- Actors: Norman England, Tomoka Hayashi, Yukijirô Hotaru, Ryôichi Inaba, Natsuki Katô
- Directors: Naoyuki Tomomatsu
- Writers: Kenji Otsuki, Chisato Ôgawara
- Producers: Naokatsu Itô
- Format: Colour, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
- Language Japanese
- Subtitles: English
- Region: Region 1 (US and Canada DVD formats.)
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9 - 1.78:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Classification: Unrated (US MPAA rating. See details.)
- Studio: Synapse Films
- DVD Release Date: 22 July 2003
- Run Time: 80 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B000096IAM
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 96,786 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product details |
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
At the start of the 21st century, all over the world, girls aged from 15-17 are dying and then returning as zombies which have been nicknamed "Stacies."
The movie starts well, when barely a few minutes in and some small kids get eaten by a Stacy and although the attack is mostly unseen it does set the scene nicely for this quirky horror/comedy.
The main story is split into two parts, one is about a young girl called Eiko who chooses a puppet maker called Shibu to "rekill" (the term used for killing a Stacy)her once she becomes a Stacy. The other story focuses on the aptly named Romero Rekilling Special Unit and their 2 newest members and also an illegal rekilling team that has set itself up.
There is a message being told but it does get lost in the overall story, and most fans of horror and oddball Japanese movies won't really care about it.
There are some nice references for horror fans, like the Romero unit and the chainsaw named (almost) after a certain Evil Dead actor.
The gore is well done and the film manages to provide a few laughs, but it does suffer slightly as it's trying to get a message across which (as I mentioned earlier) gets lost a bit and will probably me missed by a few people not familiar with Japanese culture.
So, a good fun film that entertains and provides ample gore, just not quite all it could've been.
The movie starts well, when barely a few minutes in and some small kids get eaten by a Stacy and although the attack is mostly unseen it does set the scene nicely for this quirky horror/comedy.
The main story is split into two parts, one is about a young girl called Eiko who chooses a puppet maker called Shibu to "rekill" (the term used for killing a Stacy)her once she becomes a Stacy. The other story focuses on the aptly named Romero Rekilling Special Unit and their 2 newest members and also an illegal rekilling team that has set itself up.
There is a message being told but it does get lost in the overall story, and most fans of horror and oddball Japanese movies won't really care about it.
There are some nice references for horror fans, like the Romero unit and the chainsaw named (almost) after a certain Evil Dead actor.
The gore is well done and the film manages to provide a few laughs, but it does suffer slightly as it's trying to get a message across which (as I mentioned earlier) gets lost a bit and will probably me missed by a few people not familiar with Japanese culture.
So, a good fun film that entertains and provides ample gore, just not quite all it could've been.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Director Naoyuki Tomomatsu (Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl) have given us a slice of japanese pop subculture that is one part supersweet girls and giggles, and one part blood-soaked gorefest. Based on the novel by Kenji Otsuki, Stacy is a movie with zombies - but not really what a Western viewer would call a "zombie movie".
From the back cover:
"In the early 21st century, teenage girls between the ages of 15 and 17 begin dying all over the world. Shortly before they die, the girls succumb to NDH (Near Death Happiness), a "pre-death" state of absolute bliss and joy. Once dead, girls come back as a flesh-eating zombie nicknamed "Stacy". The world is in chaos. Countries suffer from famine, war, and zero-population growth because of this teenage death epidemic. To keep the zombies from returning and eating innocent people, families are urged to kill their daughters before they are allowed to die by this mysterious disease (chopping them up and leaving them in garbage bags for govern-ment-sanctioned pick-up). In a Japanese military base, some undead schoolgirls are held and tested by a scientist who tries to unlock the secrets behind the girls return from the dead. Suddenly, the world turns upside down yet again as a soldier, in a fit of depression, lets the girls free to storm the base and devour anyone in their path. Based on the popular Japanese novel by Kenji Otsuki, Stacy is a bloodbath of extreme gore effects and comedy with elements of Resident Evil and George A. Romer's classic Day of the Dead."
