Angel Kiss

In Wilde's ( The Suiting ) paranoid and hallucinatory new work, the bodies of Japanese men crushed beyond recognition are popping up all over. The culprits, the Makahari, are genuine femmes fatales from a mysterious cult that seeks to overturn centuries of male dominance by removing from men the ``essence'' of their power. They do this with hideous coils of tentacles that spew forth from their various orifices during sex in an icky maneuver they like to call ``the kiss.'' These gals want to expand their gory enterprise to the States. The cult's leader, a spirit-being known as ``Sister,'' reasons that, by insinuating themselves into a mail-order bride business, they will be free to prey on just the right types of guys. Standing in their way is Suki, a lonely Japanese in search of an American husband who somehow gets mixed up with the Makahari and realizes she must stop them. Showing influence from such disparate sources as Kathy Acker, Ian Fleming and comic books, this thriller is bogged down by a confusing, jump-cut narrative. Despite this flaw, Wilde manages at times to glide almost effortlessly between episodes of low humor and stark horror. (May)