Nearly every culture in the world has contributed to the horror genre at one point or another, but it’s pretty clear that Hollywood is still the de facto capital of genre filmmaking. That’s why it makes sense that most popular horror tropes and monsters are based on traditional western mythology and religions, as these films are usually made by – and meant to appeal to – a certain demographic.
However, dealing with the same old ghouls and possessions can get old after a hundred and thirty years of cinema, and that’s why we’re lucky that some filmmakers decide to incorporate elements from lesser-known cultures into their scary stories. Whether it’s a foreign film daring to apply the “Hollywood” treatment to a local monster or a north American production taking inspiration from international legends (like Bishal Dutta’s recent It Lives Inside), some of the best horror experiences...
However, dealing with the same old ghouls and possessions can get old after a hundred and thirty years of cinema, and that’s why we’re lucky that some filmmakers decide to incorporate elements from lesser-known cultures into their scary stories. Whether it’s a foreign film daring to apply the “Hollywood” treatment to a local monster or a north American production taking inspiration from international legends (like Bishal Dutta’s recent It Lives Inside), some of the best horror experiences...
- 11/17/2023
- by Luiz H. C.
- bloody-disgusting.com
by Nick Taylor
Cats! We love ‘em. I know I do. Are we all cat people? No, but variety is the spice of life. Spirits of wronged women avenging their own deaths? Well loved across all kinds of cultural traditions and generic conventions. Putting cats and wronged women together, then, should be an instant recipe for success, yes? Especially if the title in question is as lauded as Kaneto Shindo’s 1968 film Kuroneko?
Set roughly one millenia before it was filmed, Kuroneko follows two women, mother Yone (Nobuko Otawa) and her daughter-in-law Shige (Kiwako Taichi), who live together in a bamboo cottage on the outskirts of a peasant village...
Cats! We love ‘em. I know I do. Are we all cat people? No, but variety is the spice of life. Spirits of wronged women avenging their own deaths? Well loved across all kinds of cultural traditions and generic conventions. Putting cats and wronged women together, then, should be an instant recipe for success, yes? Especially if the title in question is as lauded as Kaneto Shindo’s 1968 film Kuroneko?
Set roughly one millenia before it was filmed, Kuroneko follows two women, mother Yone (Nobuko Otawa) and her daughter-in-law Shige (Kiwako Taichi), who live together in a bamboo cottage on the outskirts of a peasant village...
- 10/16/2023
- by Nick Taylor
- FilmExperience
Based on a real-life incident of a father who had strangled his violent son, “The Strangling” seems to follow one of the most prevalent themes of Japanese cinema from the 70s and onwards, the accusation towards the previous generation for the blights that torment the current. Kaneto Shindo, however, definitely moves much further, and occasionally even in an opposite direction, in a film that went beyond the borders of Japan, screening in competition at the 36th Venice International Film Festival, where Nobuko Otowa was awarded as Best Actress.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
The movie actually begins with the titular deed, showing Yasuzo, after an agreement with his wife, Ryoko, strangles his son, Tsutomu. Although Shindo takes care of showing what happened after the deed, including the support the couple got from their neighbors in all aspects, the main arc of the story deals with how the young man,...
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
The movie actually begins with the titular deed, showing Yasuzo, after an agreement with his wife, Ryoko, strangles his son, Tsutomu. Although Shindo takes care of showing what happened after the deed, including the support the couple got from their neighbors in all aspects, the main arc of the story deals with how the young man,...
- 8/24/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Hachiko is one of the most famous canines of the 20th century. He was given a generous entrance in Wikipedia and a number of articles and books dedicated to his loyalty to his best friend Hidesaburo Ueno, a professor at the Tokyo Imperial University. The first movie about “the most loyal dog in the history” was shot in Hachiko's homeland Japan in 1925 by Kiyoshi Masomoto, followed by three other films in the 1930s, but the most famous version came up in 1987 penned by Kaneto Shindo, and directed by Seijiro Koyama. Its success led to Lasse Hallström's Hollywood adaptation “Hachi: A Dog Tale” (2009) starring Richard Gere which on the one side garnered mixed reviews, but on the other a considerable sympathy by the audience. The tale of the white Akita dog who came to prominence by patiently waiting nine years for Hidesaburo at the train station at exact same time...
