An exponent of modern Japanese horror cinema. Shimizu garnered broad recognition for his Ju-on franchise, but had some trouble traveling beyond his trademark series. When looking for decent horror though, his oeuvre is well worth delving into.
Movies
Ten Nights of Dreams
A wonderful collection of shorts, visually pleasing, fun to watch and from time to time refreshingly weird.
One of those films that rose to fame as part of the Asian suspense wave washing over us a good two decades ago. But Shimizu's film never really fitted in with the rest of the movement. It's an outlier horror, mixing existing lore with fantastical elements and chasing feelings of discomfort and unease rather than scares and straight-up terror. I was pleasantly surprised by my rewatch, hadn't expected to like it just as much as the first time I watched it. This is one of Shimizu's absolute best.
Better than Shimizu's previous "Village" films, though in the end, it suffers from similar defects. The investigation part takes up a tad too much time, which cranks up the runtime beyond the necessary. The horror bits are significantly better though and the production values are solid. Shimizu does well building up the tension, but once Kanon discovers what lies hidden in her past the film grinds to a halt and spends too much time on non-horror stuff. It picks up again in the end and the finale is pretty memorable, it just would've worked better as a more concise, 90-minute film.Read all
Takashi Shimizu's latest film is quite a bit different from his usual output. Best known for directing trademark Japanese horror films, Shimizu has been branching out in recent years. Homunculus is a clear step away from the horror genre, though where he ended up exactly isn't as easy to explain. Shimizu has a little trouble establishing the tone of Homunculus, and he spends a little too much time on the drama at the end. Other than that, this was pretty great. Pretty rad effects, an original plot, unpredictable until the very end and a great central performance. Don't go in expecting a typical Shimizu film, just sit down and enjoy what Shimizu throws at you.Read all
Shimizu is back with another horror flick. Don't expect scares or gore though, what the film lacks in genuine horror it makes up for with fantasy and drama elements. While set up like a classic Japanese horror film, Shimizu trades scares for mystique and mood. Not a bad film, just approach it with the right expectations.
An Encyclopedia of Unconventional Women
Takashi Shimizu's latest is a pleasant mix of horror and sci-fi. It harks back to the early J-Horrors (like Ringu and Pulse), but drops the less-is-more aesthetic and goes for a more polished feel. The result is a capable horror film, but one that fails to delight or surprise. I believe it's time for Shimizu to reinvent himself. Immersion is not a bad film, updating some of the tropes and making it a bit more contemporary, while sticking with horror elements that are known to work. The problem is that it's all very much by the numbers, especially for people who've been watching these Japanese horrors for the past two decades. Decent filler, but nothing more.Read all
Shimizu's recent films all suffer from the same thing: they are way too long. Suicide Forest Village is a pretty simple horror flock that shouldn't need to run past the 90-minute mark, but because the intro is excessively long and Shimizu wastes quite a bit of time on inconsequential drama, the film runs almost 120 minutes. The finale is pretty spectacular, a fine mix of horror and fantasy elements, it just takes a long time before it actually starts. Performances are decent, and the setting is very atmospheric. Sadly, the drama is rather bland, and the first 90 minutes are pretty by the numbers. Shimizu can do better, if only he could bring his films back to 90 minutes.Read all
Classic J-Horror by one of the most prominent directors in the genre. Shimizu made a name for himself with the Ju-On series, but he's made quite a few horror films besides that. Reincarnation is one of the films that followed after the immense success of Ju-On. While I was pretty taken with it when I first watched it, the film's effect has diluted quite a bit over the past 20 years. The build-up is slow and deliberate, there aren't too many scares, instead, Shimizu goes for a more otherworldly atmosphere. The final 20 minutes crank up the dread and there are some pretty memorable scenes there (thanks to a nicely designed doll), but overall it's a bit too slow and generic. Not half as creepy as I remembered it to be.Read all
Dark Tales of Japan
The Ju-on series was plenty confusing when it first hit the West (two films with two sequels, various chapters, and some overlap). This fourth and final part was my clear favorite, but looking at it now the formula doesn't work as well as it used to, and without the scares, these films lose a lot of their appeal. The cinematography is a clear step up from the previous parts and the performances aren't too bad, but the ghost scenes lack impact and the various chapters make the whole thing more convoluted than it needs to be. It's still a decent horror film, especially if you're into J-Horror, but it's far from a personal favorite.Read all
Shimizu keeps on churning out outdated J-Horror movies. I'm a little surprised he still finds the budget for these films, as they don't seem to be doing too well. This time, the haunted object is a cassette tape and the victims are members of a popular boy band. If you've seen a handful of J-Horror films, you know what follows. The biggest problem is that the less-is-more approach just isn't that effective anymore. To make things worse, Sana's focus lies on the narrative and the concealed drama, which are as generic as they come. It's not a terrible film, the horror basics are covered, but the film never really goes beyond the bare minimum. Shimizu needs a reboot.Read all
Takashi Shimizu is returning to his roots with this film. Howling Village is a Japanese horror that could've easily been released 20 years ago. A horror film steeped in historic trauma, with ghostly apparitions reaching out from the realm of the dead to pester the living. For diehards only. The film has its moments, but Shimizu messes up the balance between narrative and horror. There's simply too much backstory to wade through and since it's all so predictable, it slows down the film unnecessarily. The haunts aren't particularly scary either and though the second half is definitely better than the first one, this is hardly a standout film in Shimizu's oeuvre. Basic filler.Read all
