Day 334: Onibaba

Onibaba

Where's Giant Baba?

And now for something completely different. When you plan to watch over 300 horror movies, you start to run out of movies you want to see. It's not like there's a shortage of horror movies out there, it's just that there's only so many good ones to go around. I've checked off many classics and must-sees on my list and there's a few more outstanding ones still to be watched. I've taken to looking at “best of” to make sure I haven't missed any major movies. Most of the lists tend to have the same movies, just in different order. I did manage to find with with a slew of lesser-known European and Asian movies. Today's movie caught my eye just for being so completely different: a Japanese horror movie from the 1960's that takes place in the 14^th century. Yeah, that's something different, alright.

Onibaba (translated as Demon Hag) is a 1964 historical horror drama written and directed by Kaneto Shindo (The Naked Island, Tree Without Leaves). The movie stars Nobuko Otowa (A Last Note, The Naked Island) as Older woman and Jitsuko Yoshimura (The Insect Woman, Pigs and Battleships) as Younger woman. In 14^th century feudal Japan, a civil war has erupted between fiefdoms. Through the ravages of war and famine, both woman survive by killing lost soldiers who wander near their home. They hide in fields and when the soldiers come buy, they viciously stab them to death. The women strip the soldiers of their armor and weapons and trade them with a merchant for food. Hachi (Kei Sato, The Human Condition, The Ceremony), a neighbor to the women, returns from war and informs the older woman that her son was killed. Her son was also the husband of the younger woman. Hachi helps the women kill two soldiers and soon beings to seduce the younger woman. She begins to sneak out of her hut at night to have sex with Hachi. The older woman follows her one night and discovers their secret relationship. Afraid that the younger woman will leave her and make killing soldiers too difficult, the older woman begs Hachi to end the affair, but he refuses. One night, a lost samurai wearing a demon masks comes across the older woman and asks her for directions. He refuses to remove his mask, saying he is the most handsome man in Kyoto and that the older woman would be overcome by his good looks. She leads him through a field and he falls into a large gaping hole where the women dump the bodies of their victims. She climbs down and, after struggling mightily, removes his mask, revealing a hideously disfigured face. She dons the mask nightly and terrorizes the younger woman, preventing her from seeing Hachi. What will happen between the women and why was the mask so difficult to remove?

"Touch Of Death, do your thing!"

Onibaba is a beautifully stylistic and artistic movie, rarely if ever seen in horror. Scenes are visually striking thanks to pretty scenery and Kaneto Shindo's incredibly skillful eye. There is a variety of shots at different angles throughout the film which help convey the emotion of each scene. The black-and-white film helps give the movie a more classic look. The movie does have some good social commentary, questioning motives and instinct of survival. The horror of war and the horror of loss are two strong themes in the movie and make you really feel for both woman. The older woman dons the mask, becoming a demon herself. Her selfishness and jealousy has twisted her priorities and her love for the younger woman. It's interesting that both main characters are never actually named. Perhaps that is to allow the audience to project their own tags to them? It's not to lessen or demean them because they are both strong female characters, a constant in Shindo's films.

To be fair, Onibaba isn't a traditional horror movie. While there are sinister hints and questionable actions, the true horror doesn't come in until the last 20 minutes. Prior to that, we have a historical drama focusing on emotions and the struggles of war. It's good, no question, but horror fans will feel very antsy waiting for things to happen. There are a few too many extended scenes of ravenous eating and there is a surprising amount of nudity. The mask used has a traditional look, but it still manages to be unsettling, creating a look of sinister sadness, perfect for the older woman. While it's no Akira Kurosawa film, there is some action and violence in the movie. The main excitement comes from the end when Onibaba actually becomes horror.

"But Halloween hasn't even been invented yet!"

Onibaba would fit in with the art house crowd as well as fans of traditional horror. The movie looks great thanks to beautiful locations and great direction. The acting is very good and makes the story very believable. If there is one problem it's that the movie is very slow and takes a long time to get to any excitement. The blood-splattered horror fans will grow frustrated, but the movie deserves the right amount of patience and thoughtfulness. Onibaba is a good movie if you're looking for something a little different and a little special. It's not for everyone, but to those that appreciate the art of filmmaking and a good overall story, it's a hidden gem.