- 4/28/2023
- by Marina D. Richter
- AsianMoviePulse
Many international viewers probably know filmmaker Kinji Fukasaku for his terrific dystopian action-thriller “Battle Royale,” a movie that blends dark comedy with tragedy and kickstarted a narrative concept that would continue to be frequently utilized in other fictional works. Some may associate him with his campy sci-fi features like “The Green Slime.” Yet, early on, the director gave Japanese audiences viscerally outspoken and bold features. Look no further than his yakuza film series “Battles Without Honor and Humanity,” which tears apart Japan’s most operative crime organizations. The director was never afraid to speak his mind on a matter, even if he were to receive criticism as a result. Fukasaku’s mindset is openly expressed in his haunting anti-war masterpiece “Under the Flag of the Rising Sun.”
on Amazon
The film is based on a collection of war short stories by Shoji Yuki. Beyond the source of adaptation,...
on Amazon
The film is based on a collection of war short stories by Shoji Yuki. Beyond the source of adaptation,...
- 8/12/2022
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
Filmmaker Kihachi Okamoto, throughout his career, made it abundantly clear he hated war. He experienced the horrors on the battlefield firsthand during World War II and forever was disgusted by the atrocities committed by the Empire of Japan. Okamoto’s war movies boast an anti-war mindset while blending tragedy with dark comedy. His early projects, such as “Desperado Outpost,” primarily showed the director’s sense of humor, with western inspired elements thrown into the mix. Over time, these projects became more grounded and progressively darker. “Fort Graveyard” tells the tragic story of musician youths forced into combat, and “Japan’s Longest Day” recounts the terrifying final hours before the country’s surrender during the Second World War. With his ambitious and brutal epic “Battle of Okinawa,” audiences are reminded war spares no one.
Even with the budgetary issues the Japanese film industry was plagued with at the time, Okamoto would not be stopped.
Even with the budgetary issues the Japanese film industry was plagued with at the time, Okamoto would not be stopped.
- 8/5/2022
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
The psychological effect war has on the human mind is unimaginable. Following the end of World War II, many anti-war projects would come out of the Japanese entertainment industry from visionaries like Kon Ichikawa, Kaneto Shindo, and Masaki Kobayashi. Jingoistic propaganda was no longer as common and wasn’t being forced upon artists anymore by militarists. Many post-war Japanese war films stand by a humanist nature while reminding audiences how horrific errors should not be repeated. A notable reminder of evolving from past mistakes in history is the superb political thriller “Japan’s Longest Day.”
Based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Kazutoshi Hando and Soichi Oya, this haunting recollection of disturbing events would kickstart the “Toho 8.15 series,” a collection of war movies that recreate Japan’s war history. Fittingly, nihilistic filmmaker and anti-war advocate Kihachi Okamoto would be appointed as the movie’s director and frequent...
Based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Kazutoshi Hando and Soichi Oya, this haunting recollection of disturbing events would kickstart the “Toho 8.15 series,” a collection of war movies that recreate Japan’s war history. Fittingly, nihilistic filmmaker and anti-war advocate Kihachi Okamoto would be appointed as the movie’s director and frequent...
- 8/3/2022
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
2021 poster for The Golem: How He Came into the World. Art by Johan Brosow.This gorgeous new poster for the 101 year old German expressionist silent film The Golem is the product of a lovely new endeavor by the Swedish distribution company NonStop Entertainment. In 2015 NonStop, perhaps the premier arthouse distributor in the Nordic region, launched a sister label, NonStop Timeless, to release their hundreds of repertory classics ranging from Dreyer to Lanthimos. Last year, in the early days of the pandemic, they decided to commission some of Sweden’s foremost artists, photographers, and designers to do their own take on a classic of their choice from the NonStop Timeless collection. The six artists selected chose seven films between them. The posters were printed in limited quantities on non-glossy paper in the Swedish cinema poster format of 70 x 100cm (very close to the US 27" x 40" standard) and were unveiled last week...
