Pinky Violence fans rejoice!
As mentioned last year, a second set of films were set to be released as part of The Pinky Violence Collection by the now defunct boutique label Panik House. However, as with this month's much-anticipated release of Teruo Ishii's Horrors of Malformed Men and Nobuo Nakagawa's Snake Woman's Curse, Synapse Films has thankfully stepped in to release the next installment of The Pinky Violence Collection.
The first three films will be released on November 13th as the Legends of the Poisonous Seductress series. Here are the DVD covers as well as brief descriptions of each film.
The stunning Junko Miyazono stars in the first entry of the LEGENDS OF THE POISONOUS SEDUCTRESS series as Ohyaku, an innocent actress wrongly sent to prison and pushed by her tormentors to the point of no return. With a demon tattoo across her back and a sword in her hand, she embarks on a crusade of vengeance against all those who have wronged her, laying waste to man and woman alike in her quest for bloody retribution. More than just a swordplay classic, FEMALE DEMON OHYAKUs relentless cruelty, scenes of graphic torture, and unique mix of sex and sadism mark it as the first true Pinky Violence film, and highly influential on later sexy action series from Toei Studios throughout the 70s, such as the Sukeban and Female Convict Scorpion movies. Co-starring the legendary Tomisaburo Wakayama (LONE WOLF AND CUB).
Junko Miyazono returns as QUICK-DRAW OKATSU, the daughter of a swordmaster who takes on a power-hungry magistrate, in the second entry of the LEGENDS OF THE POISONOUS SEDUCTRESS series, directed by master filmmaker Nobuo Nakagawa (Jigoku, Snake Woman s Curse). Joined this time by Rui (Reiko Oshida), a wild young swordswoman, the two sexy avengers embark on a blood-soaked quest for revenge after Okatsu is raped and her father slaughtered by one of his assistants. Okatsu and Rui slash their way through dozens of evil men in order to settle the score with those who wronged them in this swordplay classic which features some of the best fight scenes of the series. Mixing a standard revenge plot with a healthy dose of modern-day sex and violence, the film proved to be a primary inspiration for some of the best female revenge sagas of the 1970s, including the Female Convict Scorpion and Lady Snowblood series. Co-starring the legendary Tomisaburo Wakayama (LONE WOLF AND CUB).
In the final episode of the LEGENDS OF THE POISONOUS SEDUCTRESS series, Junko Miyazono appears one final time as beautiful swordswoman Okatsu the Avenger, but this time seeking Judayu, a corrupt merchant responsible for the death of her parents. Betrayed by her fiancé, Okatsu finds herself aided in her quest by a handsome stranger (yakuza film star Tatsuo Umemiya) who happens to be as handy with a sword as she is! What is the reason for his kindness, and will Okatsu be able to prevail against Judayu, now a powerful businessman with scores of allies in high places? Whatever the end may be, the restless spirits of her murdered parents drive OKATSU THE FUGITIVE along her crimson-colored road of vengeance. Master filmmaker Nobuo Nakagawa (Jigoku, Snake Woman s Curse) brings audiences the stunning end of the trilogy that inspired countless imitators among Toei s Pinky Violence films of the 1970s.
In addition to these DVDs, sometime next spring Synapse will release the Wandering Ginza Butterfly films - Gincho wataridori (1971) and Gincho nagaremono aka Wandering Ginza She-Cat Gambler (1972) - starring Meiko Kaji and directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi (Delinquent Girl Boss: Worthless to Confess).
Without a doubt, fans of Japanese cult cinema have a lot to look forward to!
Labels: cult film, japanese exploitation, meiko kaji, pinky violence, synapse