Last seen ASIAN movie

[shadyJ]

I finished 'Snake Woman's Curse' this morning, a pretty good 1968 Japanese 'Kaidan' movie like the ones I discussed here. In a rural part of Japan during the early 1900's where the economy and culture is still much more feudal than modern, a family is gradually destroyed by a brutal landlord. His cruelty is repaid with a bizarre curse where he becomes haunted by visions of ghosts and snakes. This movie looked great, and was nicely produced and imaginatively directed. It was made by the same guy who did the classic Jigoku, and was well acted with a fairly good screenplay which made it easy to watch. As with many other Kaidan films of that era, it was more darkly lyrical than scary, and it had some gorgeous visuals to match the poetic style of the story. It had a few grotesque images but wasn't nearly as grisly as Jigoku which was made eight years prior. If I have any complaint at all, it would be that some of the characters are frustratingly passive in the face of the landlord's cruelty, but that was likely how everyone was conditioned to behave in that culture at that period, so I can't really hold it against the story. All told, this is a very worthwhile film for those interested in classic ghost fables or just some very nice cinematography.

[Khaleesi]

The Isle (2000)
A Korean flick. I'm not sure if this one could even be technically classified as "horror", although there were some extremely disturbing elements in the film, including some very graphic violence involving fishing hooks. However, I really can't give a objective opinion about this movie, because there was a lot of unnecessary (and real, according to the production team) animal cruelty. I'm not a total PETA nut, but I am a huge animal lover, so I was turned off.

[shadyJ]

I watched Chawz, a Korean horror-comedy, a couple nights ago, streaming in HD on Netflix. Fun movie, it balances the horror and comedy nicely. The movie is about a killer boar which is driving away tourist business in a little Korean mountain town. It follows the Jaws plot pretty closely, in fact it really is just Jaws on land. The visual effects are pretty good, better than one would expect from a movie of this budget, maybe not as good as the huge Hollywood movies but way better than anything from Asylum for example. The production is nicely mounted and does not look like a low budget movie at all. All the actors were great. Humor isn't the easiest thing to get right but the timing and the characterization from the actors nailed it, and much of the humor isn't just derived from Jaws references. All told it was a breezy way to spend two hours, and a fun movie, so I can recommend it.

[shadyJ]

I sat down to watch the Thai horror film Shutter. A couple is haunted after a hit'n'run accident on a woman crossing the street. The man of the couple is a photographer and a bizarre smudge begins to show up in his negatives. Not a bad movie, it hummed along nicely with well set up scares and plot turns. Many of the scares are of the 'ju-on' and 'ringu' variety, but they are reasonably well done, so I can't complain too much. This film was heavily inspired by those Japanese horror films, but I think its better than most of the Japanese Ringu copycats. The film is nicely produced and not a visibly low budget film, good acting, cinematography, editing, etc. I understand this movie had an american remake, I haven't seen it, but I can't see how the original would be improved. Although it isn't a huge deal, I think Shutter is a very competent horror film and definitely worth a watch for fans of the genre.

[shadyJ]

I watched The Guard From Underground, a movie by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, who directed Pulse. Supposedly it is a slasher movie, but it certainly didn't have the feel of any conventional slasher movie. The plot is a young woman who is an art expert starts work at company at the same time as a very large guard. The guard is a murderer who grows to have an infatuation with the woman. This is not a whodunit so the fact of the guard's violent nature is revealed right away. Even though it took place almost entirely within a office building in confined office spaces, all the shots were medium distance and not many close-ups, which gave the movie an impersonal feel. Not only that, but none of the characters are given much background or history, another move which I think was deliberate. The result is a sense of detachment which I think is intended to create a sense of absurdity for the scenario of not just this film but all slasher movies.

The movie obviously had a constricted budget, but since the story is not an ambitious in scope, it wasn't that much of a hindrance. The music was pretty cheesy though, and didn't do much to elevate the tension. I don't mind synthesizers, but they really shouldn't be used in a score that tries to emulate real instruments when they don't do a very good job of recreating those sounds. Although there was some cruel acts of violence, the movie wasn't very bloody, so anyone looking for splatter would be better off with something else. The movie is strange, but it is purposed and intelligently made, so the oddity is not a result of incompetence but rather conscious decisions to disaffect the audience. I would say if you are looking for an offbeat, slightly mellow and somewhat surreal horror film, The Guard From Underground will foot that bill, but it is more cerebral and less visceral than most horror movies.

