Rape! 13th Hour

is a 1977 Japanese film in Nikkatsu's Roman porno series, directed by Yasuharu Hasebe and with Yuri Yamashina. It has homosexual content. Synopsis A man sporting a red jacket seeks shelter at the gas station where he works. He is an anonymous serial rapist known as "Crimson" and is fleeing a vigilante group which has been pursuing him. "Crimson" and the younger gas station attendant later leave together and attack and rape a young ballerina. The incident has a life-altering effect on the younger man, who has now become addicted to rape. He also goes on a raping spree, and is joined with "Crimson" for further attacks. Together the men rape waitresses in an abandoned movie theater. Due to the inability of the police to catch the criminals, vigilante groups have been pursuing "Crimson". Eventually the duo are tracked down, captured, and taken to an empty swimming pool by a homosexual gang. There the gang sodomizes "Crimson", bashes out his teeth with a hammer, and forces him to perform fellatio on them. Background Nikkatsu had started its SM line of Roman porno films in 1974 with the hits Flower and Snake and Wife to Be Sacrificed both featuring actress Naomi Tani and directed by Masaru Konuma. After this first highly successful venture into sexual violence, the studio's output became increasingly rougher. According to director Yasuharu Hasebe, by 1976 the studio was looking for a new direction, and contacted him to develop films in a new style to be called "Violent Pink". These would be comparable to the U.S. "roughies" film genre, violent and misogynistic, but without the whips, bondage and other traditional accoutrements of the S&M genre. Hasebe had worked with the studio in the 1960s during their "Nikkatsu Action" era, but was not comfortable with the pink film genre to which the studio had turned with the inception of the Roman porno series in 1971. Reluctant to work in the sex film genre, Hasebe later recalled warning the studio, "Are you sure you want me?... You must be aware-- my craft is very bloody." Nikkatsu hired Hasebe, though, realizing that he might push the envelope of acceptability, the studio assigned producer Ryōji Itō to watch over him. Hasebe had known Itō from his days with Nikkatsu in the 1960s, and they had worked well together. Itō had been Hasebe's assistant director on the Alleycat Rock series. In 1976 Hasebe turned out the first two "Violent Pink" films, Rape! and Assault! Jack the Ripper.