To really "get" this movie, a mix of glittery romance and Tom Savini style gore, you rather need something of an understanding of Japanese culture and the habit of portraying young girls in the media (anime, j-pop music videos, manga, even out on the streets a number of girls "act out" a certain character) as an idealised representation of the girls themselves. If you have seen any of the media I have mentioned then you probably already have a good idea of what I'm talking about.
Stacy isn't a movie that is easily understood, sadly the "message" that the director is trying to get across (which from reading the liner notes may be best left unkown anyway) gets lost in the poorly tied-together storylines.
If you are a gore-fan or zombie-nut, there is a chance you may enjoy this movie for the splatter sequences and the multitude of references and homages to American zombie movies like those of George Romero, or the Evil Dead series. If you are a fan of all things asian and weird, you will probably like this film. If you are approaching this film as you would any other off the shelf at your local rental store, you probably won't enjoy this film!
Other than the aforementioned liner notes (which go a long way to understanding the director's motivations and intent with Stacy), the only other extra on this relase is a trailer for the movie.
From the back cover:
"In the early 21st century, teenage girls between the ages of 15 and 17 begin dying all over the world. Shortly before they die, the girls succumb to NDH (Near Death Happiness), a "pre-death" state of absolute bliss and joy. Once dead, girls come back as a flesh-eating zombie nicknamed "Stacy". The world is in chaos. Countries suffer from famine, war, and zero-population growth because of this teenage death epidemic. To keep the zombies from returning and eating innocent people, families are urged to kill their daughters before they are allowed to die by this mysterious disease (chopping them up and leaving them in garbage bags for govern-ment-sanctioned pick-up). In a Japanese military base, some undead schoolgirls are held and tested by a scientist who tries to unlock the secrets behind the girls return from the dead. Suddenly, the world turns upside down yet again as a soldier, in a fit of depression, lets the girls free to storm the base and devour anyone in their path. Based on the popular Japanese novel by Kenji Otsuki, Stacy is a bloodbath of extreme gore effects and comedy with elements of Resident Evil and George A. Romer's classic Day of the Dead."
To really "get" this movie, a mix of glittery romance and Tom Savini style gore, you rather need something of an understanding of Japanese culture and the habit of portraying young girls in the media (anime, j-pop music videos, manga, even out on the streets a number of girls "act out" a certain character) as an idealised representation of the girls themselves. If you have seen any of the media I have mentioned then you probably already have a good idea of what I'm talking about.
Stacy isn't a movie that is easily understood, sadly the "message" that the director is trying to get across (which from reading the liner notes may be best left unkown anyway) gets lost in the poorly tied-together storylines.
If you are a gore-fan or zombie-nut, there is a chance you may enjoy this movie for the splatter sequences and the multitude of references and homages to American zombie movies like those of George Romero, or the Evil Dead series. If you are a fan of all things asian and weird, you will probably like this film. If you are approaching this film as you would any other off the shelf at your local rental store, you probably won't enjoy this film!
Other than the aforementioned liner notes (which go a long way to understanding the director's motivations and intent with Stacy), the only other extra on this relase is a trailer for the movie.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
33 reviews
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
An interesting new twist on the Zombie horror subgenre
13 Nov 2004
Format:DVD
"Stacy" is a movie that few people who watch it seem to really "get," and I can hardly hold that against them. It does hold a very interesting concept underneath its mindless gore and bizarre characters.
A strange phenomenon is causing girls age 15-17 all over the world to die and come back as flesh eating zombies. Before they die, they are overcome by something called NDH (Near Death Happiness) which causes them to run around acting giddy and lovestruck, and giggling with delight at everything they see. After they die, their friends and family members are asked to chop them up into little pieces before they are brought back to life as something called a "Stacy."