- 12/7/2021
- MUBI
Onibaba
Blu ray
Criterion
1964/ 2.39:1/ 102 Minutes
Starring Nobuko Otowa, Jitsuko Yoshimura
Directed by Kaneto Shindô
Kaneto Shindô’s Onibaba is a campfire tale not for the faint of heart. The director was just a child when he first heard the Buddhist fable about a bewitched matriarch, told to him by his own mother in lieu of a bedtime story. That evening, the child’s perception of the world, and the women in it, took on a new dimension. The movie Shindô made from those memories is unclassifiable—a Bergmanesque allegory filmed in a graceful yet spartan style with a healthy dose of Grand Guignol to mitigate its pretensions. Produced in 1964, the film is set in the medieval era just as civil war has leveled Kyoto, sending the populace scurrying to the hinterlands.
Shindô wrote the screenplay and he leaves it to one of his characters, a deserter named Hachi, to...
Blu ray
Criterion
1964/ 2.39:1/ 102 Minutes
Starring Nobuko Otowa, Jitsuko Yoshimura
Directed by Kaneto Shindô
Kaneto Shindô’s Onibaba is a campfire tale not for the faint of heart. The director was just a child when he first heard the Buddhist fable about a bewitched matriarch, told to him by his own mother in lieu of a bedtime story. That evening, the child’s perception of the world, and the women in it, took on a new dimension. The movie Shindô made from those memories is unclassifiable—a Bergmanesque allegory filmed in a graceful yet spartan style with a healthy dose of Grand Guignol to mitigate its pretensions. Produced in 1964, the film is set in the medieval era just as civil war has leveled Kyoto, sending the populace scurrying to the hinterlands.
Shindô wrote the screenplay and he leaves it to one of his characters, a deserter named Hachi, to...
- 10/19/2021
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
BAMcinématek is hosting a 10-film series exploring Japanese art and folklore post World War II called Ghosts and Monsters: Postwar Japanese Horror starting this Friday, October 26th through November 1st. Also in today's Highlights: Dermot Mulroney joins the cast of Trick and an interview with Ted Welch and Chris Blake from All Light Will End.
Ghosts and Monsters: Postwar Japanese Horror Screening Details: "From Friday, October 26 through Thursday, November 1, BAMcinématek presents Ghosts and Monsters: Postwar Japanese Horror, a series of 10 films showcasing two strands of Japanese horror films that developed after World War II: kaiju monster movies and beautifully stylized ghost stories from Japanese folklore.
The series includes three classic kaiju films by director Ishirô Honda, beginning with the granddaddy of all nuclear warfare anxiety films, the original Godzilla (1954—Oct 26). The kaiju creature features continue with Mothra (1961—Oct 27), a psychedelic tale of a gigantic prehistoric and long dormant moth larvae...
Ghosts and Monsters: Postwar Japanese Horror Screening Details: "From Friday, October 26 through Thursday, November 1, BAMcinématek presents Ghosts and Monsters: Postwar Japanese Horror, a series of 10 films showcasing two strands of Japanese horror films that developed after World War II: kaiju monster movies and beautifully stylized ghost stories from Japanese folklore.
The series includes three classic kaiju films by director Ishirô Honda, beginning with the granddaddy of all nuclear warfare anxiety films, the original Godzilla (1954—Oct 26). The kaiju creature features continue with Mothra (1961—Oct 27), a psychedelic tale of a gigantic prehistoric and long dormant moth larvae...
- 10/23/2018
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
Each week, the fine folks at Fandor add a number of films to their Criterion Picks area, which will then be available to subscribers for the following twelve days. This week, the Criterion Picks focus on eight films featuring cats!
Need we say more? Meet the furry feline familiars that have graced some of the world’s greatest movies with their mercurial and mesmerizing presence.
Don’t have a Fandor subscription? They offer a free trial membership.
L’Atalante, the French Classic Drama by Jean Vigo
In Jean Vigo’s hands, an unassuming tale of conjugal love becomes an achingly romantic reverie of desire and hope.
