Horror Pick: Deadball (2011)
Alright, I think I’ve established enough credibility by now where I can start dipping into my B-Movie background, primarily focusing on Japanese exploitation. Yup, I’ve got a major in extremist Asian cinema, with a minor in sushi zombies, mutated genitalia weapons, and robot geishas – sorry, things are going to get real weird around here fast.
But since most of you are reading this site in good old ‘Merica, this week’s pick pays tribute to one of our most famous pastimes through the eyes of a demented foreign outsider. Deadball adapts our sacred game of baseball for a brutal bloodbath of epic proportions, turning our typical nine inning affair into a battlefield where only the deadliest of warriors walk away with their lives. I mean, what better way to control prison overpopulation than with a murderous sporting event?
Filmmaker Yudai Yamaguchi essentially mixes all the insanity of Backyard Baseball (think the secret pitches and concrete fields) with Troma-inspired goofiness, but believe it or not, Deadball manages to achieve a grossness unlike anything schlockmaster Lloyd Kaufman has sharted out. Be warned, eating during this film will most likely cause bouts of nausea, between the “unlikely” prison food and excessive, outlandish rectal exams. Being thorough is one thing, but I’ve never seen a cavity search like this.
Deadball is a special type of watch only meant for certain connoisseurs of the absurd, but for those of you who laugh maniacally when cheesy prosthetic bodies fly apart in a bloody explosion, all because a baseball turned into a time-bomb, then Yudai Yamaguchi has created your new favorite guilty pleasure. I mean, we’re talking about a movie where main character Jubeh Yakyu swears off baseball because he accidentally throws a fastball so hard it kills his father – complete with a scene where he flies into the air and throws the ball like a heat-seeking missile.
Disgusting, crass, offensive, unnecessary, and at the risk of sounding mentally unstable, hilariously fun, Deadball is a perfect watch for any crazed horror fans – preferably drunken, crazed horror fans. I’m not suggesting Deadball because it’s the next Seven Samuri, I’m suggesting it because a friend and myself were literally in tears watching Jubeh’s rise to the big leagues one intoxicated Saturday night – just roll with it.
