Guinea Pig 6 - Mermaid In A Manhole (1988)

My rating - 8/10

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The final entry in the series if you go by what's on screen, or the 4th if you go by the year they were made, Mermaid In A Manhole is by far the best in the series!. It has the look and feel of a proper movie and the director even said that he never considered this as a part of the Guinea Pig series.

An artist who has split from his wife discovers a mermaid in the sewers in his town. He remembers her from his childhood and notices that she's not well and has boils on her body. He takes her to his house to help her but she deteriorates quickly. He tries to paint her portrait but can't keep up with her deterioration. Eventually the boils start erupting and spilling out fluids and worms. She starts to vomit up worms and various coloured fluids which he collects and uses to paint the canvas. She begs him to end her suffering which he does leading to his neighbours discovering him bloodied and kneeling next to a horrificlly dismembered woman which they think is his wife as there's no evidence of a mermaid ever being there.

I love this short, in fact it's one of my favorites!. It's well made, well acted and despite how gross it gets it still manages to be quite poignant. Of all the films in the series this is the only one I like to revisit often. The gore is excellent with some of the effects managing to border on the disgusting in places, plus it's one of the few where seeing it in better quality on DVD actually makes it a better viewing experience. Definitely one for those with a strong stomach, but one I highly recommend!.

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