I'm not a great fan of Zombie horror. However, I can appreciate this as a new take on the whole thing. The zombie gore is fun, if you're into that sort of thing. But what made this movie so interesting to me was the whole reason why the teen girls became zombies, and that's that part that's easy to miss. Near the end, the mad doctor studying the "Stacies" says, "I finally know what brings you to life. It's love." If it sounds like I ruined the ending for you, I haven't. This seems like a big explanatory scene near the end of a horror film, except that it makes no sense whatsoever. But as you may know (and you probably do, if you looked up this title), Asian horror doesn't usually have an explanation for everything the way American horror does. And Stacy is no exception. There's much more to it than just that.
The image of a young woman in a school uniform represents an idealized image of female sexuality that doesn't exist. The disease these girls suffer from is caused by (male) society's obsession with a feminine ideal. When the girls first become infected, they act like mindless bimbos, giggling and professing their love for any man who walks toward them. This goes on for a while, until this cultural stereotype kills them, and they are reborn, transformed from nearly mindless bimbos into literally mindless zombies. As it is stated over and over again in the film, the girls have a natural desire to be loved. As if forced by evolution, the girls move toward the mindless state that will allow them to be loved. In short, this film is a metaphor for idealized images of submissive women, and how dangerous those images can be to girls.
Having said all that, this movie is incredibly goofy. I wouldn't blame you if you watched this and failed to see the depth I just described. But that's what I came away with. There are some fun zombie scenes, and the unusual premise makes for some wacky characters. By far my favorite were the three teenage girls who formed an illegal "repeat kill" agency they named after their idol, Drew Barrymore. They contact families who can't bring themselves to chop up their dead daughters, and do it themselves, for a fee. Their goal is to save enough money to pay their favorite star to "repeat kill" them after they die. The girls want to die by the hand of someone they love. When one of them giggles, someone makes a remark to her about "NDH," and she gets very defensive and belligerent. I interpret this, not so much as a fear of dying, but a defiance of what is happening to her. Despite the fact that this comes from a desire to be "loved," she does not want to become what a male dominated society wants her to be. NDH may be a certain "happiness," but she would rather live as a real person with real feelings and ideas. And since she can't, she wishes to be repeat killed, instead of living in a mindless state.
I quite liked this film, although I can't give it a very high rating, because sometimes it just gets way too silly. The "I think I'm at my prettiest" speech just makes you go, "huh?" All in all, this is much better than average cheap, gross out special effects zombie movies. If you're one of those zombie purists who hates zombie movies that don't stick to the arbitrary zombie movie rules, stay away. But if you want a low budget movie with something different, I'd recommend it, because horror movies don't get much more different than this.
A strange phenomenon is causing girls age 15-17 all over the world to die and come back as flesh eating zombies. Before they die, they are overcome by something called NDH (Near Death Happiness) which causes them to run around acting giddy and lovestruck, and giggling with delight at everything they see. After they die, their friends and family members are asked to chop them up into little pieces before they are brought back to life as something called a "Stacy."
I'm not a great fan of Zombie horror. However, I can appreciate this as a new take on the whole thing. The zombie gore is fun, if you're into that sort of thing. But what made this movie so interesting to me was the whole reason why the teen girls became zombies, and that's that part that's easy to miss. Near the end, the mad doctor studying the "Stacies" says, "I finally know what brings you to life. It's love." If it sounds like I ruined the ending for you, I haven't. This seems like a big explanatory scene near the end of a horror film, except that it makes no sense whatsoever. But as you may know (and you probably do, if you looked up this title), Asian horror doesn't usually have an explanation for everything the way American horror does. And Stacy is no exception. There's much more to it than just that.
