I, The Executioner (1968)

A man brutally murders a woman after forcing her to write the names of four others. As the murders pile up, the police investigate the links between the victims and how they may be connected to the suicide of a young boy in the same building. Directed by Tai Kato (By a Man’s Face Shall You Know Him), a former apprentice of Akira Kurosawa better known for his yakuza films, I, the Executioner is a pitch black neo noir that makes the serial killer the central character. Sensationally photographed with claustrophobic close ups, Kato’s film evokes both Hitchcock’s Psycho and the films of Nagisa Oshima, while also prefiguring the Italian giallo.LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES:High-Definition digital transferUncompressed mono PCM audioVisual essay on Japanese serial killer films by Jim HarperAppreciation by filmmaker Kenta FukasakuTrailerNewly translated English subtitlesReversible sleeve featuring original newly commissioned artwork by Time TomorrowLimited edition booklet featuring new writing by Tony Rayns and a new translation of archival writing on the filmLimited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings