Batoru hîtâ (1989)

Directed by Jôji Iida [Other horror films: Kikuropusu (1987), Tokyo Babylon 1999 (1993), Naito heddo (1995), Rasen (1998), Anaza hevun (2000), Hoshi Shin’ichi Mystery Special (2014)]

Known as Battle Heater, this Japanese film deals with a kotatsu heater that goes around and kills people. It’s not a bad movie for it’s sort of goofy niche, but therein lies the problem for me, which is that the movie is just a bit goofy for me.

Sometimes that doesn’t matter. Hausu is a pretty silly movie, but not only do I rather enjoy that, but I consider it a classic of Japanese horror. Bio-Zombie (or Sang faa sau see) is still fun despite how goofy it can be. Tokyo Zombie (Tôkyô zonbi) is the same way, though I do think that one trends more toward average.

My point is that sometimes I can deal with goofy elements in my movies, but at other times, it just comes on way too strong, and Battle Heater is an example of that. It’s okay in it’s niche, but from the goofy characters to the silly set-up, it’s not really my type of thing. From a giant rock hitting a character to indicate the end of the film (the rock says ‘end,’ so it feels like Monty Python) to an electrical-based superhero suit being made to battle the heater, it’s humor is highly silly.

I can appreciate portions of the film, though. A killer kotatsu is a wild concept, and for those who don’t know (myself included before I started the film), a kotatsu is a type of electric heater used almost exclusively in Japan. It looks sort of comfy, and deciding to make that thing some type of homicidal entity is amusing in of itself.

Also, some of the comedy is okay. There’s a scene early on in which two characters stare at each other for a ridiculously long time. At first it was just awkward, but as it spanned into a longer scene, it was just amusing, and had me laughing come the end of it. There’s also a miscommunication regarding a map, which leads to a bunch of crying Japanese high school girls winding up at a low-budget apartment complex for a concert. It’s random, but funny.

Out of the performances, I’d say the best ones were Pappara Kawai and Gorô Kishitani. Kishitani is probably the straightest character, and I appreciated that, but he’s also a bit of a dick, so that takes some enjoyment away. Pappara Kawai does grow on me over the course of the film, as he starts off quite shaky, but he does sort of grow into himself.

This is a pretty obscure movie, and I sense that the right audience would definitely enjoy this movie. It’s a film I’ve wanted to see for a while, though I knew I probably wouldn’t be in the audience this was directed toward. It’s not my type of thing, but if you like Asian horror, especially wacky Asian horror, than you should definitely check this out.

5/10