Day 18: Three Extremes

Extremes. If there’s one word that sums up the whole point of horror fiction, that might just be it. Great horror lurks around the limits of what we can endure, understand and survive, daring us not to turn away when confronted with the worst possible scenario.

So, why do I want to see Three Extremes? Number one: it’s a portmanteau movie and portmanteau movies rule. Some horror stories don’t need to be 90-minute features; they need to be short and snappy in order to be shocking (even the 60-minute Masters of Horror TV episodes sometimes feel too long). Secondly, it’s from Asia, a filmmaking region that operates well outside the restrictions and conventions of Hollywood, so who knows what extremes it’ll get up to? And, number three: the trio of short films have creepy and intriguing names – “Dumplings”, “Box” and “Cut”.

Reading about Three Extremes, I’m reminded of “Imprint”, an episode of Masters of Horror that features some pretty extreme material, both in the subjects it explores and the images it presents. It’s also my favourite episode. I mean, it’s nasty. On paper, the plot sounds pretty ludicrous but, believe me, in execution, it just keeps getting more horrific. It’s also from Takashi Miike, who directs Three Extreme’s “Box” segment.

Just call me extremely interested.