Cléo from 5 to 7, the French Drama by Agnès Varda
Agnès Varda eloquently captures Paris in the sixties with this real-time portrait of a singer set adrift in the city as she awaits test results of a biopsy.
Grey Gardens, the Documentary by Ellen Hovde,...
Need we say more? Meet the furry feline familiars that have graced some of the world’s greatest movies with their mercurial and mesmerizing presence.
Don’t have a Fandor subscription? They offer a free trial membership.
L’Atalante, the French Classic Drama by Jean Vigo
In Jean Vigo’s hands, an unassuming tale of conjugal love becomes an achingly romantic reverie of desire and hope.
Cléo from 5 to 7, the French Drama by Agnès Varda
Agnès Varda eloquently captures Paris in the sixties with this real-time portrait of a singer set adrift in the city as she awaits test results of a biopsy.
Grey Gardens, the Documentary by Ellen Hovde,...
- 1/12/2016
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
Special Mention: Spirits Of The Dead (Histoires extraordinaires)
Written and directed by Federico Fellini (segment “Toby Dammit”), Louis Malle (segment “William Wilson”), Roger Vadim (segment “Metzengerstein”)
France, 1968
The first thing you should notice is the three directors: Federico Fellini, Louis Malle, and Roger Vadim. Secondly, take notice of the cast, which includes Brigitte Bardot, Jane Fonda, Peter Fonda, Alain Delon, Terence Stamp, Salvo Randone, James Robertson Justice, Françoise Prévost and Marlène Alexandre. Spirits Of The Dead is an adaptation of three Edgar Allan Poe stories, one of which demands to be seen.
The first segment of the film, Vadim’s “Metzgengerstein”, is unfortunately the least impressive, but is still great in its own right, and features a marvelous performance by Jane Fonda. Malle’s segment, which is the second of the three, turns Edgar Allan Poe’s 1839 story into an engrossing study in cruelty and sadism. This episode is an engaging enough entry,...
Written and directed by Federico Fellini (segment “Toby Dammit”), Louis Malle (segment “William Wilson”), Roger Vadim (segment “Metzengerstein”)
France, 1968
The first thing you should notice is the three directors: Federico Fellini, Louis Malle, and Roger Vadim. Secondly, take notice of the cast, which includes Brigitte Bardot, Jane Fonda, Peter Fonda, Alain Delon, Terence Stamp, Salvo Randone, James Robertson Justice, Françoise Prévost and Marlène Alexandre. Spirits Of The Dead is an adaptation of three Edgar Allan Poe stories, one of which demands to be seen.
The first segment of the film, Vadim’s “Metzgengerstein”, is unfortunately the least impressive, but is still great in its own right, and features a marvelous performance by Jane Fonda. Malle’s segment, which is the second of the three, turns Edgar Allan Poe’s 1839 story into an engrossing study in cruelty and sadism. This episode is an engaging enough entry,...
- 10/27/2015
- by Ricky Fernandes
- SoundOnSight
What is it about foreign horror films that makes them more interesting than so many English language horror films? You would have to think that the language barrier makes it more terrifying; people screaming is already difficult, but speaking a language you don’t understand can only make it worse. So, why are the remakes typically so bad? On this portion of the list, we are treated to a few of the more upsetting films in the canon – one movie I wouldn’t wish for anyone to see, a few that blazed the trail for many more, and one that I would elevate above the horror genre into its own little super-genre.
30. Janghwa, Hongryeon (2003)
English Title: A Tale of Two Sisters
Directed by: Kim Ji-woon
Another excellent Korean horror film America had to remake to lesser results. 2003’s A Tale of Two Sisters is just one of many film adaptations of the folktale,...
30. Janghwa, Hongryeon (2003)
English Title: A Tale of Two Sisters
Directed by: Kim Ji-woon
Another excellent Korean horror film America had to remake to lesser results. 2003’s A Tale of Two Sisters is just one of many film adaptations of the folktale,...
