Movies
Not as overly energetic or chaotic as its peers, rather it creates an eerie, claustrophobic atmosphere that drags you deeper into its concrete prison with each successive scene.
A Japanese horror film based on a game franchise doesn't immediately spark high expectations, but with Masafumi Yamada in the director chair, I was quite curious to see how this would pan out. Corpse Party was certainly a lot more graphic than I had expected it to be, other than that it's a pretty standard genre flick. A couple of Japanese high school students trapped in a school building, if you've watched some Japanese horror films it's not something you haven't seen before. Luckily, the kills are pleasantly over-the-top and some shots are pretty awe-inspiring. Not enough to make this an instant classic, but if you're looking for some fun horror filler, Corpse Party does the trick.Read all
A direct sequel to Yamada's first film, based on a popular game that branched out to several other media. It's just more of the same really, which is a bit of a shame considering Yamada's earlier work. It's a far cry from Tsuburo no Gara, then again we should probably be happy Yamada is still around, making films. This second film is a bit too much like the first one, the setting and rules are already clear, there's just quite a bit of extra lore to work through. It gets a bit too convoluted at times, luckily the ending cranks up the horror elements and comes with a few nifty surprises. Decent filler, but little else.Read all
It's a shame to see Yamada ending up a generic horror director, but such is his fate. Hanako of the Toilet is a popular legend (and adapted quite a few times already), but this reboot doesn't add much to the plot. There's too much time spent on mediocre drama, and not enough on the horror elements. The performances are mediocre, the plot is generic and the horror is predictable. There are some decent scenes and the pacing is solid, but there have been too many similar films already and Yamada does little to nothing to set this one apart from all the others. Japanese horror filler in the purest sense of the words.Read all
Tales of the Undeparted
A classic Japanese horror anthology. These films are usually pretty fun, if not the most inspired anthologies. Beware though, this is an AKB48 vehicle, a cheap promotional film to give some girl of the popular project a chance to act. Sadly, none of them seem ready for an acting career. The presence of Masafumi Yamada gave me some hope, but the film is just incredibly cheap and lazy. The horror elements are poorly realized and while there are several shorts, they all look and feel very similar. Even horror fans will find little to like here, safe a handful of scenes. Maybe hardcore AKB48 fans will have a better time with this one.Read all