{"id":29952,"date":"2024-11-04T23:19:12","date_gmt":"2024-11-05T07:19:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=29952"},"modified":"2024-11-04T23:19:12","modified_gmt":"2024-11-05T07:19:12","slug":"blasts-from-the-past-blu-ray-review-j-horror-rising-box-set","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=29952","title":{"rendered":"Blasts from the Past! Blu-ray Review: J-HORROR RISING Box Set"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This \u201cLimited Edition\u201d Blu-ray box set from Arrow Video\nis currently available for purchase.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The early 1990s were a lean period for horror fans. While\nthe 80s were chock full of titles, interest began to peter out over the next\ndecade. Thankfully, Scream <\/em>(1996) managed to jolt some life back into\nthe genre. The other good news was the rise of J-Horror, or supernatural\nfeatures made in Japan. Ringu<\/em> (1998) was a massive hit in its homeland\nand productions exploded across the country. The 2002 North American remake\nbecame a worldwide success causing international audiences to embrace these\nimports. Movies like Pulse<\/em> (2001), Dark Water<\/em> (2002), Ju-on:\nThe Grudge<\/em> (2002) and One Missed Call<\/em> (2003) were other notable\nefforts that inspired US remakes, but there were many others that didn\u2019t see a\nrelease in this part of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arrow Video is now releasing a \u201cLimited Edition\u201d Blu-ray set\ncontaining seven J-Horror titles that received plenty of attention in their\nhomeland, but didn\u2019t get as big of a push in North America. Now, interested\nparties can check out these other titles and see how they compare with those\nabove. The films themselves are mostly low-budget and shot-on-video, so don\u2019t\nexpect stellar image quality on all the titles, but this set does come with\nmany extras and that really give one a sense of the genre and its history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While I don\u2019t usually review discs this way, a bonus feature\non the first movie is actually essential to providing background to the\npictures on this set. In an interview with film historian Tom Mes, the expert\nstates that J-Horror was around prior to Ringu<\/em>, but that the titles were\nlow-budget and made exclusively for the home video market. It seems that many\nwere actually tailored for female audiences. When the companies producing them\nsaw growing interest, they decided to give the genre an upgrade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ringu<\/em> was a rarity in that its distributor ultimately\ndecided to give it a theatrical release and it was a smash success. Curiously\nenough, the title and its hit sequels were put out in cinemas as\ndouble-features with another similarly-themed effort (a few of which are titles\nincluded in this package). It seems producers were hoping that some of the\naccompanying features would also lend themselves to franchises, but this tactic\nultimately didn\u2019t work. While there was a huge influx over four or so years,\nthings eventually slowed down. This interview is fascinating and gives a\ndetailed overview of J-Horror history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The first film included is Shikoku<\/em> (1999), which is\nset in a small village. It follows Hinako (Yui Natsukawa), a woman moving back\nto her hometown. She reconnects with a childhood acquaintance (Michitaka\nTsutsui), but the two find themselves haunted by Sayori (Chiaki Kuriyama) , a\ngirl from their past who drowned mysteriously. Sayori forces the leads to\nconfront their past. The movie is more melodramatic than one might expect and\nis a mixed bag overall, but has a reasonably effective climax in which the main\ncharacters reunite in an eerie outdoor space. This story also offers a few\ninsights about loss and regret. The image veers all over the place and includes\nsome grainy, underlit moments, but that is a part of the low-budget roots of\nthe movie and not any fault of the transfer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Extras on the disc are wonderful. Tom Mes returns to provide\nan informative commentary. There is a lengthy interview with the director, who\ndiscusses the themes of the film, stating he was more interested in the\ncharacters than the ghostly, supernatural elements. There are more archival\ninterviews with the filmmaker and cast, as well as an on-set featurette and\npromo materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isola: Multiple Personality Girl <\/em>(2000) is a wilder\nand crazier feature that follows a young woman\/psychic named Yakari (Yoshino\nKimura) as she helps out survivors of the Great Hanshin Earthquake. The\nguilt-ridden lead begins to wonder if she may be partly responsible for the\ndisaster. But soon, she encounters the title character Isola (Yu Kurosawa), a\nyoung woman who appears to be malevolent and possess supernatural powers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This feature includes some striking footage early on, before\nbecoming more and more outrageous as Isola becomes involved in the proceedings.