Those who have been following Far East Extreme since its inception may be surprised at the absence of any mention of Guinea Pig until now, since THIS is the film series that finally took things too far. The story goes that none other than Charlie Sheen happened to watch one of these movies, and, thinking it was an actual snuff film, reported it to the authorities. The Guinea Pig films – 6 Japanese movies made in the 1980’s usually utilizing different casts and crews – is comparable to films like Cannibal Holocaust or Salo, where one can’t always tell if the violent and disgusting acts on screen are real or not. Rest assured, there is no actual snuff in these films; no people or animals being mutilated.

However, one could be forgiven for being in this mindset, since most Guinea Pig movies focus almost exclusively on sadistic torture and violence, to the exception of all else. That is, except for Guinea Pig 6: Mermaid in a Manhole. This film (which, depending on your reckoning, may be the 3rd, 4th, or 6th in the series) is notable in that it is based on a written work of the same name by Hideshi Hino. Hino, who was renowned for his horror manga since the 1960s, decided to step in the director’s chair and adapt his own work. This was not Hino’s first foray into the world of Guinea Pig, only three years prior he had also directed and starred in Guinea Pig 2: Flowers of Flesh and Blood.

The plot of MIAM concerns an unnamed artist recently estranged from his wife, whose work has certain macabre sensibilities. One day, he decides to go into the sewers for inspiration, and finds a bona-fide mermaid hanging out among the heaps of scattered refuse. The mermaid (played by B-movie and soft porn actress Mari Somei) is the real deal- which we can see with great close-ups of all her slimy fish parts. She is unable to speak, except telepathically, inside the artists head. This voice tells the artist – coincidentally – that he and this mermaid met before, long ago during his childhood. For the artist, this is finally his dream come true: a chance to paint his masterwork. Their reunion, despite taking place in a disgusting sewer, is up to this point a happy affair (complete with romantic-sounding music), but it takes a turn for the worse when he notices the mermaid has a rather disgusting-looking abdominal wound.

As any gentleman would do for a woman in distress, the painter offers to let her come to his place and crash on his couch/bathtub. In the meantime, the artist continues his work, while his nosy neighbors (the comic relief in the film) speculate on what is going on. The first half of Mermaid in a Manhole is almost romantic in the twisted way – the artist acts with much tenderness toward his subject, who seems to be unnaturally devoted to him in turn. When her wound gets worse and begins to fester, he panics as if he actually cares for her. Despite knowing very little about this odd man, we sympathize with him almost immediately. However, as the mermaid’s condition continually degrades, the horror begins to truly come to the fore.