11. Violated Angels (Koji Wakamatsu, 1967)
Another classic from the famous pink film director Koji Wakamatsu, “Violated Angels” is generally remembered for controversial themes including misogyny, misanthropy and explicit violence. But it’s also artistically and aesthetically a great film that has a very simple plot, like his film “Go, Go Second Time Virgin”, which is also on this list. People can analyze this film in various assumptions, but who knows what was in Wakamatsu’s head when he made it?
It was actually based on the real mass murders by Richard Spree in 1966, just a year before this film was made. He had tortured, raped and killed eight nurses. Like in his film “Virgin”, it also has many philosophical conversations which are interesting but also somehow irrelevant. Either way, it is one of the greatest films ever made.
12. Sex and Fury (Norifumi Suzuki, 1973)
Norifumi Suzuki is one of the most important pink film directors, who has directed some classics and, of course, “Sex and Fury” is his masterpiece. Immensely sexy, entertaining and violent, this revenge-themed film has inspired even Quentin Tarantiro in his “Kill Bill” films.
The very entertaining swordfight with devastatingly sexy actress Reiko Ike, who fights with many guys while completely naked, is surely one of the most entertaining scenes of film history. Not only that, it consists of many great erotically charged sex scenes which are rarely found in other pink films.
Reiko Ike, a strikingly beautiful and sexy actress, plays the role of a criminal who takes revenge on the murderer of her father. It is one of the most erotic films ever made.
13. Hanzo the Razor: The Snare (Yasuzo Masumura, 1973)
A great collaboration between famous Zatoichi-hero Shintaro Katsu and Yasuzo Masumura comes here. “Hanzo the Razor: The Snare” is a very erotic and sexploitative film, set in the Edo period. It is the second film of a famous “Hanzo the Razor” trilogy; separate directors direct all three films. However, Katsu has starred in all these films and “The Snare” is possibly the best of them.
Katsu isn’t a kind and good blind man here like in the Zatoichi series, but a ruthless official investigator who doesn’t hesitate to torture anybody to investigate. This film is essentially a combination of samurai and pink film. A must see trilogy and of course, an unmissable film for samurai film lovers.
14. Fairy in a Cage (Koyu Oharu, 1977)
Koyu Oharu is a lesser-known and underrated filmmaker of the pink genre. He has made many stylistically good films and “Fairy in a Cage” is undoubtedly a pinky classic, based on the S&M theme.
Its plot is simple: a corrupt and sadomasochistic army official kidnaps a wealthy married woman, whom he tortures to get pleasure. There are many disgusting scenes as well but overall, this film is a beautiful classic. The most interesting and strongest point of this film is the extraordinary performance of its beautiful actress Naomi Tani who has performed in many pink films.
15. Gate of Flesh (Seijun Suzuki, 1964)
Generally famous for making many classic films in the Yakuza genre, Seijun Suzuki has also made many pink films. “Gate of Flesh” is his pinky classic that doesn’t show explicit nudity, not even bare breasts. The film is beautiful and entertaining which is shown Suzuki’s style.
It shows the inner status of some prostitutes with whom a gangster passes time, which is why they frequently get into trouble with the police. That gangster and the shy, kind-hearted new prostitute secretly began to fall in love with each other. That interests the audiences and film is a sort of combination of Yakuza and Pink genre.
16. Inflatable Sex Dolls of the Wasteland (Atsushi Yamatoya, 1967)
Atsushi Yamatoya is the screenwriter of Seijun Suzuki’s masterpiece “Branded to Kill” but he made his own great film “Inflatable Sex Dolls of the Wasteland” in the same year, which is even better than that in some standards with its surreal gimmicks and beautiful cinematography. Actually, audiences will definitely recall “Branded” while seeing it because they have many similarities. It is a remarkable example of how pink film directors had pushed boundaries and made such a different film in this genre.
A wealthy person hires a private detective to rescue his kidnapped wife, but an interesting twist comes when detective himself engages in a romantic relationship with her. Then comes many beautiful hallucinatory sex scenes which make this film very different from other pink films.
17. School of the Holy Beast (Norifumi Suzuki, 1974)
Another classic from Norifumi Suzuki on this list, this is probably his second best film after “Sex and Fury.” This nunsploitation film “School of the Holy Beast” depicts the dark secrets of the church where the sexually repressed nuns are harshly tortured and exploited by the bishops through so-called “self-flagellation.”
If they make any mistake, especially sexually, then they have to go through these series of tortures. One woman actually enters the church to discover what happened to her mother, and she ends up encountering all those things.
This film is stunningly beautiful, mysterious, chillingly violent, erotic and interesting. It is one of the best films in the nunsploitation genre. You can especially have the pinky Japanese savor here, which is superior from other nunsploitation films from other countries.
18. Watcher in the Attic (Noboru Tanaka, 1976)
This is second film from Noboru Tanaka on this list and also the second from his Showa Trilogy. “Watcher in the Attic” is undoubtedly a classic from Tanaka that has a particular theme of voyeurism.
As the title suggests, a male watcher spies from a hole in the attic in the room where people are having sex. One day, he sees that one woman kills the man with whom she was having sex. However, he ends up falling in love with her, and then other interesting twists come after that. It is very interesting, sexy and mysterious.
19. Irezumi (Yasuzo Masumura, 1966)
This is the third of three classics of Masumura on this list. This film particularly shows the dark aspect of irezumi, which is Japanese tattooing. Masumura has made some great films in the pink genre, as well as in other genres.
In “Irezumi”, which is a similar film as his masterpiece “Blind Beast”, a woman is kidnapped, has a spider tattooed on the back of her body, after which she takes revenge on her kidnappers and on other men as well. Apart from that, it is based on many themes including S&M, voyeurism and eroticism.
20. Ecstasy of the Angels (Koji Wakamatsu, 1972)
The third out of three classics from Koji Wakamatsu on this list, “Ecstasy of the Angels” is a political film. It tells the story of a certain action and its aftermath of a revolutionary movement in which Japanese soldiers break into the US weapons depot, but bad consequences happen to them. Those members start to break the rule of the movement and take matters in their own hands. Also, within their movement, there are many sexual activities that Wakamatsu has shown powerfully.
Generally, Wakamatsu’s films have been described as misogynistic, violent, anarchistic, philosophical and political, and those themes can also be seen here. Wakamatsu made another film titled “United Red Army” in 2008, which also draws certain similar elements like in “Angels.”