The forgotten. The underrated. The obscure. The underappreciated. The cult. There are a million reasons why some films get consigned to cinematic oblivion and there are a million films that deserve it. These don’t. Grab your shovels and your pick axes, it’s time to unearth the gems of cinema’s past.
Welcome to Monsoon’s Buried Treasures – Volume Six.
Blind Beast (1969)
For those of you who have never heard of the work of Edogawa Rampo, he is an extremely popular author in Japan whose writing style was a combination of Edgar Allan Poe and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. His first stories were primarily about sleuthing and the processes used in solving seemingly insolvable crimes but eventually he pivoted to what the Japanese call “ero guro nansensu”, stories that involved elements of “eroticism, grotesquerie, and the nonsensical”. Each story of his at a certain point had at least one of those three elements. Very few had all. Blind Beast has all three and does all three extremely well.
In a recent review from Variety, they referred to this as “….a sick film” and depending on your threshold for weird BDSM imagery, “sick” might be an understatement. A blind sculptor (Eiji Funakoshi) kidnaps a model (Mako Midori) and imprisons her in his grotesque studio. The studio is filled with giant sculptures of female body parts—eyes, noses, and breasts—which he obsessively creates to explore his twisted vision of beauty and tactile pleasure. What follows is a disturbing psychological and physical battle between the two characters, pushing boundaries of power, dominance, and sadomasochistic desire.
The film delves deeply into themes of obsession, sadomasochism, and the nature of artistic creation. The artist’s blindness symbolizes his detachment from conventional moral and aesthetic boundaries, allowing him to pursue an extreme form of sensory experience that is at once fascinating and repulsive. The model’s transformation from a victim to an active participant in this macabre relationship blurs the line between captor and captive, challenging the audience’s perceptions of power and agency. For a movie as weird and as perverse as this, the most shocking thing about it might just be how many intelligent themes it successfully juggles.
Watcher (2022)
I don’t know if Maika Monroe has done enough to call her the horror queen of the last decade but she definitely has one of the most interesting careers of anyone from her generation. Queen of Horror is an awkward title to bestow on anyone but there’s no good category to put her in because she’s definitely not a scream queen. She’s been in a ton of thrillers in the ten years since she grabbed everyone’s attention in The Guest and not a single one of those roles required her to scream. Does she get chased around by a killer? Yes, but she never feels like the damsel. Even when she’s at her most vulnerable like she is in Watcher, you get the feeling that she’s going to eventually get control of the situation and fight back. In the film she plays Julia (Maika Monroe), an American woman who moves to Bucharest with her husband, Francis (Karl Glusman), for his job.
Isolated and unable to speak the language, Julia becomes increasingly paranoid when she notices a mysterious man (Burn Gorman) watching her from a neighboring building. As she suspects him of being a local serial killer, her fear and obsession spiral, leaving both Julia and the audience questioning what’s real and what she’s imagining. Watcher is a slow-burn thriller that hinges on atmosphere and a strong central performance by Monroe. The film explores themes of alienation, the male gaze, and the psychological effects of being constantly observed. Chloe Okuno’s direction is deliberately paced, allowing the tension to build incrementally. The cinematography enhances the feeling of isolation, often framing Julia against the cold, unwelcoming backdrop of Bucharest, which almost becomes a character in itself. Much like Rear Window, a lot of the action involves the main character looking out their window and imagining the person looking back is a killer and while it would be hyperbole to suggest this is as good or better than Hitchcock’s masterpiece, it does ratchet the tension as effectively and has a scarier ending in my opinion.
Caveat (2020)
With Caveat and Oddity under his belt, Damian Mc Carthy is slowly becoming the best name in horror you’ve never heard of. His films are dripping in dread and atmosphere and have some of the best jump scares in the game. Caveat tells the story of Isaac (Jonathan French), a drifter with partial memory loss who is hired by Barrett (Ben Caplan) to look after his troubled niece, Olga (Leila Sykes), in a secluded, dilapidated house. However, there’s a catch—or “caveat.” Isaac must wear a leather harness and chain that limits his movement around the house. As the weekend unfolds, Isaac discovers that the house holds dark secrets, and Olga’s mental state may be far more dangerous than he initially thought.
Caveat is a minimalist horror film that excels in creating an almost palpable feeling of unease. Damian Mc Carthy’s directorial debut is a masterclass in low-budget horror, relying more on mood, tension, and unsettling visuals than on jump scares or gore. The film is set in a claustrophobic environment, and the sense of isolation is palpable from the very beginning. The premise itself is unnerving—the idea of being chained in a creepy house with a possibly disturbed young woman is a terrifying setup. The house, with its decaying interiors and eerie rabbit figurine that serves as a bizarre warning device, is almost a character in itself, contributing to the film’s tense atmosphere.
