Written and directed by Shinichi Fukazawa
Starring Shinichi Fukazawa, Asako Nosaka, Masaaki Kai, Masahiro Kai and Aki Tama Mai
Running time: 1 hour and 2 minutes

by Nikk Nelson

Sam Raimi changed the American horror genre forever with the release of The Evil Dead (1981) and Evil Dead II (1987)—the latter being essentially a remake of the original. Raimi took all of the traditional elements of horror, most notably camp, comedy and gore, and turned the volume up to eleven. In my opinion, the influence of the films transcended the horror genre, inspiring filmmakers in every corner of the artform—an influence that continued for generations. I don’t think Edgar Wright, for example, exists without Sam Raimi. Writer/director Shinichi Fukazawa and his passion project Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell (2012) definitely wouldn’t exist without Sam Raimi and The Evil Dead films. Part of the Nightstream film festival’s Retro series, Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell, also starring Shinichi Fukazawa, is a condensed, high octane Japanese adaptation of The Evil Dead and Evil Dead II.

With a runtime of just over an hour, there isn’t much time for anything other than the gore. Loosely, Shinji (Fukazawa), a bodybuilder, drives his ghost-hunter girlfriend and a hired psychic to a house his estranged/deceased father owns wherein, thirty years prior, his father murdered his mistress. Shortly after their arrival, the ghost of the murdered lover possesses the psychic and horror/hilarity ensues. Shinichi Fukazawa’s passion and respect for the source material is front and center. It’s extremely easy to imitate Sam Raimi but I didn’t get that sense from this project at all. This film loves Sam Raimi and the proof of that may simply be the fact the film took fourteen years to complete—shot from 1995-2009. I don’t think anyone takes that much time and care to recreate something, unless they are absolutely passionate about it. 

If you can imagine The Evil Dead having even less money, then you can imagine the look and feel of Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell. But there’s something so underdog about it, you can’t help but bless its heart. It instantly reminded me of the story of Eric Zala, Christopher Strompolos and Jason Lamb, three childhood friends who, over the course of seven years, made a shot for shot remake of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)—a story engagingly captured in the documentary Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made (2015). There’s something very special to me about filmmakers who are so inspired by a film that they devote themselves to it to this degree. It’s something that goes well beyond homage. Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell honors Sam Raimi and The Evil Dead universe. It is perhaps the most complex, difficult and time-consuming thank you card ever made.

Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell played as part of the line-up at Nightstream Film Festival.