American Guinea Pig: Bouquet of Guts and Gore – Yeti
Bouquet of Guts and Gore tells the story of two women who are abducted and taken to the layer of a snuff film maker and his staff of depraved cameramen and an actor. They give them a nerve agent and a week’s worth of acid before they break out the hardware and start literally taking the women apart piece by piece.
This is the second AGP film I’ve watched and from what I’ve read online, the original Japanese-made Guinea Pig films were pretty much a way to show off how badass your effects work is. There’s a thin plot and for the most part the performances, outside of the suffering, don’t matter much. That’s not what you’re there for anyway. That’s definitely not what I came for. I feel like this film really captures the spirit of the series. The blood is thicker than the plot, the performances are enjoyable, some of the dialog injects some black humor, but the effects are fucking glorious. Bouquet of Guts and Goregave me exactly what I came to see.
So, the production value on this one is pretty low but it’s one of the few times where that really serves the film. It’s supposed to look like a snuff film and all the camera operators in the film are using old school home movie cameras. So it all ends up looking like those old home movies that people on TV always have but less cringeworthy and more entertaining. High definition footage would have made the whole thing less immersive and nobody wants that! Even with the lofi recording the gore comes through really well.
There were definitely some highlights in this film. First off, they remove the skin of one of the women’s arms and the muscle and bone underneath look fucking incredible. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone slowly flayed on screen and these guys pulled it off pretty well. Pun intended. Also when the Director barks orders at the VHS cameraman and ends with “You know we have your kids. You know that what happens to them depends on your participation here,” was a really nice touch. It was just one line but it really drives home how fucked up these dudes really are. A scene later in the film seems to hint that the director is also a liar and a goddamned fat mouth. Also, there’s some bolt cutter on ribcage action where the sound design really shines.
It may come as a surprise to y’all but I have seen a ton of “shock videos” on the internet. No I’m not talking about 2 Girls 1 cup; I mean sure I’ve seen that too but I’m talking a little more off the beaten path. Shit like 3 Guys 1 Hammer, 1 Maniac 1 Ice Pick, a ton of beheading videos, and that Florida bathsalts zombie footage. I think having seen these real life murder videos really helped me enjoy this movie a little more. All of those videos are just dudes doing despicable shit and they all have the same feel to them. Bouquet of Guts and Gore has that same gritty feeling.
Unlike the list of fucked up internet videos I mentioned, I would totally recommend giving this movie a watch if you’re a fan of gore and have a taste for the kind of fucked up. The practical effects are amazing and the setup is just dark enough to add a little seasoning to the gore soup. You can pluck your very own copy at the Unearthed Films website or you can get it digitally on Vimeo.