- 10/24/2015
- by Joshua Gaul
- SoundOnSight
The island setting’s tangible existentialism made it a key figure for the burgeoning art cinema movement of the early 1960s: Through a Glass Darkly (1961), the first of many Ingmar Bergman films set on Fårö; Naked Island (1960), Kaneto Shindô’s lyrical depiction of a farming family’s hardships; Peter Brook’s adaptation of Lord of the Flies (1963); and Michelangelo Antonioni’s L’avventura (1960). Contra Rossellini, these are all films that marshal considerable aesthetic resources to suggest man’s estrangement from God. Most influentially, Antonioni allows his narrative to unspool when a society woman disappears during a pleasure cruise through the same rocky Aeolian Islands.>> - Max Goldberg...
- 11/18/2014
- Keyframe
The island setting’s tangible existentialism made it a key figure for the burgeoning art cinema movement of the early 1960s: Through a Glass Darkly (1961), the first of many Ingmar Bergman films set on Fårö; Naked Island (1960), Kaneto Shindô’s lyrical depiction of a farming family’s hardships; Peter Brook’s adaptation of Lord of the Flies (1963); and Michelangelo Antonioni’s L’avventura (1960). Contra Rossellini, these are all films that marshal considerable aesthetic resources to suggest man’s estrangement from God. Most influentially, Antonioni allows his narrative to unspool when a society woman disappears during a pleasure cruise through the same rocky Aeolian Islands.>> - Max Goldberg...
- 11/18/2014
- Fandor: Keyframe
Top 100 horror movies of all time: Chicago Film Critics' choices (photo: Sigourney Weaver and Alien creature show us that life is less horrific if you don't hold grudges) See previous post: A look at the Chicago Film Critics Association's Scariest Movies Ever Made. Below is the list of the Chicago Film Critics's Top 100 Horror Movies of All Time, including their directors and key cast members. Note: this list was first published in October 2006. (See also: Fay Wray, Lee Patrick, and Mary Philbin among the "Top Ten Scream Queens.") 1. Psycho (1960) Alfred Hitchcock; with Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam. 2. The Exorcist (1973) William Friedkin; with Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Jason Miller, Max von Sydow (and the voice of Mercedes McCambridge). 3. Halloween (1978) John Carpenter; with Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence, Tony Moran. 4. Alien (1979) Ridley Scott; with Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt. 5. Night of the Living Dead (1968) George A. Romero; with Marilyn Eastman,...
- 10/31/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
What is it about foreign horror films that makes them more interesting than so many English language horror films? You would have to think that the language barrier makes it more terrifying; people screaming is already difficult, but speaking a language you don’t understand can only make it worse. So, why are the remakes typically so bad? On this portion of the list, we are treated to a few of the more upsetting films in the canon – one movie I wouldn’t wish for anyone to see, a few that blazed the trail for many more, and one that I would elevate above the horror genre into its own little super-genre.
30. Janghwa, Hongryeon (2003)
English Title: A Tale of Two Sisters
Directed by: Kim Ji-woon
Another excellent Korean horror film America had to remake to lesser results. 2003′s A Tale of Two Sisters is just one of many film adaptations of the folktale,...
30. Janghwa, Hongryeon (2003)
English Title: A Tale of Two Sisters
Directed by: Kim Ji-woon
Another excellent Korean horror film America had to remake to lesser results. 2003′s A Tale of Two Sisters is just one of many film adaptations of the folktale,...
- 7/23/2014
- by Joshua Gaul
- SoundOnSight
Every year, we here at Sound On Sight celebrate the month of October with 31 Days of Horror; and every year, I update the list of my favourite horror films ever made. Last year, I released a list that included 150 picks. This year, I’ll be upgrading the list, making minor alterations, changing the rankings, adding new entries, and possibly removing a few titles. I’ve also decided to publish each post backwards this time for one reason: the new additions appear lower on my list, whereas my top 50 haven’t changed much, except for maybe in ranking. I am including documentaries, short films and mini series, only as special mentions – along with a few features that can qualify as horror, but barely do.
****
Special Mention:
Häxan
Directed by Benjamin Christensen
Denmark / Sweden, 1922
Häxan (a.k.a The Witches or Witchcraft Through The Ages) is a 1922 silent documentary about the history of witchcraft,...
