Overview: Vengeful ghosts returning from beyond the grave, young women with supernatural abilities, investigative narratives, a terror of technology, and an ominous aura of urban alienation and isolation mark the wave of horror and mystery films that emerged in Japan at the turn of the millennium, collectively labeled as J-Horror.

Remastered from the best available elements and packed with a host of new and archival extras, J-Horror Rising presents seven of the genre’s most distinctive titles.

Blu-ray Verdict: In the ghostly pastoral horror of Shikoku (1999), a young woman returns after many years to her rural birthplace, only to find her best friend from childhood has died by drowning when just sixteen. The dead girl’s mother, the local Shintoist priestess, has embarked on the region’s famous pilgrimage – but why is she walking backwards?

The film sets itself up from the off with some frayed wires - a trio of friends. One clearly has something strange going on. One moves away and eventually comes back to town when they’re a bit older to find that not everything is as she left it back when she was a kid. And the other one has something rather sinister within it. And given you see what you see at the beginning you know it’s not all just atmosphere and bad dreams!

This really could’ve been a Fatal Frame movie. Lingering is a great word for this movie. Be it the camera. Small action moments. Some notes of the score. The romantic elements. The overall aspect of the story. The mystery the film sets up is rich and foggy with guessing, the deeper dive into the folklore aspect is interesting, and as things unfold and the connective material comes together, the movie proves why it is so highly thought of within this genre.

The aftermath of the devastating Kobe Earthquake of 1995 creates fissures in the already fractured mind of a high-school girl in Isola: Multiple Personality Girl (2000), allowing an unwelcome intruder to set up home in her head and leaving a volunteer worker with psychic powers to determine which of her personas is the fake one.

As far as J-horror goes, this one noticeably has a much higher budget than most and is therefore more stylized than most, with the director pulling out tons of visual and sonic tricks in order to get everything across in the most interesting way possible.

Good luck understanding the plot, though, for (in truth) the story here is a garbled knot of psychic abilities, pseudoscience, and inscrutable nonsense psychology that could turn even the most rational moviegoer into a babbling mess!

That said, it’s a mixed bag that feels like a prime concept that doesn’t know how to stick its landing. A ghost? Or a Personality? There’s multiple but we only see two getting the main focus. I feel like this movie could use a series or remake treatment that can properly space these things out, but if you’re going to watch this, have your conspiracy boards ready!

Shikoku also provides the mystical backdrop to Inugami (2001), as a teacher from Tokyo finds himself drawn to a local papermaker, only to find himself the subject of some hostility from her extended family, who have long ties to the region and are rumored to be the descendants of the guardians of ancient evil canine spirits.

Forcibly displacing individuals from their land is a phenomenon observed in both large and small cities, orchestrated by either political figures or the general public. Regardless of the motives driving such actions, legal recourse tends to intervene in most scenarios, ensuring justice prevails. In contrast, the dynamics shift in villages, particularly when actions and assertions are fortified by superstitions, compelling the entire community to succumb due to fear, often resulting in prevailing public opinions overshadowing legal norms.

Similar is the case here as we follow Miki, a papermaker and a part of an unusual family that carries the curse of inugami. Following a series of mysterious deaths, the family becomes the target of the entire town. The narrative explores three arcs: the familial drama, the gradual entrenchment of superstition in the town, and the budding romance between Miki and Akira.

The manner in which the first half of the movie approaches these arcs kind of misses its mark on creating a stronger impact as It forces you to follow Miki from one plot point to another rather than making a smooth transition between them.

Also, despite labeling itself as a horror film, the movie lacks elements that could be deemed genuinely terrifying. Sure, some uncomfortable stuff happens, but it’s more of a dramatic take on a situation. If it weren’t for the second half of the movie which delivers on all aspects of the story, this would have been a total yawn fest. It’s so realistic, emotionally jarring, and, most importantly, provides the much-needed depth to its main characters as they confront their challenges.

Megumi Okina (Ju-On: The Grudge) plays the art designer for a horror-themed videogame in the innovative St. John’s Wort (2001), who is forced to confront her childhood traumas when her colleagues ask her to gather visual materials from the creepy gothic mansion she has inherited from her estranged artist father.

Adapted from an early 90’s Super Famicom visual novel, this Japanese creeper twists into a live-action point-and-click but falls into a grind at just ninety minutes. Lots of room exploration, helpful items for progression, and music only at pivotal moments. Eventually a caretaker is discovered within the walls along with a musty assortment of corpses.

Beyond St. John Wort’s glacial pace, director Shimoyama Ten shows affection for Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) in a shower scene, broken banister, and twisted familial dynamics. Ambience from extensive digital color filtering is flattened by its shooting format’s poor depth of field. Clues dropped throughout lead to a world-bending twist during the climax showing too much consideration toward its video game origins though, in my humble opinion.

Then again, tonal iridescence and white noise levitates me into a comfortable state of meditation so I urge you to watch this movie yourselves and come to your own conclusions.

Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman (2007) features the titular predatory murderess drawn from urban legend, where it turns out home isn’t the safest place for her potential child victims in this disturbing supernatural horror.

I think we can all agree that within us all there’s a fascination for the could-it-be-real tales that’ll give us shivers later. My kids relished in the Slenderman craze. Japan has the pretty terrifying legend of Kuchisake which scoffs at the likes of slenderman. Pffftt get tae bed long arms!

I liked it, mostly, her method of how she moves about is good. Not the usual ghost girl with hair over her face, for her trench coat is alone creepy, and her choice of victims being children makes it deep, dark, and disturbing. Oh and those scissors, HUGE! I mean what kind of scissors are they? Plus quite an image at the end.

