Hideshi Hino's Theater of Horror hexalogy: THE BOY FROM HELL, DEAD GIRL WALKING, LIZARD BABY, THE RA

Thanks to ScreenAnarchy's own logboy for bringing to my attention the fact that Unicorn Entertainment International Limited is scheduled to release Mari Asato's The Boy from Hell (Jigoku kozô) on DVD (NTSC, region-free, English subtitles) in Hong Kong on September 16th. The Boy from Hell was one of the movies in the Hideshi Hino's Theater of Horror (Hino Hideshi no za horâ: kaiki gekijô) hexalogy, which was released theatrically in Japan last year. All of the movies in the hexalogy were based on manga by Hideshi Hino.

There are downloadable trailers for each movie in the hexalogy (see individual listings below), and one for the complete hexalogy (see bottom of this article), on the website of Pal Kikaku K.K. (K.K. Paru Kikaku). There are synopses for each movie in the hexalogy (see individual listings below) on the page for it on the website of the international sales agent for it, Pony Canyon K.K. (K.K. Ponî Kyanion). The movies in the hexalogy were as follows...

The Boy from Hell (Jigoku kozô): directed by Mari Asato (supervised by Hiroshi Takahashi); starring Mirai Yamamoto, Mitsuru Akaboshi (rightmost on bottom row; height: 137 cm.), Shôta Someya, Kanji Tsuda, Baku Numata, and Hanae Shôji. Synopsis: "A mysterious old woman appears before Setsu, who has recently lost her only child in a tragic accident. She says she can bring Setsu's son, Daio back to life. ¶ To [Setsu's] horror, Daio returns to her, half decomposed, inhuman. ¶ To make him human again, he needs fresh human organs. Setsu does everything she can to reincarnate her son, but Daio just turns into a different kind of monster. No one can stop [him] as he continues to feed his hunger, producing victim after victim. Soon, a detective becomes suspicious and pays Setsu a visit...." Running time: 51 minutes. Official webpage. Trailer (downloadable 1.1 MB WMV file).

Dead Girl Walking (Kaiki! Shinin shôjo): directed by Kôji Shiraishi; starring Ayaka Maeda, Katsumi Nagashio, Yoshiyuki Morishita, Moe Karasawa, Kibaji Tankobo, and Kansai Etô. Synopsis: "The unimaginable happens. Sayuri is pronounced 'dead' by her doctor, but her body continues to function. Her wounds begin to fester and her body begins to rot. Her once loving mother, father and sister are repulsed as their home starts reeking of decomposing flesh. Unable to bear it any longer, they corner Sayuri holding a can of gasoline.... She flees for her life, but is snatched away by a strange man who runs a freak show, where Sayuri is forced to exhibit her putrified body and dance before an audience of men dressed in black. Isolated in the desolate hills, Sayuri thinks she has escaped them, but she's wrong...." Running time: 44 minutes. Official webpage. Trailer (downloadable 1.1 MB WMV file).

Lizard Baby (Watashi no aka-chan): directed by Yoshihiro Nakamura; starring Kurume Arisaka, Mansaku Ikeuchi, Matomu Onda, screenwriter-director Sakichi Satô, Kôichi Koshimura, and Yoshie Ôtsuka. Synopsis: "Horror screenwriter, Umeki, has writer's block. He goes with his pregnant wife, Akiko, to a check-up and is struck with an incredible idea - a horror story about a woman who gives birth to a reptile! ¶ Despite his wife's disgust, Umeki goes ahead with the screenplay, which the critics love. But the horrible prophecy fulfills itself, as his wife gives birth to a freak of nature. His baby is born half human, half lizard! ¶ The reptilian baby slithers on the floor, leaving a wet trail of slime behind [it]. To his horror, his wife, Akiko, holds it lovingly in her arms. His movie has become a mirror image of his own life as Umeki slips slowly into madness...." Running time: 50 minutes. Official webpage. Trailer (downloadable 1.2 MB WMV file).

The Ravaged House: Zoroku's Disease (Tadareta ie: 'Zôroku no kibyô' yori): directed by Kazuyoshi Kumakiri; starring Satoshi Morishita, Marie Kawaguchi, Masaki Miura, Hiromi Kuronuma, Chiaki Azuma, and Kôen Okumura. Synopsis: "In a rural village, a kind young man named Zoroku leads an unassuming life. He is adored by his younger sister, Haruko, and all is well... until one day, without warning, Zoroku is ravaged by a bizarre disease that festers his skin and deforms his body. Fearful that the villagers will see Zoroku's grotesque transformation, his parents lock him up in the house. But the village chief's son sees him and soon, Zoroku is ostracized by his community, and [Haruko] is viciously assaulted. Unable to watch Haruko suffer any further, Zoroku's parents reluctantly determine to end his misery themselves. Haruko tries to save her brother and they escape from the confines of the house... but to what end?" Running time: 65 minutes. Official webpage. Trailer (downloadable 0.7 MB WMV file).

Occult Detective Club: The Doll Cemetery (Okaruto tanteidan: shi-ningyô no hakaba): directed by Kiyoshi Yamamoto; starring Sayaka Hosaka, Kazunori Tani, Aki Kawamura (PDF file), Fû Takatô, Hiroki Aiba, Fumina Hara, and Hitomi Miwa. Synopsis: "Out of curiosity, Nanami and Daisuke decide to join their high school's Occult Research Club. The odd group is comprised of a handful of weirdo[s] and the group's leader, Shiratori, who purportedly has supernatural powers. ¶ They are currently investigating a 'curse' surrounding a student who committed suicide last year. An old doll found in the back of her closet may hold a clue.... ¶ Daisuke is freaked out, whereas Nanami is intrigued... until she is possessed by the same spirit of the 'Doll' that drove the student to suicide. ¶ The group decides to investigate a cryptic spot called 'The Doll Cemetery' - a wretched graveyard with piles upon piles of discarded mannequins and stuffed animals.... ¶ Sensing intruders, the 'dead' dolls suddenly come to life. 'You won't leave here alive!' Nanami and the group desperately fight off ghoulish toy clowns and zombie dolls. But what awaited them was far worse...." Running time: 54 minutes. Official webpage. Trailer (downloadable 0.7 MB WMV file).

Death Train (Kyôfu ressha): directed by Kazuyuki Sakamoto; starring Narumi Konno, Saya Yûki, Aja, and Ayano Tachibana. Synopsis: "All set to enjoy their day off, three high school friends, Yukino, Asako, and Natsu, board a seemingly normal train... when suddenly, a deafening sound and a flash of light envelop them! ¶ But the three arrive at school the next day as if nothing happened. And yet, something is not right.... ¶ They see oddly familiar faces, their families are out of sync and they are chased by strange men in black. Plagued by these nightmarish sensations, Yukino flees, only to find herself in front of the amusement park they were heading to on that fateful train ride. ¶ Slump[ing] to the ground, Yukino comes to a strange realization.... ¶ They are stuck between nightmare and reality, between the walls of two worlds that are closing in on them. But which world is real...?!" Running time: 54 minutes. Official webpage. Trailer (downloadable 0.6 MB WMV file).

[see individual listings above for individual trailers and webpages]

Hideshi Hino's Theater of Horror hexalogy trailer (downloadable 4.8 MB WMV file)
Hideshi Hino's Theater of Horror hexalogy official subsite
Pony Canyon: Hideshi Hino's Theater of Horror hexalogy