Helldriver | 2010
Helldriver is a 2010 Japanese splatter film directed by Yoshihiro Nishimura, starring Yumiko Hara and Eihi Shiina. The film was co-written by Nishimura and Daichi Nagisa.
Brothers Rika and Yasushi have turned into insane cannibals, chasing Rika's daughter, Kika. Kika is fleeing with her father, and they burn Kika's father alive in a corner. Suddenly, a meteor pierces Rika's chest, removing her heart. The surviving Rika replaces her heart with her daughter's heart. Immediately, an unknown substance envelops both of them, putting them in a cocoon-like state. Black ash emerges from Rika, covering northern Japan and turning people into bloodthirsty zombies. To prevent infection, the government builds a large wall dividing Japan to protect the humans in the south.
One year later, Kika awakens from the cocoon-like state with an artificial heart in her chest. Abandoned near the wall, she is surrounded by several zombies. She quickly dispatches the zombies using a chainsaw with a power supply similar to her heart, cutting off the horns from the zombies' foreheads. Later, Rika emerges from the cocoon and begins to dominate the zombies as their "queen," while Kika's chest burns with pain.
Kika rescues a man named Taku and his silent companion, No Name. Taku and No Name collect zombie horns to make medicine and sell it on the black market. After a while, the three are arrested while selling the zombie horns, which also contain unstable substances.
Prime Minister Hatoda opposes killing zombies, claiming they are still human. On the other side, Justice Minister Osawa believes they must be eliminated before the zombies take over Japan. While Hatoda is giving a speech near the wall, Osawa's subordinates destroy part of the wall, allowing zombies to enter. Before Hatoda is torn apart, he declares that all zombies are no longer human. Osawa proclaims himself the new Prime Minister. After confirming that Rika is the source of the infection, the government assigns Kika's group the mission to track her down.
After crossing the wall, the three are attacked by someone using severed zombie heads as bombs, but a former police officer named Kaito comes to their aid. Soon, they discover that No Name's sister, Maya, is being tortured by Yasushi and is being eaten in a bar full of zombies. They rescue her and flee, but Yasushi pursues them. During the chase, Kika kills the zombie-turned bar owner, and Taku sacrifices himself to send Yasushi's vehicle off a cliff. Maya dies from blood loss.
Kika, Kaito, and No Name eventually reach Rika, who is controlling a massive body made of zombies. No Name fires a tracking signal at Rika's location, prompting the military to launch missiles at her. However, the attack backfires, causing the giant creature to catch two missiles and fly them to southern Japan. Meanwhile, the crack in the wall becomes uncontrollable, allowing thousands of zombies to cross over. Attacked by zombies, Osawa is killed by his bodyguard.
Kika confronts the surviving Yasushi while riding the giant creature. After a fierce battle, Kika kicks him into one of the missiles, causing an explosion, and the giant creature returns to northern Japan. After facing her mother and fighting, Kika extracts the heart from Rika's chest and decapitates her. Immediately, all zombies collapse and die. As the giant creature falls, No Name and Kaito save Kika. No longer needing her original heart, Kika destroys it.
Yumiko Hara plays Kika, while Eihi Shiina plays Rika. Kazuki Namioka plays Kaito, and Yurei Yanagi plays Taku. Additionally, Mizuki Kusumi plays Nannashi, Asami Sugiura plays the wall guard, and Honoka also appears. Director Yoshihiro Nishimura began working on the script for Helldriver in 2009. Nishimura was influenced by George A. Romero's film "Night of the Living Dead," which deals with contemporary issues. He mentioned that this film contains "a significant amount of satire and social criticism," depicting the discrimination that could arise in a situation where a nation is divided, with humans dominating one side and zombies the other. Filming for Helldriver began on May 15, 2010, in an abandoned warehouse in Japan. Scenes featuring hordes of zombies were shot outside Mount Fuji. Helldriver had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, on September 28, 2010. It was also an official selection at the Sitges Film Festival in 2010, the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival in 2011, the Calgary International Film Festival in 2011, and the Montreal Fantasia International Film Festival in 2011. The film was released in theaters in Japan on July 23, 2011. A screening of Helldriver in New York's Japanese community in April 2011 was a charity event to aid the victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
Film Business Asia rated the film 6 out of 10, describing it as "an occasionally inspired effort that is average," noting that it is not as strong as Nishimura's "Tokyo Gore Police," but better than "Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl." The review pointed out that the film suffers from "the chronic problems of all zombie movies," stating that "zombies have only one way to attack, and the hero has only one way to kill. This quickly feels repetitive without interesting stories or characters." The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a negative review, stating that "the story is minimal even as a genre film," and rated the action choreography as mediocre. However, the review praised the film's makeup, stating that "Nishimura pays affectionate attention to the imagery and costume design. Even the 'supporting characters' have unique facial features and expressions."