****
Special Mention:
Häxan
Directed by Benjamin Christensen
Denmark / Sweden, 1922
Häxan (a.k.a The Witches or Witchcraft Through The Ages) is a 1922 silent documentary about the history of witchcraft,...
- 10/30/2013
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
★★★★☆ The latest welcome addition to the Masters of Cinema's growing Kaneto Shindô catalogue, the cult Japanese director's 1968 film Kuroneko (Yabu no naka no kuroneko) feels like the near-perfect partner piece to his demonic earlier effort, Onibaba. Celebrating both pictures' atmospheric, effortlessly sensual and often terrifying feudal Japan-set ghostly narratives, the restoration and ongoing preservation of these two mini masterworks has rightly helped the late Shindô to earn the kind of acclaim and reverence previously reserved for iconic figureheads such as Akira Kurosawa and Yasujirō Ozu.
Loosely based on the Japanese folktale The Cat's Return, Kuroneko begins with the brutal rape and murder of a poverty-stricken mother and daughter-in-law (Nobuko Otowa and Kiwako Taichi) at the cruel hands of a pillaging band of low-life samurai. Brought back from the dead as vengeful, vampiric cat spirits, the unholy duo take it upon themselves to prey on wayward soldiers trespassing across their accursed place of rest.
Loosely based on the Japanese folktale The Cat's Return, Kuroneko begins with the brutal rape and murder of a poverty-stricken mother and daughter-in-law (Nobuko Otowa and Kiwako Taichi) at the cruel hands of a pillaging band of low-life samurai. Brought back from the dead as vengeful, vampiric cat spirits, the unholy duo take it upon themselves to prey on wayward soldiers trespassing across their accursed place of rest.
- 7/2/2013
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
★★★★☆ Kaneto Shindô's Naked Island (Hadaka no shima, 1960) receives the Blu-ray treatment this week thanks to the UK's foremost purveyors of highly acclaimed filmic artefacts - Eureka's Masters of Cinema label. Presenting the intolerably difficult life of a peninsula-dwelling family, Naked Island is a cinematic ode to life separated from civilisation and a masterfully crafted portrait of devotion. Each day, the family travel via boat across the precarious sea to a neighbouring island, gathering fresh water to irrigate their barren fields and pouring it by hand over each of the plants fighting against the odds in this desolate terrain.
Shindô perfectly captures the monotony of this daily chore, crafting a seemingly endless cycle of repetitiveness and the futility of life on the edges of humanity. This incessant sequence of tiresome survival is only broken twice, once for a day trip to a neighbouring town where the advancements of technology are met with fear and trepidation,...
Shindô perfectly captures the monotony of this daily chore, crafting a seemingly endless cycle of repetitiveness and the futility of life on the edges of humanity. This incessant sequence of tiresome survival is only broken twice, once for a day trip to a neighbouring town where the advancements of technology are met with fear and trepidation,...
- 6/25/2013
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Kuroneko, the classic 1960s Japanese ghost-story by Kaneto Shindô, will be released as part of Eureka Entertainment’s Masters Of Cinema Series on Blu-ray on 24 June 2013.
Eureka Entertainment have announced that they will be releasing an updated 1080p edition of Kuroneko, the cult-classic film by Kaneto Shindô, the director of Onibaba, recently re-released in the West to great acclaim and theatrical success. This classic of ’60s Japanese ghost-story cinema will be released on blu-ray, … Continue reading →...
Eureka Entertainment have announced that they will be releasing an updated 1080p edition of Kuroneko, the cult-classic film by Kaneto Shindô, the director of Onibaba, recently re-released in the West to great acclaim and theatrical success. This classic of ’60s Japanese ghost-story cinema will be released on blu-ray, … Continue reading →...
- 4/24/2013
- by HorrorNews.net
- Horror News
Throughout the month of October, Editor-in-Chief and resident Horror expert Ricky D, will be posting a list of his favorite Horror films of all time. The list will be posted in six parts. Click here to see every entry.
****
Enjoy!
