Not so much based on a single Edogawa Rampo story rather than employing bits and pieces from all across his bibliography, this film is for Rampo's body of work kinda what David Cronenberg's *Naked Lunch* is for the worlds of William S. Burroughs. It's arguably the masterpiece of director Teruo Ishii, the man who embodied the intersection of art and exploitation like few other japanese filmmakers, having given us another essential piece of ero guro inspired filmmaking in *The Blind Woman's Curse* as well as the controversial *Joy Of Torture* series and who got the *Abashiri Prison* franchise rolling, among other things. So, yeah... this is both peak Ishii and peak ero guro and absolutely essential for anyone interested in such subject matter. Also a total no-brainer for adventurous cinephiles looking for something unique, strange and otherworldly. The increasingly shocking plot gets counterbalanced by the sheer beauty of the visuals, often using modest means to breathtaking effect, taking the viewer on a bizarre and thoroughly dream logic-driven journey that, in stark contrast to less successful Rampo adaptations, is also ridiculously fun and entertaining all the way through.