This year marks the 20th anniversary of the release of "Ring," perhaps the most famous work of J-horror -- contemporary Japanese horror movies -- thanks to the scene in which the ghost Sadako crawls out from a TV screen.
J-horror and its offshoots are still scaring people, with two new films currently running: "Rings" (Japan title: The Ring/ Rebirth), the latest film in the "Ring"-inspired Hollywood series, and "Reiteki Borisheviki" (Occult Bolshevism), directed by Hiroshi Takahashi, who wrote the script for the 1998 blockbuster.
Pundits say J-horror dates back to works such as "Jaganrei" (1988), directed by Teruyoshi Ishii, and "Hontoni Atta Kowai Hanashi" (Scary True Stories), a 1991 film by Norio Tsuruta. These films used a documentary-like style with the so-called ghost-picture effect -- a realistic, subdued depiction of horror, like you're looking at a photo that vaguely shows an unidentified being. They have been an inspiration to filmmakers in other countries as well.
"Ring," directed by Hideo Nakata, was remade in the United States as "The Ring" (2002), which also became a big hit. These successes led to J-horrordirectors being invited to work on foreign films, and J-horror taking the world by storm. Nakata directed "The Ring Two" (2005), the second Hollywood film inspired by his work. Takashi Shimizu, who directed "Ju-on" (2003), became the first Japanese director to reach No. 1 at the U.S. box office with "The Grudge" (2005), the Hollywood version of his film.
Masayuki Ochiai, who directed "Kansen" (Infection) in 2004, played his part in J-horror's success with "Shutter" (2008) in Hollywood, while Kiyoshi Kurosawa of "Kairo" (2001) created "Daguerrotype" (2016) with the help of French and Belgian capital.
Narrative key
Takahashi came across the title of his latest work, "Reiteki Borisheviki," more than 20 years ago when he read an interview of Sugen Takeda, a researcher of Shinto spiritualism. The Bolsheviks are, of course, the revolutionary faction led by Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin at the time of the Russian Revolution. "Spirits and Bolshevism make an unlikely combination," the director said. "I thought of making a horror film with this title."
The film depicts men and women gathered in a place where digital gadgets do not work because of a strong spiritual presence. They've all had the experience of visiting or sensing the other world. One woman (played by Hanae Kan) was spirited away during her childhood, while another woman (Yoko Chosokabe) is a medium. They take part in an experiment in which they talk about their horror experiences one by one to invoke the other world.
While Hollywood films often feature graphic depictions of horror, Takahashi kept descriptions of fear to a minimum in his latest film, to concentrate on the narrative rather than on visual effects.
"The expressions we call the ghost-picture effect have become something you can see even in horror photos online," he said. "I aimed to depart from J-horror to tell a scary story with a focus on the narrative, in a film for theatrical release. The horror experiences the characters discuss in this film are all what actually happened."
Just as the film's characters listen to each other's experiences, the audience likewise becomes involved in the experiment, and the film's minimal depictions of horror trigger their imagination. The film is a tour de force by Takahashi, who has been seeking a new style of horror expression beyond J-horror.
Anything goes
"Rings," directed by F. Javier Gutierrez, is the third film in the Hollywood "Ring" series. It follows a young woman (Matilda Lutz) who watches a video that curses its viewers to die seven days later. The heroine tries to find the reason for the curse with her boyfriend (Alex Roe), only to find horrific experiences await them.
At the beginning of the film, Samara, the Hollywood version of Sadako, simultaneously appears on all the passenger-seat monitors on an airplane. It's a clear sign that anything goes, as this ghost, with her long dark hair like Sadako, has a greater power that even reaches the sky. The highlight of this film is its succession of dramatic horror scenes.
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