Last night I attended a midnight showing of The Theatre Bizarre, a seven story exhibition visually portrayed with gore, anthropological themes and torturous sub-plots. My interest in going was due to the cinematography rumored to be satisfyingly grotesque. I refrained from watching a preview prior to keep the shock value raw. I had no clue what I was in for.
The beginning shows a troubled young woman frantically drawing crude and distorted images. She looks out her window and is lured toward an abandoned theater, in which she enters curiously. She is unaware that she is about to witness six merciless performances that will change her life forever.
At first, a young American couple seem content with their French vacation, until the husband decides to explore the mysteries surrounding the native folklore and will soon regret his decision when his sanity is on the line. Although this story was filmed excellently, the acting is amateur and the plot is irrelevant.
Next, the audience is taken to world of emotional pandemonium, as they are forced to decipher the validity of true love and the danger it conceals. What pain must two illusory lovers endure before their fate is thrust upon them with irrational force? I was pleased by the actor’s performance and gruesome connotations.
Not long after, a women is gracefully followed up a surreal staircase bearing nothing but a g-string, in this story entitled Wet Dream. She leads her paramour to a moonlit bedroom to therefore introduce the scheme that begins this fucked up little chronicle. Also displayed here is the affliction of domestic violence and the extensive revenge (or karma) taken to gain back emotional destruction. I noticed some people walk out of the theater, and I realized this was my hint that something ugly was about to happen. Personally, this was the most difficult to watch and I bestow the deepest caution to any of you that are fainthearted. At first, I was disgusted by this drama, until I realized what it was truly about. Here’s a tip: these stories are not to be taken literally. This is not a typical horror film in the sense that it shows psychotic killers torturing innocent victims for pleasure, that, when imagined realistically, will cause the audience to puke. No, it is an analogy to the sort of pain that gradually suffocates the heart rather than the surface of the skin.
At this point I was afraid that each story would get more and more graphic, which when placed in comparison with the previous meant a terribly traumatizing movie. But I was presently surprised when this fourth one emerged…
An angelic little child is burdened with the entity of death as she witnesses a motorcycle accident and the slaughter of the animal that caused it. It is the least gruesome of them all and questions the reason for life to end. In our society, people fear death. They are so hypnotized by the experience of life that they cannot accept the natural and inevitable absence of consciousness from an individual living being. The narration of this story is precious in its evaluation of the creation and passing of existence.
This next one is debated to be the best by various sources. Called Vision Stains it is an intimate approach to self-expression and identity. The heroin is a homeless addict, but not to drugs. At a persons exact time of death, by extracting the juices in their eyes via needle and inserting them into your own eyes, you will be able to see everything that they did. Our addict, the one who discovered this procedure, then writes the dead individuals story in what she describes as their emotionally arousing chronicles. By collecting these visions, she sacrifices her ability to dream. A beautifully original representation of truth and the desperation of an artist.
Finally, a tale of eroticism and pure desire. Titled Sweets, it focuses on a man in love with a women and their relationship with fatty foods. I immediately understood it as a metaphor. He was desperately trying to cling to this women but I knew that in fact, there was no women at all, only a man and his obsession. It gets to the point where he is so hypnotized by what he wants that it consumes him, literally. This twisted tale is superior in visual clarity and artistic creativity. Selected last because it was the most enjoyable to watch, it truly epitomized the entire reign of the wants and cravings that play such a vital role in our society.
By the end, I was so overwhelmed by the beautiful depiction of existence in this film that I stayed cemented to my seat, with tears on my cheeks, until the credits ended and the screen transposed to black. My friend and I were last to leave the theater. Not only was I awed by the profundity and effectiveness of the unsettling gore, but I was filled with unimaginable peace. My first thought was the relationship between this movie and Buddhism, which has been a major study of mine. A quote that resonated with me roughly stated that living another person’s life (notably celebrities, admirable persons, heroes, etc.) will end in frustrating dissatisfaction. The only life capable of purest enjoyment is the one you possess right now, and in truth, that is all you need. This is essentially the definition of Buddhism, which stresses the individual’s happiness.
The trailers and summaries I have seen fail to do it justice. I wish for anybody interested in a blatant and stimulating reality check to watch this movie and let the horrors of our modern society inspire you to change. In conclusion, from what I’ve perceived in this film, by refraining from desire and greed, you will attain tranquility and contentment. But if you succumb to commercialism and mass craving, then you might as well become one of the helpless victims in this ingenious and visionary masterpiece.