Visitors

It's been a while since Japan was releasing splatter horrors by the dozens, but that doesn't mean they've completely turned their back on the genre. The Japanese love a bit of excess, and what better way to do this than scatter around some limbs and squirt green ooze all over the place. Kenichi Ugana's Visitors [Akuma ga Harawata de Ikenie de Watashi] is a perfectly pleasant specimen that mixed in some dry and absurd comedy for good measure. And best of all, the film is relatively easy to get your hands on, so no endless digging is required to watch this film.

Mind you, Visitors isn't quite on the same level as some of the weirder Sushi Typhoon fan favorites, but what it lacks in grotesque insanity, it makes up for in execution and comedic timing. Visitors is a bit more accomplished than most other films of its ilk. Sure enough, it's still a decidedly low-budget affair, but Ugana is a bit more serious when it comes to the technical aspects of filmmaking, which makes for an interesting combo. It's not super polished or insane craftsmanship, but it's also not just a vehicle for weirdness. I think Ugana found the perfect balance there.

The film is an extension of a short movie Ugana made two years prior to this one. I haven't seen the original, so I can't comment on how the experience shifted, but the film itself feels pretty episodic, with four distinct segments glued together. Each of the segments ties in to a greater story, but there are more gaps than things tying everything together, and with only 60 minutes on the clock, you'll need to do a bit of the narrative lifting yourself. I didn't mind, films like this aren't about plot or consistency anyway, but if you're looking for a straightforward narrative, this might be a bit of a struggle.

In a small Japanese village, all hell is about to break loose. A trio is visiting their friend, who went silent when they last tried to contact him. Things look off when they arrive at his home, and the guy's behavior is sketchy. He offers them a drink, but some green ooze on the floor turns his visitors into demons one by one. It's the beginning of a war between humanity and demonkind. A lone musician narrowly escapes and flees to a quieter part of the country, away from all the chaos. There, he writes a song for his savior. Only, he doesn't know she's already turned into a demon.

The cinematography is a step up from what you're usually getting from films like these. It looks as if there's a bit more thought and effort behind the technical aspects, giving it a more polished feel. The lighting is moodier, the camera work has more intent, and the editing's a bit sharper. The graphic effects are also on point, finding a nice balance between the grotesque and the acceptable. It's not as if this is a film that competes with blockbuster horrors on a technical level, but the difference with some of the more illustrious examples in the genre is noticeable.

The score is a bit more uneven. The sound design is good, and the film score is fine, although nothing too notable or out of the ordinary. There's also some J-rock stuff that didn't do it for me. Maybe it's a lingering trauma I can't get over (probably inflicted by films like Wild Zero), but I don't think it fits the genre, and it feels more like a band promo than a conscious filmmaking decision. It's not too overbearing or annoying here, but I could've done without it. Other than that, the music is fine, just nothing all that memorable or impactful.

The actors are fine, they're also a slight step up from what tends to be the norm for this type of cinema. But don't expect anything too out of the ordinary. There aren't any standout parts or unforgettable characters here. The performances are very self-aware and geared toward comedy rather than drama or serious horror. Even then, it's the make-up effects that made the biggest impression. It's not a problem, nobody is watching these films to be blown away by the depth and vulnerability of the characters. The most important thing is that it's not so bad as to become distracting.

The film starts off pretty normal, with a quick introduction of the setting and the evil that has started seeping into the human world. After the intro, the film switches to a different setting, and it becomes clear that this is more of a disjointed view of the events, rather than a tightly constructed narrative. If this feels more like four or five related shorts tacked together, it's probably because that's exactly what this film is. It's a little crude, and I don't think it would have been that difficult to make things just a little bit more coherent, but it's not exactly a deal breaker.

Visitors is simple cinema. If you like to see the grotesque mixed with comedy, it's pretty much guaranteed that you'll like this film. The dry comedy is fun, the horror is gooey, the technical aspects are well above par, and all of this is packaged in a tight 60 minutes, so as not to overstay its welcome. Kenichi Uganda shows a lot of promise, though I'm not certain which direction he'll go from here, as Visitors finds itself at the crossroads of cult and more mainstream horror. Regardless, quality horror films are hard to come by nowadays, so I'm just happy he was able to give us Visitors.