There are some bleak mornings, in which I rise from my slumber, struck with the fear that I am digging my own grave running a site like this. Some of the films we report on would stand to make your cat blush - let alone friends, strangers, or acquaintances that happen upon our little space on the web, and in turn, manage to recognize our names. I think it goes without saying that artistic endeavors take on many forms, shapes and sizes - and in the instance of the films that we quite often review, contain lots of sex and/or grotesque violence (or other questionable material) to support said artistic vision and chosen shape. Then there are the 'artistic visions' that use the term, much more loosely in the sense that they really have no 'artistic' qualities or merit whatsoever. Only displaying the sex and/or grotesque violence (or other questionable material) on a perverted pedestal of glee, with no apologies offered. Entrails of a Virgin, is definitely a prime example of the latter. Be afraid, be ashamed, be whatever you want to be, just don't blame me for the dirty looks or the way you feel the next morning - good or bad.

You'd have to be a pretty hardcore splatter fan to even know that this film even exists. I for one had a bootleg (gasp!) back in my early days of exploitation collecting. This is the first time that Entrails has seen a legitimate video release in the states, so on a historical level alone, props need to be given out to Synapse for taking on such a depraved, underground title, and in turn giving it much love with this DVD release. For the uninitiated, you really do need to be aware of exactly what it is you're getting yourself into. But if ya dig the idea of a soft core porn film, with some squishy blood effects thrown in for good measure, then presently, you may just be in the right place.

The 'story' (if you will) serves one purpose and one purpose only here...to carry us from one soft-core sex scene and gore effect to the other. There is no irony, no likeable characters (or development of said characters), and if there is conflict, climax or resolution to be found here, it's so paper thin, that you'll hardly even notice it even exists to begin with. This is sleazy exploitation, purely for the sake of exploitation, nothing more, nothing less. A group of anonymous photogs and young models head home after a long day of sex and erotic celluloid shenanigans. Dense fog cut short their ride home so they stop off at a cabin in the woods. In the mean time, a man/creature (really a man covered in mud) rises from the earth, and begins to terrorize the crew. He murders the men, rapes (with his huge mud covered dong) and murders the women, and in some instances, philosophizes about life, existence and his place in this crazy world of ours (this is no joke by the way). 73 minutes later, the credits roll and you go take a shower...nuff said.

Here's the deal. Between the cheesy soft-core sex scenes and low rent gore, Entrails of a Virgin is a pretty b-grade affair, and quite often more silly than offensive. There's more pretend sex than gore, and the characters motivations/attitudes towards the situations that they are thrust in, are quite comical to say the least. However, you gotta give props to a film that features a hilarious guy on girl wrestling scene (underwear and topless) that ends with the young girl pissing herself, and the young man walking away angry for being coaxed into his wrestling stance to begin with. He walks off screen in a huff, only to be murdered just moments later. And if that doesn't grab your bull by the horns, then the scene in which a young lady furiously masturbates with a severed arm(!), only to have her guts yanked out from below, sure as hell will.

Even after running just under 80-minutes, Entrails of a Virgin is still a bit slow to the point. As a matter of fact, it's a good 30 minutes into the film before anyone is even killed, but before we even reach this moment, there is plenty of nudity and soft-core shenanigans to keep you busy. It sounds more offensive than it actually is, but if you like to have a liberal dose of sex mixed in with your violence (and vice versa) on a purely sinful level, Entrails of a Virgin delivers.

As far as quality of this release goes, Synapse has done good, real good. Print damage is minimal and colors are bold. The anamorphic transfer looks simply great. The mono audio and newly translated English subs are equally as effective. Note that there is optical fogging over male and female genitalia (common practice in Asian films of the time), as a print of the film without this fogging has never existed. Included as extras are a video interview with the director (even more odd than the film itself), a trailer and liner notes that detail the history of optical fogging in Asian cinema. All around, Synapse has provided us with a really nice package, including some fantastic cover art, that I'd love to see made available as a full size poster.

In the end, it depends on your tolerance for all things exploitative. Fans of the film, or this type of Asian cinema in general will rejoice with this release, and eat every bit of it up. Those looking for a bit more in their exploitation soup may be a bit disappointed. How strongly do you need your vegetables? Just take a vitamin, and jump right into the meat and potatoes.