Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		1.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.0

Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 13, 2022

Sam Raimi and company had what would under normal circumstances be thought of as a micro budget for The Evil Dead, to which Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell's Shinichi Fukazawa might have answered with, "Hold my beer (and/or saki)". There's no arguing that The Evil Dead inspired Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell, since it's basically the same story (more or less, anyway) told through a slightly (or maybe more than slightly) askew perspective, as many of the supplements on this disc and even the cover make no bones about advertising. This ultra low budget affair definitely has the feel of a production put together by a bunch of friends who had a camera, locations, and the ability to do some basic special effects, and so for some it may appeal as a potent example of what might be termed "no budget guerrilla filmmaking". That doesn't necessarily mean Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell is a masterpiece, but it provides some decent gore effects and occasional goofy comedy, if nothing anywhere near the level seen in the Raimi film.

There are some notable differences between The Evil Dead and Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell, including an introductory vignette with documents the more or less accidental killing of a woman who seems to have developed a Fatal Attraction (so to speak) on a hapless guy who, in defending himself against her wielding a large knife, ends up stabbing her. Kind of hilariously, as one of the two commentary tracks gets into, he's in a more or less traditional Japanese domicile, so when he goes to bury the corpse, he simply has to lift up some reed mats, which may not exactly be the best hiding place. One way or the other, the supposedly deceased woman turns out to be "not quite dead yet", though a quick smack to the noggin with a shovel supposedly takes care of that little problem, though unsurprisingly, the woman (or at least her spirit) may be back to wreak havoc another day.

Writer and director Shinichi Fukazawa is also on hand here as the star, a bodybuilder named Naoto, who, along with his once and future girlfriend Mika (Masaaki Kai), starts investigating a supposedly haunted house, which unsurprisingly turns out to be the place where that aforementioned stabbing occurred. Also unsurprisingly, it turns out Naoto has a personal connection to that incident. Suffice it to say that strange things starts happening in this Japanese version of a Cabin in the Woods, and Fukuzawa and his team manage to craft some decently appalling body immolations, along with some fun (and at least somewhat funny) interactions between undead spirits and hapless humans.

Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Visual Vengeance, an imprint of Wildeye Releasing, with an AVC encoded 1080i transfer in 1.36:1. Kind of interestingly, there's more than one "warning" about the quality of the presentation, including this one on the cover of this release which advises:

Technical Disclaimer: We have created this Blu-ray using the best source materials available, which includes SD tape masters. Please be advised that the audio and video quality presented is the result of the original source material.

Once the disc boots, another advisory text card pops up with a perhaps (desperately?) hopeful addendum:

We have created the following Blu-ray using the best materials available at the time for the movies contained within. Often these movies were originally created and /or edited on tape, sometimes even with consumer grade equipment.

Please be aware and forewarned that any audio or visual quality on display is the reuslt of the original source material - and we are confident you will enjoy the movie regardless.

James Harper offers a bit of background in his commentary, stating the film was shot on 8mm and then edited on tape, so there's a kind of combo platter of "baked in" issues that are clearly evident in a number of the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review. The 8mm source offers an unavoidably thick grain field, which unfortunately due to the tape workflow doesn't look particularly organic. Either due to the tape editing or the interlaced presentation, there are some really odd looking anomalies throughout this presentation which I'll liken to ghosting, and point those interested to screenshots 18 and 19, particularly the head regions in both shots. There's also recurrent age related wear and tear, including quite a few nicks and scratches and other blemishes. The palette is faded but probably one of the stronger aspects of this presentation when taken as a whole. Things looked a bit blue to me at times, giving a somewhat purplish cast to blacks. Outdoor material featuring close-ups understandably fares the best, but I highly recommend those interested to scan the screenshots to get a feel for what this looks like.

Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Perhaps appropriately given the overall lo-fi feel of this piece, this disc is authored to default to a Dolby Digital 2.0 track, though there is a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track (even more weirdly, if you peek "under the hood" of the disc, this lossless track is actually the fourth audio track on the disc, after the Dolby Digital soundtrack and the two commentary tracks). The audio is in considerably better shape than the video, which may be damning with faint praise, but really there's nothing close to the quality issues with regard to the sound, other than rather flat dynamic range and the fact that it's obvious a lot, maybe all, of this film was post looped, leading to the dreaded "loose synch". Occasionally I found the mix to be a little lopsided in terms of effects overpowering dialogue, but I have a feeling that's the way it was produced. Along with some background noise (including occasional buzzing), there are occasional pops and cracks, some of which sound to me like inartful edit points. The "Tubular Bells"-esque score sounds decently full bodied. Optional English subtitles are available.

Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Japanese Film Historian James Harper is accessible under either the Setup Menu or the Bonus Menu.


• Audio Commentary with Adam Green and Joe Lynch is accessible under either the Setup Menu or the Bonus Menu.


• Interview with Producer / Director Shinichi Fukazawa (HD; 4:08) is subtitled in English.


• Outtakes (HD; 2:24)


• Special Effects Video (HD; 2:06)


• Original Trailer #1 (HD; 00:45)


• Original Trailer #2 (HD; 1:16)


• Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery (HD; 4:27)


• Image Gallery (HD; 3:25)

Additionally, an insert booklet contains an essay by Matt Desiderio, and the keepcase houses a folded mini poster along with some stickers and a fake "video store" membership card. Packaging features a slipcover.

Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Kind of ironically given this film's "inspiration", The Evil Dead Groovy Collection 4K has been hovering at or near the top of my review queue for some time (unfortunately, Lionsgate's PR firm has yet to provide a promised copy, so no review of that release as of the writing of this review). This is obviously an ultra low budget knockoff that doesn't have any illusions about itself, and as such can probably be enjoyed by those with certain, um, jaded sensibilities, and I have to say the film is at least brisk and intermittently amusing, with some decent gore effects. Both of the commentaries are very interesting and may help to make up for some technical deficiencies, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.