Hideshi Hino's Theater of Horror, also known as the Kaiki Gekijou Hexalogy, is a series of six live action

Live action

In filmmaking, video production, and other media, the term live action refers to cinematography, videography not produced using animation...

 Japanese horror films from Pony Canyon

Pony Canyon

is a Japanese company, established on October 1, 1966 , which publishes music, DVD and VHS videos, movies and video games. It is a subsidiary of Japanese Media Group, Fujisankei Communications Group.-History:...

. Based on several manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

 of Hideshi Hino

Hideshi Hino

Hideshi Hino is a Japanese manga artist who specializes in horror stories. His comics include Hell Baby, Hino Horrors, and Panorama of Hell...

, the series was released theatrically in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 in year 2004, and later released in North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

 in 2006.

Movie list

Although it is six-film horror series, the movies have no form of continuity

Continuity (fiction)

In fiction, continuity is consistency of the characteristics of persons, plot, objects, places and events seen by the reader or viewer over some period of time...

, canon

Canon (fiction)

In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...

, or connection between them.

The Boy From Hell (Jigoku Kozou)

Setsu has recently lost her child, Daio in a tragic accident. Soon after, she meets a mysterious old woman who says she can resurrect Setsu's son. Daio revives, however he is half-decomposed and inhuman. In order for Daio to become whole again, he needs fresh human organs. Setsu goes to great limits to help her son, but the boy becomes a monster. A murder spree ensues, getting the attention of a local detective. Directed by Mari Asato. The cast includes Mirai Yamamoto

Mirai Yamamoto

Mirai Yamamoto is a Japanese actress. Her father is Kansai Yamamoto. She is a left hander...

, Mitsuru Akaboshi, Baku Numata, and Hanae Shouji

Dead Girl Walking

Sayuri is pronounced "dead" on a hospital table, yet her body continues to function. Her wounds continue to fester, and her skin begins to rot

ROT

The aviation term ROT stands for rate one turn, also known as a standard rate turn. All aircraft must be able to perform a standard rate turn....

. Discovering this, her family begins to despise her. With the home reeking of rotted flesh, the family decides to confront Sayuri. Escaping home, she get captured by a circus owner, and is forced into freak show

Freak show

A freak show is an exhibition of biological rarities, referred to as "freaks of nature". Typical features would be physically unusual humans, such as those uncommonly large or small, those with both male and female secondary sexual characteristics, people with other extraordinary diseases and...

 entertainment. Running away from the circus, she heads to the lonely hills, thinking she has managed to escape...

Lizard Baby

A horror screenwriter, named Umeki, has writer's block

Writer's block

Writer's block is a condition, primarily associated with writing as a profession, in which an author loses the ability to produce new work. The condition varies widely in intensity. It can be trivial, a temporary difficulty in dealing with the task at hand. At the other extreme, some "blocked"...

. But after going with his pregnant wife, Akiko to a check-up

Check-Up

Check-Up was a Canadian medical information television series which aired on CBC Television in 1963.-Premise:The series was produced by the CBC in co-operation with the Canadian Medical Association. Each episode concerned a particular medical condition and featured doctors conducting a diagnosis...

, he gets an idea – a horror story about a woman giving birth to a reptile! Akiko is disgusted with the idea, but Umeki develops the screenplay, which the critics are pleased with. Unfortunately, life imitates art, as Akiko gives birth to a half-human, half- lizard son. Umeki slowly slips into a downward spiral, as his wife cuddles the lizard child. Directed by Yoshihiro Nakamura

Yoshihiro Nakamura

is a Japanese film director and screenwriter, best known for his 2005 horror film Būsu or The Booth.- Life :He was born on the 25th of August 1970 in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. He went to Seijo University Department of Arts and Literature...

. The cast includes Kurume Arisaka, Mansaku Ikeuchi, Matomu Onda and Yoshie Ootsuka.

The Ravaged House:Zoroku's Disease (Tadareta Ie: Zoroku no Kibyo)

In a rural

Rural

Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...

 village, there lives a man named Zoroku, with his sister, Haruko. All is well until one day, Zoroku becomes infected with a bizarre disease that blister

Blister

A blister is a small pocket of fluid within the upper layers of the skin, typically caused by forceful rubbing , burning, freezing, chemical exposure or infection. Most blisters are filled with a clear fluid called serum or plasma...

s his skin and deforms his body. Fearing the reactions of the townspeople, his parents lock him in the house. Unfortunately, the village chief sees him, and soon, Zoroku and Haruko are mistreated by everyone in the village. Unable to watch Haruko suffer any longer, the parents decide to end Zoroku's misery themselves. Haruko tries to save her brother, and they leave home, but what comes afterward? Directed by Kazuyoshi Kumakiri.

The Doll Cemetery

Out of curiosity, Nanami and Daisuke decide to join their high school's Occult Research Club. The odd group is a handful of weirdos 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 awaits them was far worse.

Death Train

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. Slumping 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?

External links

1. http://www.listal.com/video/43858
2. http://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/ravaged-house.shtml