150: Session 9
Directed by Brad Anderson
Written by Stephen Gevedon and Brad Anderson
2001, USA
If there was ever a perfect setting for a horror movie, it would be the abandoned Danvers State Mental Hospital. Built in 1878 on an isolated site in rural Massachusetts, it was a multi-acre, self-contained psychiatric hospital rumoured to have been the birthplace of the pre-frontal lobotomy. The hospital was the setting for the 2001 horror film Session 9, where an asbestos clean-up crew discover a series of nine tapes, which have recorded a patient with multiple personalities, all of which are innocent, except for number nine. With a shoestring budget and no real special effects, Session 9...
****
Enjoy!
150: Session 9
Directed by Brad Anderson
Written by Stephen Gevedon and Brad Anderson
2001, USA
If there was ever a perfect setting for a horror movie, it would be the abandoned Danvers State Mental Hospital. Built in 1878 on an isolated site in rural Massachusetts, it was a multi-acre, self-contained psychiatric hospital rumoured to have been the birthplace of the pre-frontal lobotomy. The hospital was the setting for the 2001 horror film Session 9, where an asbestos clean-up crew discover a series of nine tapes, which have recorded a patient with multiple personalities, all of which are innocent, except for number nine. With a shoestring budget and no real special effects, Session 9...
- 10/3/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
In Kaneto Shindô’s 1968 Kuroneko (“Black Cat”), a beguiling supernatural horror-romance that doesn’t seem to belong to either genre, the spirit world not only co-exists with the material world, but is literally carved into it, like a secret portal or booby trap. Set in a feudal Japan where samurai are more scourge than savior to the peasant class, the film opens with a harrowing scene of weary warriors invading a country home, raping and murdering the two women inside, and burning it to the ground. When the victims return as vengeful spirits, they reside in a fog-shrouded netherworld ...
- 11/2/2011
- avclub.com
Choosing my favourite horror films of all time is like choosing between my children – not that I have children, but if I did, I am sure I would categorize them quite like my DVD collection. As with all lists, this is personal and nobody will agree with every choice – and if you do, that would be incredibly disturbing. Also, it was almost impossible for me to rank them in order, but I tried. I based my list taking into consideration three points:
1- Technical accomplishments / artistry and their influence on the genre.
2- How many times I’ve revisited the films and how easily it makes for a repeated viewings.
3- Its story, atmosphere and how much it affected me when I first watched them.
Finally, there are many great films such as The Witchfinder General, The Wickerman and even Hour Of The Wolf that won’t appear here. I...
1- Technical accomplishments / artistry and their influence on the genre.
2- How many times I’ve revisited the films and how easily it makes for a repeated viewings.
3- Its story, atmosphere and how much it affected me when I first watched them.
Finally, there are many great films such as The Witchfinder General, The Wickerman and even Hour Of The Wolf that won’t appear here. I...
- 10/29/2011
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Chicago – Halloween just isn’t the same without an Onryō. Thanks to America’s tireless remakes of Japanese horror films, the materialization of Onryōs in pop culture has become as much of a seasonal tradition as witches and goblins. They’re often characterized by long black hair, white robes, bodily contortions, tragic backstories and an unquenchable thirst for vengeance beyond the grave.
In short, Onryōs unnervingly embody the old adage that “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned…even a dead one.” It’s easy to see how spine-tingling modern classics like “Ringu” and “Ju-on: The Grudge” followed in the ghostly footsteps of Kaneto Shindô’s overlooked 1968 masterwork, “Kuroneko” (“Black Cat”). Though the film is more hypnotic than scary, it still manages to creep under the skin as it spins a tale of real emotional and erotic power.
Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0
As in Shindô’s better-known 1964 classic, “Onibaba,” this film...
In short, Onryōs unnervingly embody the old adage that “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned…even a dead one.” It’s easy to see how spine-tingling modern classics like “Ringu” and “Ju-on: The Grudge” followed in the ghostly footsteps of Kaneto Shindô’s overlooked 1968 masterwork, “Kuroneko” (“Black Cat”). Though the film is more hypnotic than scary, it still manages to creep under the skin as it spins a tale of real emotional and erotic power.
Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0
As in Shindô’s better-known 1964 classic, “Onibaba,” this film...
