Pet Shop of Horrors (1999)

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The four adventures in this collection originally aired as very brief installments in a serial on a Japanese channel similar to MTV. Although there's a fair amount of gore, these tales are not so much horrifying as creepy, with unhappy characters seeking emotional solace from the bizarre… More The four adventures in this collection originally aired as very brief installments in a serial on a Japanese channel similar to MTV. Although there's a fair amount of gore, these tales are not so much horrifying as creepy, with unhappy characters seeking emotional solace from the bizarre creatures found in a mysterious Chinatown store. Presiding over the shop is the transvestite Count D; his cool, unruffled manner frustrates detective Joel, who keeps finding victims of unusual crimes among the shop's recent customers. A grief-stricken couple purchases a rabbit that looks like their late child, with terrible results in "Daughter." Like the hilariously inept American feature Night of the Lepus, "Daughter" attempts to turn rabbits into deadly monsters--and fails. "Delicious," in which the spirit of a wronged bride returns in the guise of a mermaid, recalls the folk tales that have inspired Japanese artists and writers for centuries. The Hollywood rags-to-riches-to-rags saga "Despair" and the less-effective political thriller "Dual" combine elements from Eastern and Western myths. "Recommended for mature audiences" for violence, profanity, brief nudity, sexual situations, and ethnic stereotypes. --Charles Solomon

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