“Death Trance.” “The Machine Girl.” “Tokyo Gore Police.” Surrealistic symphonies of spraying blood, bodacious bodily deformity and fantastic freakshow fights. With the new release of an updated version of “The Machine Girl,” which features a new short film with the Gatling darling of the silver screen, I recently got the chance to talk to one of those responsible for unleashing these films on the world, film producer Yoko Hayama. Let’s see what she has to say in her defense! Just kidding, she has absolutely nothing to defend–we love this stuff and are dying for more. Not just a producer, Ms. Hayama is also the studio head of Media Blasters’ Tokyo office, and we are grateful she could take a little time to talk with us.

MOVIE ‘TUDES: Your name is attached to some very fun and graphically-violent movies. How did you get into the business of producing, and did you start out knowing that your body of work would turn out to be so…well, you know,…splattery?

YOKO HAYAMA: I have been in charge of acquisitions for Media Blasters since we started. Gradually, we were able to learn what kind of titles sell more than the others. That was how we built our Tokyo Shock label. For some reason, those popular titles from our label were mainly for “male audiences,” not those who watch old-school, traditional Japanese films but something new or more crazy. Then we had the opportunity to co-produce our first title with Japan called “Death Trance.” We wanted to create more than just an ordinary samurai action film with a good action element. A few years later, we wanted to focus more towards the action field…that’s how we produced “The Machine Girl.” The splattery taste comes from both directors of “The Machine Girl” and “Tokyo Gore Police.” We made the request to make their story for adult, male audience in US. That’s how they expressed their taste based on our request, and we are pleased with the result.

MT: What is it you look for as a producer for Media Blasters? Are you intentionally searching for the grossest and weirdest movies possible or was that just a coincidence? Does anything make you squeamish in real life?

YH: It overlaps with my above question…but I (we) are not exactly looking for bizarre or weird projects. We are looking for something new, something you have never experienced before. Some laugh at “The Machine Girl” or “Tokyo Gore Police,” but nobody has seen those types of movies before…both in US and Japan. Come to this date, the number of film festivals [that have] invited “Tokyo Gore Police” [has] surpassed 60. There was no other Japanese film [like it] before.

Watching these kinds of flicks are totally fine, but if I cut my fingers and see any blood, even a drop, that is good enough to make me feel squeamish.

MT: Congratulations on “Death Trance.” It’s a really fun and original story filled with some surprisingly beautiful images. Tak’s character, Grave, goes through an interesting metamorphosis at the end, teasing the audience with a comeback. Will there be a “Death Trance 2″ to continue Grave’s story? And will you be involved with it? (Please say there will be!)

YH: Yes, there will be. I hope DT 1 will continue good sales to gain production budget for part 2!

MT: “The Machine Girl” is being re-released in the US with an additional short film, “The Hajirai Machine Girl.” Please tell us all about the new film. How do your actors respond to wearing all of their unusual “hardware”?

YH: The unique idea of those costumes came from the director [Noboru] Iguchi and special effects director, [Yoshihiro] Nishimura. The actors were very professional. They weren’t concerned nor surprised nor hesitant about wearing those costumes at all. They did their best in performing to make the short film.

MT: I hate to dwell so much on sequels to films you’ve already done, but at the end of “Tokyo Gore Police” we see a teaser for the next Gore Police story. Is there something in the works? Will Eihi Shiina return?

YH: Again, I surely hope there will be a sequel. The director is full of ideas includinga sequel, but it all depends on…

MT: Do you ever receive criticism for going too far in your movies or offending people or do people generally accept it as fun? How do people respond? Is there a difference between the Japanese and American response to your films?

YH: Yes. People generally accept it as a fun. To my surprise, “Tokyo Gore Police” received even higher recognition overseas than in Japan. Some critics say it is a mixture of “RoboCop” and HR Giger`s world. It is such an honor to get such evaluation.

MT: Okay, off the subject a little here: The New York Asian Film Festival recently took place and has a lot of people buzzing about what’s coming out. Were you or Media Blasters at the NYAFF and do you have any DVD news or announcements? Can you tell us anything about your future endeavors? P.S. I’m Looking forward to “Onechanbara”!

YH: Yes. “Onechanbara,” “Monster X Strikes Back,” “X-Cross” and more are coming!

Okay my Japanese honorifics aren’t really “there” but I’ll give it a try: Hayama-Shi. Thank you so much for sharing your time with your fans and the Movie ‘Tudes blog. We look forward to seeing your future projects and we wish you great success!