- 10/25/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Rank the week of October 18th’s Blu-ray and DVD new releases against the best films of all-time: New Releases Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
(Blu-ray & DVD | PG13 | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #1487
Win Percentage: 47%
Times Ranked: 8433
Top-20 Rankings: 50
Directed By: Rob Marshall
Starring: Johnny Depp • Penélope Cruz • Ian McShane • Kevin McNally • Geoffrey Rush
Genres: Action • Adventure • Costume Adventure • Fantasy • Sea Adventure • Swashbuckler
Rank This Movie
Bad Teacher
(Blu-ray & DVD | R | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #3281
Win Percentage: 42%
Times Ranked: 3361
Top-20 Rankings: 19
Directed By: Jake Kasdan
Starring: Cameron Diaz • Justin Timberlake • Jason Segel • Lucy Punch • Phyllis Smith
Genres: Comedy • Farce • Sex Comedy
Rank This Movie
Red State
(Blu-ray & DVD | Nr | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #2738
Win Percentage: 53%
Times Ranked: 1781
Top-20 Rankings: 12
Directed By: Kevin Smith
Starring: Michael Parks • John Goodman • Melissa Leo • Kevin Pollak • Michael Angarano
Genres: Drama • Horror • Religious Drama • Thriller
Rank This Movie
Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest
(Blu-ray & DVD...
(Blu-ray & DVD | PG13 | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #1487
Win Percentage: 47%
Times Ranked: 8433
Top-20 Rankings: 50
Directed By: Rob Marshall
Starring: Johnny Depp • Penélope Cruz • Ian McShane • Kevin McNally • Geoffrey Rush
Genres: Action • Adventure • Costume Adventure • Fantasy • Sea Adventure • Swashbuckler
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Bad Teacher
(Blu-ray & DVD | R | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #3281
Win Percentage: 42%
Times Ranked: 3361
Top-20 Rankings: 19
Directed By: Jake Kasdan
Starring: Cameron Diaz • Justin Timberlake • Jason Segel • Lucy Punch • Phyllis Smith
Genres: Comedy • Farce • Sex Comedy
Rank This Movie
Red State
(Blu-ray & DVD | Nr | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #2738
Win Percentage: 53%
Times Ranked: 1781
Top-20 Rankings: 12
Directed By: Kevin Smith
Starring: Michael Parks • John Goodman • Melissa Leo • Kevin Pollak • Michael Angarano
Genres: Drama • Horror • Religious Drama • Thriller
Rank This Movie
Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest
(Blu-ray & DVD...
- 10/18/2011
- by Jonathan Hardesty
- Flickchart
This Week in Dork is a new feature that will attempt to encapsulate all of the dorky events happening in and around Toronto every week. Sure, “This Week in Geek” sounds better, but there’s a little thing called copyright which prevents us from calling it that.
You can see more events happening this week here, but these are some of the highlights:
Kuroneko
This 1968 medieval-horror film directed by Japanese auteur Kaneto Shindô (Onibaba) sees the ghosts of two murdered women out for revenge against samurai-class responsible for their deaths. Kuroneko is definitely not your typical Valentine’s Day fare.
Feb. 14, 4:30Pm @ Bloor Cinema
$5 members /$9 non-members
More details here.
Anti-Valentine’s Day Event
Alone for Valentine’s Day or looking to do something a little different with your sweetheart? Check out the Anti-Valentine’s Day Event at the Toronto Underground Cinema, featuring the classic 1975 adult-film Sensations. The film was...
You can see more events happening this week here, but these are some of the highlights:
Kuroneko
This 1968 medieval-horror film directed by Japanese auteur Kaneto Shindô (Onibaba) sees the ghosts of two murdered women out for revenge against samurai-class responsible for their deaths. Kuroneko is definitely not your typical Valentine’s Day fare.
Feb. 14, 4:30Pm @ Bloor Cinema
$5 members /$9 non-members
More details here.
Anti-Valentine’s Day Event
Alone for Valentine’s Day or looking to do something a little different with your sweetheart? Check out the Anti-Valentine’s Day Event at the Toronto Underground Cinema, featuring the classic 1975 adult-film Sensations. The film was...
- 2/14/2011
- by Dork Shelf
- DorkShelf.com
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