The image of a young woman in a school uniform represents an idealized image of female sexuality that doesn't exist. The disease these girls suffer from is caused by (male) society's obsession with a feminine ideal. When the girls first become infected, they act like mindless bimbos, giggling and professing their love for any man who walks toward them. This goes on for a while, until this cultural stereotype kills them, and they are reborn, transformed from nearly mindless bimbos into literally mindless zombies. As it is stated over and over again in the film, the girls have a natural desire to be loved. As if forced by evolution, the girls move toward the mindless state that will allow them to be loved. In short, this film is a metaphor for idealized images of submissive women, and how dangerous those images can be to girls.
Having said all that, this movie is incredibly goofy. I wouldn't blame you if you watched this and failed to see the depth I just described. But that's what I came away with. There are some fun zombie scenes, and the unusual premise makes for some wacky characters. By far my favorite were the three teenage girls who formed an illegal "repeat kill" agency they named after their idol, Drew Barrymore. They contact families who can't bring themselves to chop up their dead daughters, and do it themselves, for a fee. Their goal is to save enough money to pay their favorite star to "repeat kill" them after they die. The girls want to die by the hand of someone they love. When one of them giggles, someone makes a remark to her about "NDH," and she gets very defensive and belligerent. I interpret this, not so much as a fear of dying, but a defiance of what is happening to her. Despite the fact that this comes from a desire to be "loved," she does not want to become what a male dominated society wants her to be. NDH may be a certain "happiness," but she would rather live as a real person with real feelings and ideas. And since she can't, she wishes to be repeat killed, instead of living in a mindless state.
I quite liked this film, although I can't give it a very high rating, because sometimes it just gets way too silly. The "I think I'm at my prettiest" speech just makes you go, "huh?" All in all, this is much better than average cheap, gross out special effects zombie movies. If you're one of those zombie purists who hates zombie movies that don't stick to the arbitrary zombie movie rules, stay away. But if you want a low budget movie with something different, I'd recommend it, because horror movies don't get much more different than this.
31 of 37 people found the following review helpful
You always kill the ones you love.
28 Oct 2003
Format:DVD
STACY takes place in a world where teenaged girls everywhere are succumbing to a mysterious condition known as "near death happiness." These girls fall into a dreamlike, ecstatic state before suddenly expiring - and shortly thereafter, rising again as cannibalistic zombies. There is no cure, so parents are urged to kill their own daughters. If they can't do the job themselves, special troops can be called in to do it for them.
An insert included with the DVD package talks about a Japanese concept that describes the obsession many people have with innocence and beauty and things they can't have, and also the notion that by destroying something, you set it free. Even though this is touched on near the end of the film, it is a bit difficult to ascribe such depth to a film in which girls in bunny suits hawk chainsaws dubbed "Bruce Campbell's right hand" on TV for the purpose of using it on NDH victims, and in which a young man embraces an undead girl (who is gagged for his protection, of course) and claims she is his lover. Had the film been more serious than silly, I'd be more inclined to find meaning in it. (I can't help but think such a film could have been quite good.) In any case, you can take it or leave the critical analysis as you please; whatever works for you.
As it stands, STACY is an often funny, gory, moderately entertaining movie. It is also - strangely - occasionally sweet, although again it is hard to take it too seriously. If you are into zombies or schoolgirls or both, and you enjoy the zany Asian attitude toward horror, you will probably enjoy this movie on some level.
DVD notes: This release from Synapse is pretty basic. English subtitles are optional, and default to on which is appreciated. There is also a trailer. The film is presented in anamorphic widescreen.
24 of 28 people found the following review helpful
A movie about Love
13 Jan 2004
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Sometimes I think other reviewers turn their brains off when they watch a movie. I thought I was buying a gore movie about zombies. When I watched my new purchase, I learned that I had actually bought a deeply intense and emotional story about Love. Girls need love, and they crave it badly.
This movie does have a lot of gore. Pretty good gore, too. But it is all just background. The Bruce Campbell brand chain saw might seem a little cheesy, but it just adds to the nice atmosphere of the movie.
There is a lot to learn from this movie, and it warrants several watchings to truely grasp the deepness of its message.
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
