Helter Skelter (2012) (Blu-ray Review)
Director
Mika NinagawaRelease Date(s)
2012 (March 24, 2026)Studio(s)
Asmik Ace Entertainment (88 Films)- Film/Program Grade: A
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: B+
- Extras Grade: A
Review
Lilico (a remarkable beautiful Erika Sawajiri) is Japan’s top model. She is everywhere in pop culture—in every commercial, on every magazine and in every citizen’s head. She’s an icon, and she has a bit of a secret: in order to achieve this status she’s had every part of her body remade (save for her eyes and, uh, well, her lady bits) through a series of intense cosmetic surgeries and to keep her body stable, she has to take special injections constantly. But no matter how beautiful she is on the outside, on the inside she’s a monster, ruining lives, manipulating people who care about her and just take take taking. The only problem is that the injections are no longer working and she’s slowly deteriorating. Whether Liliko was ever a good person gone bad or a bad person waiting for the opportunity to horribly flourish is not really explored. But when a new girl comes into the modeling world, taking a bit of the spotlight, a few of the covers and remaking her commercials—the cracks in her exterior start to manifest cracks in her sanity.
Based on the manga of the same name by ground-breaking artist Kyoko Okazaki, Helter Skelter is a great little body horror film that feels like the best parts of The Substance and Black Swan rolled into a colorful kaleidoscope only Ninagawa could produce with her inside knowledge of the fashion world, being one of the preeminent fashion photographers in Japan. Similar to Sakuran, color is king and this film simply pops off the screen—bold and bright with whole scenes of this film so art directed they might as well be animation cels. If you haven’t yet seen this film, or anything by Ninagawa, fix that pronto. 88 Films will be re-releasing this one as an unnumbered open edition in September 2026, so get your pre-orders in on Amazon here.
This edition of Helter Skelter is the uncut 126-minute version, in a remarkable 1.85:1 encoded in 1080p. It’s a really good representation of Mika Ninagawa’s lush imagery. Sharp and detailed, the reds show up wonderfully, blues are electric and the neon pulses. All while being a very stable image with hard blacks and clean whites. Audio is equally impressive with two Japanese options: a solid 2.0 DTS-HD and a 5.1 DTS surround bringing to life the immersive sound field and entertaining score. English subtitles are also on board.
Similar to Sakuran, this Blu-ray from 88 Films is a packed special edition of remarkably well done extras. There’s a photo illustrated in-depth booklet written by Violet Burns discussing Ninagawa’s overall work and Helter Skelter’s place in it. On the disc you’ll find a fun audio commentary with Tori Potenza (programmer for Horrorfest) and Amber T. conversationally discussing pretty much everything from Ninagawa’s work, the film, Japan, the manga, similar films, beauty standards, body horror and feminist theory—it’s a great listen. Archivally, there’s a couple of interviews from Japan’s opening day with Mika Ninagawa on one and star Erika Sawajiri on another. There is also footage from the Japanese Premiere Stage Greeting, the Opening Day Stage Greeting and a Q&A from the Taipei Film Fest. They’re a fun curiosity that had me thinking more about the differences between how films are rolled out here and in Japan. Finally, there is an interesting collection of making of footage in the Behind the Scenes Making of Helter Skelter, Rehearsal Footage featuring the supporting actors, a collection of beautiful stills and a teaser and trailer. Another great package of a wonderful film I’m happy I get to experience because of physical media.
- Todd Doogan