What I like about Japanese and Korean horror/suspense films is they really get down to it and are not afraid to show you anything unlike American horror films which always promise more than they deliver and in fact seem afraid of going too far….That restraint seems cowardly and in the end the viewer is left unfulfilled….And by restraint I don’t mean gratuitous sex and violence, I’m talking about what is actually scary and disturbing and challenging to the viewer not just a series of images guaranteed to titillate or produce other conditioned responses.
I’ve seen three very interesting films (two Japanese and one Korean) over the last week)….
ICHI THE KILLER
This may in fact be the most violent movie I’ve ever seen (so much for gratuitous violence) but the gore is so cartoonish the cruelty so fast and continuous that one gets numb after while….This is a movie that one needs to pause periodically as you just need a break from the ongoing wave of disgusting yet hypnotic imagery….The meaning of the ending could be discussed for days afterwards….I challenge anyone in Western cinema to make a movie so full of berserk energy….The outfits of the character Kakihara are amazing also….A truly original film (I believe it’s based on a manga).
This may in fact be the most violent movie I’ve ever seen (so much for gratuitous violence) but the gore is so cartoonish the cruelty so fast and continuous that one gets numb after while….This is a movie that one needs to pause periodically as you just need a break from the ongoing wave of disgusting yet hypnotic imagery….The meaning of the ending could be discussed for days afterwards….I challenge anyone in Western cinema to make a movie so full of berserk energy….The outfits of the character Kakihara are amazing also….A truly original film (I believe it’s based on a manga).
THE SUICIDE CLUB
Not as violent or as powerful as ICHI but a more subtle and deeper film….The plot about a series of mass suicides throughout Japan is complex and interesting….The solution is also clever….Having a teenage girl band be an evil force is a stroke of genius….I also liked the underlying message of connecting with yourself and consequently life as opposed to connecting to life through other people….Contains the strangest musical number I have ever seen( about ¾’s of the way through involving a character named Genesis).
Not as violent or as powerful as ICHI but a more subtle and deeper film….The plot about a series of mass suicides throughout Japan is complex and interesting….The solution is also clever….Having a teenage girl band be an evil force is a stroke of genius….I also liked the underlying message of connecting with yourself and consequently life as opposed to connecting to life through other people….Contains the strangest musical number I have ever seen( about ¾’s of the way through involving a character named Genesis).
SOMEONE’S BEHIND YOU
This Korean film is a bit more mainstream than the others I just described but it’s also creepier….The idea here involves a curse that causes friends and family members to attack you unexpectedly and attempt to kill you….This premise really work and there are moments in this film that really make you jump….I like any movie where everyone dies at the end….Including the end, there are many scenes one might not expect to find in an American film.
This Korean film is a bit more mainstream than the others I just described but it’s also creepier….The idea here involves a curse that causes friends and family members to attack you unexpectedly and attempt to kill you….This premise really work and there are moments in this film that really make you jump….I like any movie where everyone dies at the end….Including the end, there are many scenes one might not expect to find in an American film.
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