It was 2002 when horror filmmaker Mick Garris met with a bunch of directors to discuss his plans for a horror anthology series. The premise he pitched was to give each director relative creative freedom to tell an hour-long story that would terrify audiences. The first episode of Masters of Horror aired in 2005 on Showtime. In total, the show ran for two seasons between 2005 and 2007 with thirteen episodes in each season. Horror legends including Tobe Hooper, Dario Argento, John Carpenter, John Landis, and Joe Dante directed episodes, and Garris himself directed two episodes in the show’s run. Prolific Japanese director Takashi Miike was invited to direct an episode entitled “Imprint,” inspired by the novel by Shimako Iwai. However, the episode never aired on Showtime due to concerns it was too disturbing. During the filming of “Imprint,” Miike claimed to have checked with the show’s producers that he was not going too far with the episode. Even Garris deemed it to be the most disturbing piece of horror he has ever seen.

Miike is no stranger to controversy with movies such as Ichi the Killer and Visitor Q under his belt. Set in the Nineteenth Century, the plot follows Christopher (Billy Drago), an American journalist who returns to Japan in an effort to find a lost love, Komomo (Michie Itô). Once there, he meets a mysterious, disfigured woman (Youki Kudoh) who tells him about the tragic fate of Komomo. Along with the upsetting and disturbing themes of the episode, the sequence which caused the biggest stir was the horrific torture sequence in which Komomo is dangled upside down and has nails inserted into her gums and fingernails, and her underarms scorched. It is a truly nightmarish sequence, very difficult to watch and arguably more disturbing than the infamous torture sequence in Miike’s Audition.

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Its unflinching brutality mixed with its unique elegance makes it deliberately weird and uncomfortable. Miike has stated that he was attracted to the story because it reminded him of a traditional kaidan. ‘Kaidan’ is the Japanese word for strange, mysterious tales, often involving the supernatural. “Imprint” is certainly more reminiscent of Asian horror cinema, not just because of the Japanese setting. It delves into Japanese folklore and conjures up imagery consistent with Asian horror, aware of its thematic terror as well as the psychological effect it has on its audience. Miike’s flair for the bizarre and the extreme are certainly on display in “Imprint.” Christopher’s drawn-out, excruciating spiral into insanity is discomforting, and Miike is eager to confuse the audience just as much as his lead character, and leaves them to determine reality from fiction themselves. As the woman recounts story after story, we are no closer to the truth, yet the visual feast which accompanies her tales are enough to strike up anxiety and – above all else – disgust.

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Miike apparently had too much faith in Showtime, and their decision to not air the episode is certainly understandable. This sort of graphic violence and disturbing content is not for the faint of heart, and those unfamiliar with Miike’s works would likely find it hard to digest. As he has done before, he takes the audience on a nightmarish journey to the darkest places imaginable. The production design, extravagant costumes and dreamlike cinematography anchor the hellish and demented world where the episode takes place. The sound design plays a key role in the effectiveness of the tougher scenes. The horrifying muffled screams from Komomo as she is tortured are especially distressing, but as the episode reveals itself to have roots in the body horror subgenre, the sound design becomes suitably sickening. Once the mystery of the deformed woman is uncovered, every movement is stomach churning and every high-pitched cry is nauseating. The stunning visuals ooze terror, and Miike makes brilliant use of the color red. One of the opening shots sees Christopher attracted to a woman silhouetted behind a red curtain, and this shot perfectly introduces the enigma of the woman. Her disfigured appearance and the way she embodies the role of the unreliable narrator is deeply unnerving.

After Showtime shelved the episode, the only way for American audiences to see it was when it was released on DVD. Ironically, when the episode was finally seen by audiences, many considered it to be one of the best in the short-lived series. In retrospect, Miike has said he wanted to push the limits of American television, and he clearly underestimated what he could get away with. The now-defunct TV network Chiller did show some reruns of the episode, but it was heavily edited to not include any profanity, nudity and very little of the violent content.

Even after several edits, Showtime still refused to air “Imprint.” The network also never released an official statement as to why they chose not to air the episode, but it is pretty clear why upon watching it. Miike’s reputation perhaps played a part in Showtime’s reluctance to air it. Oddly enough, “Imprint” is not even Miike’s most disturbing offering in his long career.

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Although the opportunity to direct outside of Japan has been presented to him many times, Miike is yet to take this opportunity. In 2014, it was reported that he would be making his first Hollywood feature with the Yakuza drama The Outsider, set to star Tom Hardy. However, both Miike and Hardy exited the project due to scheduling conflicts. The movie was eventually released directed by Martin Zandvilet and starring Jared Leto in the role originally meant for Hardy. Reviews for the movie were overwhelmingly negative, and Miike has since said he is happy in Japan and no longer has interest in making a movie elsewhere. Despite how affected he was by “Imprint” by his own admission, Masters of Horror creator Garris did say how impressed he was by it, and looked back on Showtime’s decision to shelve it with a rather accepting attitude. Though it was well-received when audiences finally got to see it, the harsh tone along with the unapologetic exploration of the mistreatment of women garnered repulsion from some viewers. The boundary-pushing horror episode is well worth seeking out, and has become no less disturbing after all these years.