere is also added to by some of the more subtle visual aesthetics, for instance the masks that the film makers wear in the film is a small but very important aspect that really does add a very creepy and almost inhuman feel to the characters.

 

 

Overall I think this is very well crafted and extremely unsettling film that pushes the envelope on gore and taste, and truly makes a solid attempted to shock its audience. I think the director/writer Stephen Biro should be very happy with what he and the other cast members manage to create here, and I thoroughly look forward to the rest of the American Guinea Pig series. This one gets 8/10 from me, check it out if you think have the stomach and tolerance for it.    

                                                        Buy the film here.