[ImmortalSlasher]

Originally Posted by shadyJ

I sat down to watch the Thai horror film Shutter. A couple is haunted after a hit'n'run accident on a woman crossing the street. The man of the couple is a photographer and a bizarre smudge begins to show up in his negatives. Not a bad movie, it hummed along nicely with well set up scares and plot turns. Many of the scares are of the 'ju-on' and 'ringu' variety, but they are reasonably well done, so I can't complain too much. This film was heavily inspired by those Japanese horror films, but I think its better than most of the Japanese Ringu copycats. The film is nicely produced and not a visibly low budget film, good acting, cinematography, editing, etc. I understand this movie had an american remake, I haven't seen it, but I can't see how the original would be improved. Although it isn't a huge deal, I think Shutter is a very competent horror film and definitely worth a watch for fans of the genre.

I like this movie. I remember being surprised and shocked at the final twist. But do pass on the American remake. It's not worth the time. I think The Ring is the only Asian horror remake that is good.

[shadyJ]

I watched Cure, another movie from Kiyoshi Kurosawa, as with Kurosawa's other films, it is an atypical horror film. Random people commit murders with a signature 'X' carved into the throat of the victim which baffles a detective and a psychiatrist who is assisting him. The only thing linking these murders is a man who is suffering from amnesia and can barely even hold any short term memories which further frustrates the investigation. A very non-standard horror film which is only one ellipsis away from David Lynch. The scares are mainly a creepy atmosphere and there isn't many 'shocks' or gory scenes, as Kurosawa is seemingly concerned with something a bit more cerebral.

A theme I see developing in Kurosawa's oeuvre from the few films I have seen is murder or harm stemming from an incomprehensible motive. Since his movies concern malice from a source that refuses rationalization, his movies are a bit more abstract than normal horror. As with Kurosawa's other films, not much effort is made to develop a sympathetic protagonist or victims, and so there is a coldness about the film. The sense of dread doesn't come from suspense involving any of the characters on screen, it stems more from the ideas which the movie suggests and the manner in which those ideas are presented. It is a quiet film with no music that I can remember, no loud sound effects, and no screaming. The locations are all drab, grey muted places, the world as seen by Kurosawa is a depressing place. It reminds me of Michelangelo Antonioni's Red Desert in its tone and setting.

I liked Cure, but I have to warn anyone looking for traditional J-horror spookiness will probably be disappointed. This movie is much more interested in its own puzzle than scaring the audience, however that puzzle is creepy enough that there is no doubt it is very much a horror film.

[The Bloofer Lady]

This past Friday i watched "A Chain of Cursed Murders" 2006. A group of teenage girls receive a text message that if not passed on within 12(?) hours will cause a gruesome death. The text message is about a young school girl raped and murdered years previous and then..well, its gets a little convoluted but still an enjoyable hour and a half.

[shadyJ]

I finally had a chance to watch Mr Vampire, a 1985 Hong Kong film I had long heard about but hadn't seen, and I decided to sit down for it even though I was not at all in the mood for what I knew was going to be a silly horror comedy. I must say it did not take long for this movie to win me over. Mr Vampire was a riot, it was nicely filmed, hilarious, and a ton of fun. I wasn't expecting to laugh as much as I did. The story is about some kind of funeral parlor run by a trained priest who uses magic to battle the undead of all kinds, but mostly vampires. These vampires are not like traditional western vampires very much, and the movie gives them a different kind of lore. The battles were amazing, not just in stunts and choreography but in wildly imaginative visuals. Many of the gags were actually quite funny. It was a very colorful and energetic film, as are so many 80's and 90's supernatural films from Hong Kong were. It is certainly one of the better horror comedies I have seen, and it has a lot more comedy than horror. It inspired a lot of sequels and imitators, none of which I have seen, but it's easy to see why this movie became so successful now that I have seen it. If you get a chance to see Mr Vampire, don't pass it up.

[Fearonsarms]

Kairo/Pulse (2001) This was my second time viewing it. Still creepy and haunting as I remembered also a little confusing but I did enjoy it's creepiness. Worth watching and pretty absorbing.