, or ''Abnormal Criminal'', is a

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese ''

pink film in its broadest sense includes almost any Japanese theatrical film that includes nudity (hence 'pink') or deals with sexual content. This encompasses everything from dramas to action thrillers and exploitation film features. The Western equiv ...

'' directed by

Kōji Seki ''aka'' (born September 20, 1911, date of death unknown) was a Japanese film director, known for his pioneering work in the ''pink film'' genre. Among the accomplishments of Seki's career: he directed the first ''pink films'' for Kokuei, the o ...

. It was the first 3-D film produced in Japan, and, according to

Allmovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was founded by popular-cult ...

, the world's first 3-D sex film.

Synopsis

A madman is on the loose, raping and murdering women and sometimes engaging in necrophilia. After one woman manages to flee the criminal before he has killed her, she goes to the police for help in bringing him to justice. The criminal targets the woman for murder.

Cast

* Setsu Shimizu (the woman) * Shūhei Mutō (the rapist) * Kōhei Tsuzaki (the policeman) * Keisuke Akitsu * Mari Nagisa

Critical appraisal and background

On a technical level, ''Perverted Criminal'' is notable for being Japan's first

3-D film 3D films are motion pictures made to give an illusion of three-dimensional solidity, usually with the help of special glasses worn by viewers. They have existed in some form since 1915, but had been largely relegated to a niche in the motion pict ...

writes that it was also the first 3-D sex film in the world, however, in the chapter "Sexploitation Films" in the book ''

Incredibly Strange Films ''RE/Search No. 10: Incredibly Strange Films'' is a book about American underground and other films. It was guest edited by Jim Morton, with associate editor Boyd Rice, in the RE/Search series edited by V. Vale and Andrea Juno, originally publi ...

'', Jim Morton writes that Jack H. Harris, producer of ''

The Blob ''The Blob'' is a 1958 American science fiction horror film directed by Irvin Yeaworth, and written by Kay Linaker and Theodore Simonson. It stars Steve McQueen (in his first feature film leading role) and Aneta Corsaut and co-stars Earl Rowe a ...

'' (1958), made the first 3-D sexploitation film with ''Paradisio'' (1962). ''Perverted Criminal'' was shot in the "part-color" format common with ''pink films'' of this period, with only a few scenes shot in color. In the case of ''Perverted Criminal'', rather than sex scenes, it is the murder scenes, coupled with the 3-D effects, which are given the lurid emphasis of color. In their ''Japanese Cinema Encyclopedia: The Sex Films'', Thomas and Yuko Mihara Weisser compare ''Perverted Criminal'' to later 3-D sex films such as ''

The Stewardesses ''The Stewardesses'' is a 1969 American 3D softcore comedy film written and directed by Allan Silliphant (credited onscreen as Alf Silliman Jr.) and starring Christina Hart, Monica Gayle, Paula Erickson and Donna Stanley. Produced on a budget ...

'' (1969), and describe ''Perverted Criminal'' as "a considerably more violent and sleazy venture than any of the international 3-D erotica which followed".

also judges the film a "gruesome affair" and a "sordid sleazefest". The star of ''Perverted Criminal'', Setsu Shimizu, had first come to prominence for her leading role in director Shin'ya Yamamoto's Nihon Cinema ''pink film'', ''Torture by a Woman'' (1967). Prior to this breakout performance, she had been cast in supporting roles in various ''pink films'' for directors such as

Giichi Nishihara , also known as , was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, producer and actor best known for his low-budget and sensationalistic pink films made for his Aoi Eiga studios in the 1960s and 1970s. He has been called both "Japan's sleaziest mo ...

and ''Perverted Criminals

. She later starred in Kin'ya Ogawa's 1968 horror film for Ōkura Studio, ''Ghost Story Of Barabara Phantom''.Weisser, p. 439. Director Seki's 1969 film ''Abnormal Sex Crimes'' was a remake of ''Perverted Criminal''. Mari Nagisa, who had a role in ''Perverted Criminal'', starred as the victim in this remake, and Kōhei Tsuzaki was the rapist.

Bibliography

English

* * * * *

Japanese

* *

Notes

{{reflist 1967 films 1960s Japanese-language films Pink films 1960s 3D films 1960s Japanese films