Yoshihiro Nishimura, 1967 – 2026

Japanese film director and special effects/makeup artist Yoshihiro Nishimura, 59, died on May 25. While he might be somewhat unknown in the US, his film titles translate into porn-movie title wonderfulness: Blind Beast vs. Dwarf, Meatball Machine: Reject of Death, Ghost Zombie (those are the worst kind of zombies!), Tokyo Gore Police, RoboGeisha, Yazuka-Busting Girls: Final Death-Ride Battle, Psycho Gothic Lolita, Horny House of Horror, and (my favorite) Zombie Ass: Toilet of the Dead (isn’t that remake of The Barretts of Wimpole Street?). Nishimura started his own effects company, Nishimura Eizo Co., Ltd., which merged in 2010 Pabaan: The Image Production Group. Actress Eihi Shiina wrote, “I have countless memories of Nishimura—both good and bad—too many to recount. We met on the set of Tokyo Gore Police, and since then, Nishimura and I have traveled the world together, working on various projects. How many people truly knew his true nature—that he was sensitive, intelligent and caring, yet deep down, he was actually very timid, shy and prone to feeling lonely?”