Horror film fans are mourning the loss of Yoshihiro Nishimura, a prolific director and effects artist, who has passed away at 59.
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Horror outlet Dread Central was the first to report the sad news, citing French YouTuber and horror expert AzzTheMad.
“I was just informed of Yoshihiro Nishimura’s passing, which occurred just a few hours ago due to liver cirrhosis,’ the YouTuber wrote on X on May 25.
Variety noted that the filmmaker had been in the hospital for two weeks before his passing.
“An eccentric, larger-than-life character, with his controversies too,” AzzTheMad added. “But someone who always lent me a hand, and whose utterly wild works have soundtracked my entire life: Tokyo Gore Police, Helldriver, Anatomia Extinction, Holy Mother…. The J-Splatter scene has lost one of its pillars.”
Per Dread Central, Nishimura was dubbed “the Tom Savini of Japan,” after the visionary American effects master who worked on unforgettable effects for classics like Dawn of the Dead and Friday the 13th.
With a nickname like that, it’s no surprise that Nishimura’s success scoring with horror fans was rooted in gnarly gore effects.
Nishimura burst onto the horror scene (and set the tone for his career) with his directorial debut, Tokyo Gore Police (2008). He followed that up with gorehound pleasers like Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl, Helldriver, Mutant Girls Squad, and Meatball Machine Kodoku. His final film, Geisha War, is slated for a posthumous release.
Horror Star Eihi Shiina Pays Tribute to Yoshihiro Nishimura
Eihi Shiina, the Japanese actress who worked with the late filmmaker in Tokyo Gore Police, reflected on working with Nishimura in a heartfelt message shared by Dread Central.
“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 travelled the world together, working on various projects,” Shiina said.
She reflected on his personality, asking, “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?” The Audition star continued, sharing that they had argued many times over the years but always reconciled because “he always believed in me and loved me dearly.” She concluded, “But our final argument ended without us ever making up.”
“Goodbye, Nishimura. If we ever meet again, let’s talk about the journeys we’ve each been on while we were apart, and let’s be friends again,” Shiina concluded.