Tetsuo: The Iron Man

Tetsuo: The Iron Man (鉄男, 1989) is the Japanese cyberpunk horror you can watch online on iFILM. Shinya Tsukamoto wrote, shot, edited and directed this 67-minute black-and-white assault, and stepped in front of the camera too. It's the film that launched a whole movement.

A Tokyo salaryman runs down a man obsessed with forcing scrap metal into his own body, then helps his girlfriend hide the corpse. From that night on, his flesh starts to turn: wires, gears and rusted iron push out through his skin. The change can't be stopped, and the line between man and machine dissolves right in front of you.

Made on grainy 16mm with stop-motion animation and Chu Ishikawa's clanging industrial score, it works on your nerves through rhythm and texture rather than plot. This isn't easy viewing — it's harsh, physical and squarely for fans of extreme arthouse. But for anyone into body horror or the Japanese underground, it's essential. Stream Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989) online on iFILM.