\nEvents become increasingly trippy, eventually introducing action with a\nscientist working in an incredibly unsafe, dilapidated building that houses a\nsensory-deprivation tank. It all makes for a silly but amusing experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Like the first movie, the picture quality of this\nshot-on-video production is all over the place, but I think it\u2019s slightly\ncleaner than the first movie (likely due to some interesting locations and more\nelaborate set design). It comes with a commentary track that gives cast and\ncrew info, and tries to clarify some of the wilder plot elements. There are\nalso two archived interview pieces with the female leads. A behind-the-scenes\nfeaturette, a trailer and image gallery are also included.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inugami<\/em> (2000) is one of the more eccentric pictures\non the set, but one I actually appreciated more than many of the others. The\nproduction value of this title is much higher and the photography is quite\nattractive. There are some beautiful images in this story (including a finale\nshot entirely in black and white) and the picture quality is the strongest\namong titles on the first two discs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This film follows village woman and papermaker Miki (Yuki\nAmami) who meets teacher Akira (Atsuro Watabe), a new arrival from another\ntown. They become romantically involved and he soon realizes that the locals\nreally, really don\u2019t like her. In fact, the woman\u2019s family history involves a\ngenerations-old death curse. He doesn\u2019t believe it at first, but soon becomes\nconvinced that he might need to free her from it. It\u2019s definitely an eccentric\nmovie, but the lush visuals and performances raise it above initial\nexpectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This title includes an informative film historian\ncommentary, who goes over details about the interesting paper-making process\nthe lead character has devoted her life to. He addresses the cultural story\nelements and does an excellent job of helping viewers understand them. There is\nalso an interview with the director, who also explains what he was trying to do\nto elevate his chiller over other titles of its ilk. An image gallery is also\nincluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

St. John\u2019s Wort<\/em> (2001) is my least favorite title in\nthe set. Inspired by video games, it follows \u201cgame model\u201d Nami (Megumi Okina)\nwho visits a relative\u2019s abandoned mansion and faces off against sinister\nforces. The picture features many plot twists, at one point even suggesting\nthat what viewers are witnessing may also be a game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Shot-on-video, the grainy picture employs blown-out colors\nand visuals along with a rapid editing style that quickly becomes grating. This\noverly stylistic approach not only looks poor, but fails to engage viewers in\nthe characters or their plight. I didn\u2019t care what was really going on by the\nend and for this reviewer, this picture simply didn\u2019t work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It still has devoted fans though, and there is a film expert\ncommentary track in which the speaker defends the movie, calling it an original\nand entertaining effort. You\u2019ll get archival cast and crew interviews, a\nmaking-of an on-set introduction from Okina, trailers and TV spots, as well as\nan image gallery. If you do appreciate the film, you will be impressed with the\nbonuses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Persona<\/em> (2000) is a strange fantasy picture about a\nbullied high school student and fellow classmates who begin donning masks. It\nseems the process of wearing them allows the teens a sort of freedom in their\nlives, and they use their strange avatars to make big life changes. Alas, some\nact out and become violent in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The video quality on this picture is generally strong.\nSeveral sequences look quite good, making one assume that this effort had\nhigher production values than some of the other titles. And the masks are\nvisually striking as well. This is a very strange picture, but one that is\ninteresting in terms of subject matter and completely unlike other teen\npictures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for bonus features, the director gives an informative\ninterview about the movie and notes that he was interested in how anonymity can\nchange behavior from socially acceptable to downright horrible. He explains the\nfilm as being an examination of mob mentality. This picture comes with an image\ngallery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you\u2019re a parent, Carved: The Slit- Mouthed Woman<\/em>\n(2007) will definitely strike a nerve. Based on the urban legend of\nKuchisake-onna, an earthquake frees a supernatural figure (Niki Mizuno) with a\nhorribly disfigured face (wearing a surgical mask). She goes about stalking\nchildren and brutally murdering them with shears. An elementary school teacher\n(Eriko Sato) attempts to stop the monster. The movie makes no bones about\nkilling children and several are kidnapped and\/or mutilated. If that wasn\u2019t bad\nenough, some youngsters in the picture also suffer abuse from their\nparents.