The film has a bafflingly low IMDb score, which I can only assume means most didn’t gel with its intentional pace and ambiguity. It is most certainly an abstract narrative that leaves many questions unanswered, which I understand would be frustrating to those looking for a clear resolution or explanation. But for those who appreciate horror that leans into the surreal and psychological, the ambiguity and lack of answers add to the film’s unsettling charm.
Exhuma (2024)
I feel bad for those who can’t read fast because most of the great horror of the last 25 years have subtitles. Foreign films, especially those from South Korea, have been crushing it for a very long time. They’ve pumped out so many creepy classics over the years, it’s impossible to name them all. Exhuma is yet another example of their utter dominance over American horror films and despite it coming out this year to critical acclaim, I’m guessing it’s a title you’ve never even heard of.
A shaman and a geomancer are hired by a wealthy family to lift a curse that has plagued their lineage. This task involves exhuming the remains of a patriarch buried on the border between North and South Korea, which sets off a series of supernatural events deeply tied to Korea’s historical traumas, particularly its conflicts with Japan. The film avoids typical horror tropes, instead opting for a slow-burning, eerie atmosphere that builds tension through its rich narrative and stunning visuals.
Like most horror films that come out of that country, it looks absolutely incredible. The cinematography by Lee Mo-gae should get awards consideration for its contribution to the film’s immersive world-building but as we all know, the Academy doesn’t care how effective any individual element of a horror movie is, they hate it all. Exhuma delves deep into the country’s rich cultural history and its complex relationship with spirituality, myths, and political tensions to deliver an effectively creepy movie.
Gyo: Tokyo Fish Attack (2012)
Based on the manga by Junji Ito, Gyo: Tokyo Fish Attack is a horror anime that follows the bizarre and terrifying events in Japan when sea creatures start emerging from the ocean with mechanical legs, wreaking havoc on the land. The story centers around Kaori, who, while visiting Okinawa, gets caught up in this surreal invasion and must survive as the world is overtaken by these grotesque creatures. As an adaptation, Gyo: Tokyo Fish Attack takes some liberties with Junji Ito’s original manga. The film condenses and alters certain plot elements, leading to a narrative that is more streamlined but also different in tone. Some fans of the manga may find the changes disappointing, as the film doesn’t fully capture the slow-building dread and existential horror present in the source material.
However, as every adaptation of his work has proven, you can’t do a 1:1 adaptation because his unique brand of horror only works on the page. You have to make some changes for it to work and I think the filmmakers did an admirable job of turning the ridiculous idea of sharks with legs into an absolute nightmare scenario. Gyo: Tokyo Fish Attack is a visually striking and conceptually bold horror film that captures the bizarre and unsettling essence of Ito’s work, albeit with some narrative and tonal inconsistencies. It’s a film that will likely appeal to fans of body horror and surreal, apocalyptic scenarios, but may not satisfy those looking for a more traditional horror narrative or a faithful adaptation of the manga. Despite its minor flaws, it remains a unique entry in the horror anime genre, offering a disturbing and unforgettable viewing experience.
Ship of Monsters (1960)
One of my ultimate goals is to do a top 100 Greatest Film Discoveries list. I’ve found many a gem worth highlighting and I want to compile a list of my favorites. The Ship of Monsters would be very high on that list. I saw one image from this film and knew I immediately had to track it down and when I finally did, it did not disappoint. This is a low-budget but high-in-entertainment cult classic. The story begins with two female aliens, Gamma (played by Ana Bertha Lepe) and Beta (played by Lorena Velázquez), who are sent from the planet Venus to find male specimens from various planets to help repopulate their home world, which has been depleted of men. They end up on Earth, where they encounter a Mexican cowboy named Lauriano (Eulalio González, known as “Piporro”). What follows is a chaotic adventure involving romance, musical numbers, and a host of strange monsters. Now, when I said “aliens” and “monsters”, I hope you were picturing Sid and Marty Krofft quality but cheaper because if you weren’t, you’re going to be bitterly disappointed by their appearance. This movie is made with more passion and charm than money (aka money for effects and costumes), so if you’re not into charming no-budget sci-fi films, this may not work for you. If you value ambition and entertainment over budget, however, you just found your new favorite gem. For fans of Golden Bat, the ’66 Batman TV show, and Viy.
Watcher. Gyo: Tokyo Fish Attack. Caveat. Exhuma. Blind Beast. Ship of Monsters. These films have been unearthed. Now go watch them.