7.5/10

Day 308: Ju-On

Ju-On

Ju-in, Ju-on, and Ju-out

OK, I admit it. I've been ignoring Japanese horror movies for too long. Sure, I reviewed Masters Of Horror: Imprint and Masters Of Horror: Dream Cruise, but those were made for an American audience. I'm talking about made in Japan for a Japanese audience. I've reviewed horror movies from Canada, France, India, Spain, Norway, Belgium, South Africa, Great Britain, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, China, and Holland. It's about time that I give some proper attention to Japan. What better way to do that than with one of the more well-known movies to be remade in the United States? Or more accurately, one of a series of movies remade in the United States.

Ju-On (also know as  Ju-On: The Curse) is a 2000 supernatural horror movie from Japan. The movie follows the lives of multiple people in connection with a specific house in Nerima, Tokyo. Shunsuke Kobayashi (Yurei Yanagi), a teacher, pays a visit to his student Toshio (Ryota Koyama), who has been absent from school. Kobayashi finds Toshio alone in his house, covered in bruises and surrounded by garbage. While waiting for his parents, Toshio begins to make a strange, meowing sound. The story then jumps to the next family to live in the house, the Murakami family. One of the daughters hears a strange croaking sound coming from the attic. When she inspects, she is attacked and killed by some sort of ghost or spirit. The spirit then goes on to attack other people connected with the Murakami family. When we return to the story of Kobayashi, we learn that Toshio's mother was obsessed with Kobayashi. He reads her journal which expresses her intense obsession with him. As he goes to leave, Kobayashi receives a phone call from Toshio's father. His father, jealous about his wife's feelings towards Kobayashi, takes his revenge on Kobayashi's wife and unborn child. In a state of shock, Kobayashi is unable to move when he begins to hear the same croaking sounds from the other story coming from upstairs. What unspeakable horror is coming to meet him and where is exactly is Toshio's mother?

"Help! I've been attacked by Windows 98 graphics!"

I initially thought I was going to be watching the original Japanese version of the Sarah Michelle Gellar movie The Grudge. Unfortunately, I was sort of wrong. Ju-On is actually a series of direct to video horror movies with this one being the first. The American version of The Grudge is actually a remake of Ju-On 2. I've only seen bits and pieces of The Grudge (and some jokes from the Scary Movie franchise) so I was quite surprised to see that the movie didn't really focus on the spooky meowing child. That's what happens when you don't do your research. The creepy meowing child is in the movie, though not as much as The Grudge. The movie does have some genuinely scary parts thanks to a good amount of suspense and sound. There is a good amount of tension and lead-up during the movie. We know something is going to happen and it pushes the audience to the edge of their seats. The strange croaking vocal sounds are actually done by director Takashi Shimizu and are probably the most memorable thing about the movie. The unnatural sound and some unnatural movements are very unsettling, similar to the spider-crawl scene in The Exorcist. Most of the action and violence is implied rather than shown, but we do get a decent amount of blood.

One thing that always worries me when I watch foreign films is that I may not understand certain cultural themes or ideas that the movie is focusing on. While it hasn't been a problem before, I did find myself a bit lost during certain scenes. I have a general idea of the significance of cats in Japanese culture, but not to the point where I could relate to one characters incredible fear of them. Maybe I just missed something in translation. The movie has a tendency to jump around too much, telling multiple short stories. I couldn't feel a strong connection with most of the characters because they only had about 15 minutes of screen time here and there. It doesn't help that the movie has a run time of about 68 minutes. Maybe that's all just the stupid American in me, but the movie would have been better off focusing on, say, 3 extended stories. The acting and directing are fine with not serious complaints. The film quality is on the cheaper side which I find brings down the entire viewing experience.

Did I just walk in on a Danzig music video?

Though it wasn't the movie I was expecting to see, it was nice to find out where the story began. The haunted house/curse is interesting on the surface, but the movie jumps around way too much. I find it hard to connect with the characters and follow just what is happening on the screen. There are too many small stories and with the short run time, everything feels rushed. The movie has a few good scares thanks to good suspense and the creative use of sound. If you liked the American version of The Grudge, you may enjoy seeing where the story got it's start. Otherwise, there's no need to rush out at see Ju-On: The Curse.

4.5/10

Day 255: Masters Of Horror: Imprint

Masters Of Horror: Imprint

Need copies? Come on down to Imprint.