Simply put, here we have none of that creeping contortionist with a penchant for crab walking while giving you mirror scares in the shadows bullshit. This thing just goes in hard and f**king murders fools!

A new craze for wearing ceramic masks sweeps the students of a high school, unleashing a wave of anonymous juvenile delinquency amongst the literal fashion-victims of Persona (2000), which boasts early appearances from Battle Royale stars Tatsuya Fujiwara and Chiaki Kuriyama.

High School Students, A Mystery, Masked Villains, the only think missing is Scooby Doo!

It’s weird seeing Tatsuya Fujiwara and Chiaki Kuriyama in a high school themed horror movie which was released the same year as Battle Royal and what’s even weirder is that the school uniforms look almost identical; which makes this feel like some kinda bizarre Battle Royal prequel.

Persona is a decent high school mystery film with a very interesting premise about a fashion craze that causes students to start wearing Masks to hide there identity. In truth, this premise would of worked a lot better if the masks looked more creepy instead of being plain White with a couple of other colors splashed on, which just makes them look a tad bit silly and impossible to take seriously.

The plot itself is very strange, and the 00’s aesthetic gives it just enough charm for it to be a good nostalgic teen mystery flick. Plus, it’s one film where Fujiwara Tatsuya isn’t too horrible, and that counts for something!

Last but not least, the chilling Noroi: The Curse (2005) adopts a pseudo-documentary format as an investigative reporter into paranormal phenomena is forced to confront horrors beyond his wildest imagination after learning about an ancient folkloric demon.

Noroi: The Curse constructs a whole world to inhabit out of paranormal VHS documentaries, psychic children, tabloid news, the remnants of drowned witch villages, and the powerful demonologies which animate the central mythology.

It is best to watch Noroi: The Curse by knowing little or nothing about it save that it is a fake paranormal VHS doc, the last of its line, as the researcher responsible has disappeared after uncovering a story too vast to be fit onto VHS cassettes.

The only other logical comparison to this movie in scope and folkloric jolt would be The Blair Witch Project, yet where that movie felt impressionist, ambient and sketchy (in the best possible way), Noroi: The Curse brings the weight of the cosmos down upon you; a heavy comet of ice and dirt and blood and dread and feathers which knows your name and is coming for you and when it does it ends up a relief!

Noroi feels Lovecraftian in inspiration and extent, but derives most of its charge from old-school Japanese demon stories of sorceress cabal, a mountain of dead bodies, a nightmare tunnel to a place not better than where you began. Highest. Possible. Recommendation.

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations of all seven films
Original lossless 5.1 and lossless stereo sound options for Shikoku, Isola: Multiple Personality Girl, Inugami, St. John’s Wort, Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman and Noroi: The Curse, and original lossless stereo audio for Persona
Optional English subtitles for each film
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Eugene Thacker, Jasper Sharp, Anton Bitel, Amber T., Mark Player, Jim Harper and Sarah Appleton
Double-sided foldout poster featuring newly commissioned artwork by John Conlon
Limited Edition packaging featuring newly commissioned artwork by John Conlon

DISC ONE: SHIKOKU / ISOLA: MULTIPLE PERSONALITY GIRL
Brand new audio commentary on Shikoku by Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes
Brand new audio commentary on Isola: Multiple Personality Girl by critics and Japanese cinema experts Jasper Sharp and Amber T.
The Aftermath, Tom Mes discusses J-Horror at the turn of the millennium
Something in the Water, a brand new interview with Shikoku director Shunichi Nagasaki
Archive interviews with director Shunichi Nagasaki and actors Chiaki Kuriyama and Yui Natsukawa on Shikoku
Archive interview with actors Yoshino Kimura and Yu Kurosawa on Isola: Multiple Personality Girl
On-set footage of the filming of Shikoku
Original trailers and TV spots for both films
Image galleries

DISC TWO: INUGAMI / ST. JOHN’S WORT
Brand new audio commentary on Inugami by Japanese cinema expert Jonathan Clements
Brand new audio commentary on St. John’s Wort by Japanese cinema expert Amber T.
Dog Days, brand new video interview with Inugami director Masato Harada
The Making of St. John’s Wort, archival featurette
Archive interviews with St. John’s Wort actors Megumi Okina, Koichiro Saito, Reiko Matsuo and Koji Okura
On-set behind-the-scenes footage of the filming of St. John’s Wort
Original trailers and TV spots for St. John’s Wort
Image galleries for both films

DISC THREE: CARVED: THE SLIT-MOUTHED WOMAN / PERSONA
Brand new audio commentary on Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman by Japanese folklore expert Zack Davisson
Why So Serious?, a brand new interview with Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman director Koji Shiraishi
Weapon of Choice, a brand new video essay on Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman by Japanese horror specialist Lindsay Nelson
Confessions of a Mask, a brand new interview with Persona director Takashi Komatsu
Image galleries for both films

DISC FOUR: NOROI: THE CURSE
Brand new audio commentary by film critic Julian Singleton
Director’s POV, a brand new video interview with Noroi: The Curse director Koji Shiraishi
The Man in the Shadows, a brand new interview with Noroi: The Curse producer Taka Ichise
Changing Perspective, a brand new video essay on Noroi: The Curse by Japanese horror specialist Lindsay Nelson
Ectoplasmic Worms, a brand new video essay on Noroi: The Curse and Japanese cosmic horror by Japanese cinema expert Amber T.
How to Protect Yourself Against Curses
Urgent report! Pursuing the Truth about Kagutaba!! TV Special
Over half an hour of deleted scenes
Trailers and TV spots
Image gallery

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