Noroi: The Curse (Noroi) first published by VODzilla.co Around the turn of the millennium, a slew of Japanese horror films came out which updated old superstitions and traditional long-haired spectres to a new technological era, and spread their malign influence across the Pacific. For each of Hideo Nakata’s Ring (1998) and Dark Water (2002), Kiyoshi…
Ju-on: The Grudge first published by Movie Gazette (2003) In 1998, director Hideo Nakata released Ring (Ringu), a chilling old-school horror story furnished with new(ish) technology – and ever since then, it has cast a long, dark shadow of influence and imitation. Within a year there was Nakata’s own sequel, Ringu 2 (1999), and then…
Pulse first published by EyeForFilm (03/02/2006) “It all began one day, without warning, like this”. These are the opening words of Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Pulse (Kairo), delivered in voice-over by Michi (Kumiko Aso), as she stands alone on a ship’s deck with her back to the camera, staring out (much like the viewer) at the menacing clouds and…
Still travelling the UK now (see here for details), the Japan Foundation’s 2013 touring programme (Once Upon A Time In Japan) is focused on recent films that examine contemporary Japan through the prism of the past, whether personal or public. I have written a round-up of the festival for Film4.com, but am posting a fuller…