If the United States is the pioneer of the modern horror movie than Japan is the explorer. Just when you think you've seen everything horror has to offer, Japanese horror writers and directors take you in strange, unknown directions. Just one you think you've seen everything, they take it to another level going for more shocks, more blood, more gore, and more horror. More is not always better as a good story is worth more than just gory special effects and makeup. While those things may initially scare us, true horror lies within the unsettling moments of the story and the acting. I certain phrase, a turn of events, or even a specific look by an actor can turn a mediocre movie into a truly chilling watch.

Masters Of Horror: Imprint is a story from the horror anthology directed by Takashi Miike (Audition, One Missed Call). Set in the Victorian era, an American journalist named Christopher (Billy Drago, Demon Hunter, The Lords Of Salem) is traveling through Japan looking for his lost love, a prostitute named Komomo. He arrives at an island inhabited only by prostitutes and spends the night with a quite prostitute with a facial deformity. She tells Christopher that Komomo killed herself because he did not come to rescue her in time. Distraught, Christopher seeks solace in sake and asks the girl to tell him a story. She tells him of her life, explaining that her mother was a midwife and was forced to sell her into slavery after her drunken father killed himself. She explained that as a young child, she learned that bad people go to hell and good people go to heaven. Eventually, she ended up on the island with Komomo. Komomo was the most popular girl on the island, causing a lot of jealousy among the older prostitutes. When the Madame's ring is stolen Komomo was brutally tortured by the other girls until she confessed. Overcome with shame and agony, Komomo hanged herself. Disbelieving the story, Christopher asks her to tell the truth. The girl retells the story, which is far more darker than the first. She explains that her mother performed abortions and that the monk who taught her of heaven and hell had molested her. She also reveals that her father had raped her and she beat him to death. Despite Komomo's kindness, the girl planted the stolen ring on her. After her torture, the girl killed Komomo, justifying her actions as a way to save her from hell for being associated with bad people. Unconvinced, Christopher demands for the entire truth. The girl also reveals that her parents were brother and sister, making her the product on incest. She was actually born with a parasitic twin; a hand with a face growing out of her head. It was this “sister” that commanded her to kill her father and steal the Madame's ring. The hand begins to speak in Komomo's voice, bringing Christopher to the brink of madness. What does this all mean and what will happen?

"I just remembered I have an early meeting. You're a super girl. Gotta go!"

This may be the weirdest of all the Masters Of Horror movies. Beyond some of the cultural nuances, the story itself takes so many different twists and turns that you're never really sure what you're watching. I think part of this problem is attributed to the Masters Of Horror format, forcing the story to fit into an hour-long television episode. As a full-length, Imprint would have had the appropriate amount of time to foreshadow and draw the big surprises out. Everything is rushed in an hour and the little intricacies that would have made for a complete watch were left out. The multiple-stories within a story reminded me of the Jet Li movie “Hero”. It's an interesting plot device, but I felt the execution was a bit lacking. Again, this can be attributed to the short run-time of the movie. Too much happens too quickly while only the last 15 minutes provide anything truly interesting. As I've stated before, I am not a fan of torture in movies and Imprint goes way overboard. I won't get into specifics, but if you're squeamish, you should just skip over this part altogether. It's no surprise that the man behind “Audition” directed Imprint. This episode never actually made it to television as Showtime felt it was too violent and gruesome, even for cable. It is hard to watch even for those who think they are desensitized.

The 800-pound elephant in the room is the talking hand coming out of a woman's head. It is certainly creepy, but it's just a little too weird. It's almost on par with the necrophila scene from Masters Of Horror: Haeckel's Tale. Almost. I think they would have been better off portraying it as an undeveloped Siamese twin. I know they were going for a “voices in her head” theme, but really, it's just a hand with a face growing out of a woman's head. It reminded me too much of the martial arts spoof “Kung Pow!: Enter The Fist” where the main character's tongue had a face on it. The sets look very good and Miike creates some beautiful and creative scenes. The subtext of what is really hell is always an interesting topic. It's brought up a few times throughout the movie, but not enough to truly convey any feelings or ideas. If they wanted to discuss one's personal Hell, they should have devoted more time to that than gratuitous torture. The ending was interesting and could actually be left up to one's interpretation. While some can see it simply for what it is, I believe that Christopher may have been in his own personal Hell the entire time. I could be wrong, but the movie does a good job of leaving things open for interpretation. The horror in the movie is a mixture of harsh violence, brutal abuse, and personal anguish. 

Seriously? Seriously.

