American Guinea Pig: Bouquet of Guts and Gore

American Guinea Pig: Bouquet of Guts and Gore is a film I love dearly. It popped my Unearthed Films cherry and was the real gateway into my obsession and love for underground, ultra violent exploitation style films. Though I had been heading in that direction for a while as I was already a big fan of Cannibal Holocaust and Inner Depravity (I will have to talk about those sometime). But this film opened the proverbial floodgates and now I cannot get enough sleazy blood soaked celluloid.

For those who don`t know, the Guinea Pig series originates from Japan, the Land of the Rising Sun. Throughout the 80s and 90s six of these films were made and made a killing scarring anyone who dared look for them. As a result they have had a rabid cult following ever since. The closest the series ever came to receiving anything resembling mainstream attention was in 1991 when the Tiger Blooded Prince himself Charlie Sheen saw a copy of Guinea Pig 2: Flowers of Flesh and Blood. What he saw horrified him to the point that he became convinced that the film was in fact a real Snuff Film. However, when the FBI checked out this claim and found the actress from the film alive and noticeably undismembered he must have felt a little embarrassed.

With that out of the way let us delve into the film itself. American Guinea Pig: Bouquet of Guts and Gore is the first of the American Guinea Pig series released in 2014 as a respectful continuation of the bloodstained legacy of the original. And it nails it harder than any other westernization I`ve ever seen. The premise is very simple but also very effective. Two woman are kidnapped by a group of Snuff Film makers and their subsequent slow and gorgeously violent fates are captured on VHS cameras for us to see in beautiful stomach turning detail.

Despite the plot being simple and far from the main point, it does have an implication or two that kept me thinking once the film was over. Our leading man pictured above in the Baphomet looking mask is implied to be there against his will. I won`t spoil the ending but I did NOT see it coming and my jaw dropped to the floor.

Now for the main reason we are here, those practical effects. This film does not disappointing when it comes to fantastic gore effects that can look unnervingly real at times, which is truly impressive. I was also surprised at the realism of how our leading man dismembers them. It is realistic in the way that, as opposed to the horror films we are used to when a simple slash from a machete can take our arm clean off. Our leading man really struggles to cut through some of the bones. It might not sound like a big difference on paper but it was so refreshing to me, seeing a realistic dismemberment scene actually being... Well... Realistic.

Other smaller things are worth complimenting as well, the eerie, almost mechanical sounding ambiance throughout the film perfectly helps nourish the already unsettling atmosphere this film so wonderfully pulls off. The killers also look very cool, in particular our leading man. That Baphomet mask is one of the most badass looking masks I`ve ever seen in a horror film. The acting is also quite good. One thing that really enhances the realism for me is the fact that since more than one person is filming the gory carnage to get all the angles, it will often cut between the two and the screen turns to a grotesque red/orange color as the tape awkwardly cuts from one camera to the other. This gave it the perfect amature, on the fly vibe it needed to feel real.

All in all, I love this film to death. There is a reason I own two copies, one being the standard version, the other being the signed, Indiego limited edition version which not only is signed by the cast and crew but also features more behind the scenes footage. I recommend this film to any horror fan who is even remotely curious. It will either entertain and impress you to no end (like it does me) or will give you the sleepless nights and terrified despair that horror films are supposed to give you. It has all the blood guts and mutilation that you have been lusting for!