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The movie isn\u2019t in great taste and can feel a bit\nexploitative, but I cannot deny that many scenes were upsetting, disturbing and\ncreatively lensed. When the title villain opens her mouth, it\u2019s a jarring\nsight. It’s definitely tense to see plenty of likable kids in this kind of\nhorrible danger and is generally successful as a horror picture. Overall, the\nimage quality is good with a little bit of noise and grain, but nothing that is\ndistracting or overbearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Legends like these often serve to teach children (and\nadults) life lessons, and the director explains how he turned this one into a\nmotion picture. He admits that on its owinugamiln, the original tale is silly,\nso he tried to invent a backstory and deal with themes like child abuse to give\nhis film more dramatic weight. The filmmaker also notes that his first drafts\ndidn\u2019t include adults and featured even more victimized kids, but that his\nproducer ultimately (and perhaps wisely) suggested he show some reserve. This\ndisc also includes an informative movie expert commentary track, an analysis\nwith a J-Horror expert and a featurette on the original legend. And it comes\nwith image galleries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Noroi: The Curse<\/em> (2005) is a \u201cfound footage\u201d\ntale about Masafum Kobayashi (Jin Muraki) a ghost-hunting documentarian who has\ndisappeared. Viewers see footage of his previous investigations of supernatural\nfigures out in the wild, with the lead befriending female actress Marika\nMatsumoto (playing a fictionalized version of herself) in addition to an\namusingly unhinged, tin-foil wearing medium named Osawa (Takashi Kiakizawa).\nThe story jumps around in time, eventually connecting all indvidudal segments\nand showing what actually happened to Kobayashi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The movie was shot documentary-style and thus looks the\npart. The image quality isn\u2019t crystal clear, but it looks 100% appropriate for\nthis type of movie. It\u2019s a long film at nearly two hours, but is well-acted.\nThe story does take plenty of creepy twists and turns and possesses a nicely\ndark sense of humor. And it all pays off well with an effective finale. Truth\nbe told, this is one of the better \u201cfound footage\u201d titles of its era and is one\nof the best pictures on the set. It will certainly please anyone who\nappreciates this type of chiller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This picture comes with a film expert commentary who notes the many unique elements of the story. Perhaps the best bonus is an interview with the director (who also helmed Carved: The Slit- Mouthed Woman<\/em>). He states that he got his start making straight-to-video paranormal investigation titles before graduating to narrative films. Apparently, his greatest cinematic inspiration is Man Bites Dog<\/em>, and he describes how that movie influenced his work in general. His past experiences suggest that he knew exactly how to tell this story, which may be why it works as well as it does. The filmmaker also notes that there are some hidden clues revealing what the murderous beings really are that may raise a smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There is also an informative discussion with the producer of\nthis, and many other titles featured in the set, as well as featurettes\nanalyzing the \u201cmockumentary\u201d style and a critical study of the picture. Bonus\nfootage, EPK material, promo trailers and TV spots, as well as several deleted\nscenes are also present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

J-Horror Rising<\/em> from Arrow Video is a detailed\nBlu-ray set that finally allows western viewers to see some less-familiar\nJapanese horror movies from the early 2000s. They don\u2019t all work and may not be\nclassics like Ringu<\/em>, but a few are very effective and worth your time.\nThese were mostly made on-the-cheap, so the presentation isn\u2019t reference\nquality, but it is as good as it can possibly be. And the bonus features are\nenlightening, so even horror fans may learn something new about this brief but\nbusy era in Japanese horror filmmaking. It\u2019s an excellent set.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This \u201cLimited Edition\u201d Blu-ray box set from Arrow Video is currently available for purchase. The early 1990s were a lean period for horror fans. While the 80s were chock full of titles, interest began to peter out over the next decade. Thankfully, Scream (1996) managed to jolt some life back into the genre. The other […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":29953,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[148,150,154,156,1836,3067,3068,3960,9319,9895,9991,10055,10056,10057,10385,15037,15937,18262,18920],"class_list":["post-29952","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dvdblu-ray-reviews","tag-148","tag-150","tag-154","tag-156","tag-arrow-video","tag-blu-ray","tag-blu-ray-box-set","tag-carved-the-slit-mouthed-woman","tag-horror","tag-inugami","tag-isola-multiple-personality-girl","tag-j-horror","tag-j-horror-rising","tag-j-horror-rising-review","tag-japan","tag-noroi-the-curse","tag-persona","tag-shikoku","tag-st-johns-wort"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29952","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29952"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29952\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29952"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29952"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29952"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}