COLLECTOR'S CRYPT - DR. LAMB (UNEARTHED FILMS BLU RAY)
Censorship and art are two topics that repeatedly butt heads throughout history. From MICHELANGELO and the “Fig-Leaf Campaign” in 1563 to LARS VON TRIER and THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT there has always been tension between art, artists, and society. The horror genre is no stranger to censorship and has even reclaimed the “unrated” title as a means to promote and sell more products. As horror fans, we are always looking for the “ultimate” cut of our favorite films, especially when we read/hear rumors about other cuts. As a die-hard fan of CLIVE BARKER’S NIGHTBREED, I can attest first-hand to the thrill of finally seeing a long-rumored cut finally get a proper release, and an even more comprehensive release just a few years later. Needless to say, some of our favorite films have been subject to censorship and even if in some cases the theatrical cuts are superior (DONNIE DARKO) we still yearn for seeing what we aren’t meant to anyway. In Hong Kong cinema, censorship and film are synonymous with Category III (Cat III) films. These films were designated with the Cat III rating by the Hong Kong Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority (TELA) beginning in 1988 and ending in 1997. The rating meant they were not suitable for viewing by anyone under the age of 18, and they are notorious for their taboo stories that playfully delight in mankind's most egregious acts consisting of copious amounts of sex and violence. One of the most (in)famous Cat III films is 1992’s DR. LAMB. Thanks to the extreme horror aficionados at UNEARTHED FILMS they have finally delivered a completely uncut version of this that most have probably never seen. Is this Cat III cut worth carving out some space in your hallowed shelves?
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
A mentally disturbed taxi driver lusts for blood every rainy night, and several young women are brutally murdered. He likes to take photos of the victims' dismembered bodies as his special mementos after sex with their corpses and stores their severed breasts in pickle jars. Inspector Lee and his team are called onto the case in this bizarre, nasty, and notorious Cat III film.
HOW IS IT?
Honestly, the synopsis above does such a great job of telling you exactly what you will see at some point in DR. LAMB. In one way, it’s heavy on spoilers, but then again you find out within 30 minutes who the killer is and the rest of the time is just spent in flashbacks detailing his depraved acts. Cat III and similar genres like Hardcore Horror are defined by their obvious attempts to provoke the viewer repeatedly. As someone who was vaguely familiar with Cat III films and not really a proponent of extreme/hardcore horror, it came as quite the surprise that DR. LAMB was more than just shock value even if it leaves you feeling a little icky after watching.
The story is extremely straightforward and told much like a modern police procedural. Think Law & Order: SVU produced by Guinea Pig films. As mentioned above, it becomes quite clear quite early that the cab driver is the serial killer, and the majority of the film’s run time is focused on beating a confession out of him and then him graphically describing the crimes for which he is admitting to for which we have the (dis)pleasure of seeing reenacted. Not mincing words here, there are quite a few scenes in the first half of the film that are disturbing and triggering. In fact, the first half of the film tonally feels far more serious and dark than the back half, even though the last 20-minutes really are a blended smoothie of bad taste. This makes watching DR. LAMB an interesting experience because tonally it juggles an extremely bleak true story with social commentary while also providing some darkly funny and silly moments. This makes watching DR. LAMB an interesting experience; on the one hand, you’re appalled by the level of detail, and then you’re also enthralled with how well made the film is. It’s not an enjoyable film, but like a car accident on the side of the road, there is a morbid curiosity that keeps it interesting if you can get past some disturbing themes in the first half.
Much of the effectiveness of the film hinges on the main performance from SIMON YAM who plays Lam as both psychopathic and occasionally sympathetic. The film attempts to describe a child that was destined to be disturbed which makes Yam’s performance even more effective since he plays the role at times of a scared child and others like an unhinged artist. This is not to say the movie is all good, and if it isn’t obvious at this point it certainly won’t be for everyone. What I learned about Cat III films after seeing this was that they were made entirely to entice audiences with shock value while quietly rebelling against the increased level of censorship happening in Hong Kong cinema at that time. The provocation has merit in support of social critique, but that doesn’t make the viewing experience any more enjoyable when things go off the rails. At the end of the day, your enjoyment of this film will come entirely from your reaction to the synopsis. For those that choose to watch you will likely be delighted with how competent this is given how absurdly graphic it plays out, and for those that don’t you’re likely not missing anything that you would enjoy anyway.
HOW DOES IT LOOK?
UNEARTHED FILMS brings us DR. LAMB from a new 2K scan of the fully uncut version of the film. No information is provided on the source of the scan, however, the film looks outstanding! The colors are dark and neon-tinged giving off a Blade Runner-like color palette and visual style. The bright colors pop against some soft and muted beige and dark tones, and the film is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.78:1.
Screenshots from the release are used throughout the review and below:
HOW DOES IT SOUND?
The audio tracks here are sufficient albeit absent the Dolby Audio treatment. Here we are offered an LPCM 2.0 Mono audio track with options for Cantonese or Mandarin for spoken language along with English subtitles. The sound here is fine all said and done, and there isn’t much need or use of surround since most of the action is intimate and the loudest noises are people screaming.
ANYTHING SPECIAL?
UNEARTHED FILMS have provided a pretty great set of special features to go along with this momentous release. As usual, we reviewed a few of the supplemental featurettes, and the first one was Lamb To The Slaughter: An Interview With Filmmaker Gilbert Po Who Initiated The Dr. Lamb Film Project. This interview clocked in at around 20-minutes and has Po describing the history of Cat III films briefly while then speaking about how he got involved with Danny Lee and Billy Tang. It is interesting that American Serial Killer films like HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER and SILENCE OF THE LAMBS had such a direct inspiration on the Cat III films, in particular, because of how much more violent they were than the American sources of inspiration.
The next feature was Three Times The Fear: Film Critic James Mudge On The Golden Era Of Category III. This was less about DR. LAMB, although it is mentioned frequently, and more about the entire Cat III movement in Hong Kong. This kind of stuff I could watch for days as it is dense information about cultural moments in time that are connected to film, and it’s fascinating how much more there is to learn about film movements around the world. A common theme in this interview and others like it is the idea that these kinds of films are a product of their time and probably couldn’t be made today. There is plenty to agree or disagree about with regard to that statement, but what is without debate is that films are a reaction to the real world. If you increase censorship, you can expect an equal or greater pushback just to ruffle feathers and create conversation.
The full list of the special features for this release is listed below:
Commentary From Art Ettinger (Ultra Violent) And Bruce Holecheck (Cinema Arcana)
Lamb To The Slaughter: An Interview With Filmmaker Gilbert Po Who Initiated The Dr. Lamb Film Project
Three Times The Fear: Film Critic James Mudge On The Golden Era Of Category III
Cut And Run: Film Academic Sean Tierney Aka The Silver Spleen Remembers Dr. Lamb
Atomic TV Interview With Simon Yam
Collectors Booklet
Trailers
LAST RITES
DR. LAMB is not going to garner any new fans for the Cat III genre, but it will delight more adventurous horror fans who don’t mind feeling a bit uncomfortable when they watch what is a much more competent film that its contents allude to. For collectors of cult films that spark movements, this release is not to be missed…but it is not for the squeamish!
THE GORY DETAILS
Thank you to the fine folks at MVD ENTERTAINMENT for a copy for the crypt to review. You can purchase DR. LAMB now via MVD DIRECT!
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