Masters Of Horror: Imprint is certainly the most unique horror story in the series. It doesn't contain the humor seen in a majority of the episodes and goes off in a much darker direction. The story itself is interesting, though more time was needing to properly explain things. Because of the time constraints, pacing is also an issue as things feel rushed. More time would have allowed for foreshadowing and slower reveals. The movie contains a lot of violence, blood, and gore with a torture scene that is difficult to sit through. The inclusion of the hand sister is just a little too weird and goofy for me. I think something a little more subtle would have worked better. Miike still manages to make it creepy and unsettling, so it could have been far more ridiculous. Imprint is an interesting, if unpleasant watch. Some may like it and others may hate it. I'm somewhere in the middle as I like the themes and ideas, but could have done without the torture or the hand sister. Give Imprint a shot if you're feeling adventurous, but be prepared.

6/10

Day 58: Masters of Horror: Dream Cruise

Masters of Horror: Dream Cruise

I don't remember Rhode Island's flag being so terrifying

I can safely say that I am no expert on Japanese horror movies. For whatever reason, I have never really delved into that particular off-shoot of horror. Maybe because we were inundated with weak Americanized remakes of good Japanese movies (The Grudge) or maybe because there are some that are just too intense (The Audition). I tried to watch Tokyo Gore Police and I couldn't get past the first 5 minutes (over the top self mutilation just isn't my thing, y'know?). I decided to slowly wade into the pool of Japanese horror with a little help from Masters of Horror.

Dream Cruise is directed by Norio Tsuruta (Premonition, Kakashi) and tells the story of American lawyer Jack Miller (Daniel Gilles, Spider-Man 2, True Blood) working in Tokyo. When he was younger, Jack's brother, Sean, died in a boating accident and he has been afraid of the sea ever since. He is plagued by visions of his drowning brother, just out of his reach. An legal issue has arisen with his client Eiji (Ryo Ishibashi, Audition, The Grudge), so Eiji invites Jack to join him on his boat to discuss the situation. Jack has been having an affair with Eiji's wife Yuri and the both suspect Eiji knows. Eiji takes them out to sea where he reveals he knows their secret. The boat stalls and Eiji goes underneath the boat to free the propellers from seaweed. The seaweed is actually the hair of a woman and the propellers mysteriously start up again while Eiji is beneath the boat. He miraculously returns unharmed, but it becomes apparent that he is not himself. Eiji has been possessed by the spirit of his first wife, seeking vengeance for her murder at the hands of Eiji. Jack and Yuri battle the possessed Eiji as well as other supernatural occurrences that are trying to kill them. Jack begins to see and hear his dead brother and fears he is losing his mind. Will Jack and Yuri make it safely off the boat or will the vengeful ghost drag them to a watery grave?

 Gwar has the best live shows!

Filmed in Japan, Dream Cruise was actually a 90 minute movie that was condensed down into the 60 minute Masters of Horror format. I find it hard to believe that there is an extra 30 minutes of this movie because they pretty much took care of everything in 60 minutes. Besides some more character development and a few more ghosts scenes, I'm not sure what else they could have done. The story is pretty basic and feels like someone said “Let's take some stuff from 'What Lies Beneath' and put it on a boat!” There are some tense moments and a bit of action, but nothing great. There is one scene where Jack is attacked by Eiji's dismembered arm. The scenes are shot in such a way that screen cuts off the actual person that belongs to the “dismembered” arm. When they back the shot up, the arm looks like one of those plastic arms that some people stick out of their car as a joke.

Ryo Ishibashi does a very good job as Eiji. He comes of as very sinister and makes you feel concerned for Jack and Yuri's safety. Unfortunately, Daniel Gilles doesn't do such a great as Jack Miller. He comes off as a bit wooden and when he does show emotion, it comes off all wrong. It's not all his fault though because his character was made to be too weak. He's constantly getting knocked down or knocked out. I never felt like cheering for him to survive because he's just not a hero. The ghost has some pretty creepy facial expressions, but when you look at it from afar, it looks like a cheap projection. Scary, but kind of goofy at the same time. 

How the hell am I supposed to eat ice cream with this?

Ultimately, Dream Cruise is a decent watch, but certainly nothing to rave about. If anything, it's a good introduction to Japanese horror. Unsettling at times, its not over the top gruesome or scary. It lacks in traditional horror movie action, but has some good suspense. Give it a shot, you might like it.

6/10