Stacy: Attack of the Schoolgirl Zombies ステーシー (2008)

Stacy: Attack of the Schoolgirl Zombies   

Stacy Attack of the Schoolgirl Zombies Film Poster

ステーシー「Sute-shi-」

Release Date: February 18^th, 2008

Running Time: 80 mins.

Director: Naoyuki Tomomatsu

Writer:  Chisato Ogawara (Screenplay), Kenji Otsuki (Original Novel),

Starring: Tomoka Hayashi, Yukijiro Hotaru, Shiro Misawa, Hinako Saeki, Yoji Tanaka, Shungiku Uchida, Toshinori Omi, Shiro Misawa, Natsuki Kato, Yasutaka Tsutsui,

IMDB

Stacy: Attack of the Schoolgirl Zombies (2008) is made by pink/horror film director Naoyuki Tomomatsu and it slots in between two other titles in his filmography, Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl (2009) and Zombie Self-Defence Force (2006) and it comes as I hit a wall reviewing bad horror movies. This one has ambitions of social commentary but it has a confusingly told story where the special effects overwhelm the message.

Puzzle パズル (2014)

Puzzle      

Puzzle Film Poster

Japanese: パズル

Romaji: Pazuru

Running Time: 85 mins.

Release Date: March 08^th, 2014 (Japan)

Director: Eisuke Naito

Writer: Eisuke Naito, Makoto Sasaki (Screenplay), Yusuke Yamada (Original Novel),

Starring: Kaho, Shuhei Nomura, Kazuya Takahashi, Saori Yagi, Kokone Sasaki, Ryuzo Tanaka

Puzzle is based on a book by Yusuke Yamada, a popular writer of teen horror stories who has had many novels adapted into films. Despite this he is relatively unknown in the West but I think that Puzzle is a good introduction to his work with its twisting and twisted narrative that sucks teens into a vicious vortex of violence.

Hellevator: The Bottled Fools グシャノビンツメ (2005)

Hellevator: The Bottled Fools   

The Bottled Fools Film Poster

Japanese:　 グシャノビンツメ

Romaji: Gusha no Bintsume

Release Date: June 13^th, 2005

Running Time: 96 mins.

Director: Hiroki Yamaguchi

Writer: Hiroki Yamaguchi (Screenplay),

Starring: Luchino Fujisaki, Yoshiichi Kawadam Ryosuke Koshiba, Kae Minami, Yuuka Nakabo,

Hellevator: The Bottled Fools is such a funny title because it makes

gushanobinzume film Poster

one think of a killer elevator but if you want one of those you will have to watch the silly, schlocky Dutch film called De Lift (1983). As fearsome and as fearsomely silly as the title sounds, the elevator isn’t so much of a threat rather it’s the people who are trapped inside it (the bottled fools) who make things hellish for themselves. As Jean-Paul Satre once said, ‘hell is other people.”

The film starts impressively with some world-building. The opening shot after the credits takes place in a long shadowy corridor full of grimey people dressed in odd clothes who are loitering around like homeless people under a bridge waiting for food to be handed out. Cutting through this crowd and walking towards the screen in a distinctive and familiar sailor suit is Luchino, a girl on her way to school.

From the site: http://koow840.blog96.fc2.com/blog-category-4.html

 

She is our main character. She likes to smoke, a felony in her country, and a cigarette she discards has disastrous consequences later on…

Genkina hito’s Summer of Splatter Films

It has been a while since I have done a season based on something or someone…

POV ~A Cursed Film~ / POV～呪われたフィルム～ (2012)

Genkinahito is back once again to present a film to give you some Halloween chills. As part of my annual celebration of the night, I have chosen a great horror title that I heartily recommend for some twisted fright filled fun. Previous years have featured Nightmare Detective, Strange Circus, and Shokuzai… This year I give you…

POV ~A Cursed Film~  

Japanese Title: POV～呪われたフィルム～

Romaji: POV ~Norowareta Film~

Release Date: 18^th February 2012

Running Time: N/A

Director: Norio Tsuruta

Writer: Norio Tsuruta (Screenplay)

Starring: Mirai Shida, Haruna Kawaguchi, Yasuyuki Hirano

Due to his insistence on staying in the genre he helped popularise Norio Tsuruta, famous for Ring 0: Birthday (2000), is one of J-horror’s better and more committed directors and has a filmography made up of titles that range across types. Much like fellow horror director Koji Shiraishi, Tsuruta mixes modern media with yurei and urban folktales.

POV ~A Cursed Film~ opens in a similar fashion to Shiraishi’s best known work, Noroi: The Curse (2005), with on-screen text warning the viewer of the horrors to be seen before entering the first sequence which involves a lengthy set-up that effectively establishes character and situation.

As the Gods Will Teaser Trailer and Information

As the Gods Will   

Japanese: 神さまの言うとおり

Romaji: Kami-sama no Iutoori

Release Date: November 15^th, 2014 (Japan)

Running Time: 83 mins.

Director: Takashi Miike

Writer: Hiroyuki Yatsu (Screenplay), Muneyuki Kaneshiro, Akeji Fujimura (Original Manga)

Starring: Sota Fukushi, Hirona Yamazaki, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Mio Yuki, Shota Sometani, Nao Omori, Lily Franky

When Takashi Miike announced he was going back to making gory and funny films I couldn’t help but grin. When I saw this trailer I replayed it a dozen times and possibly (probably) cackled with glee at the comedy! This trailer is just fun!

Zero / Fatal Frame Film Trailer and Information

Zero    

Japanese Title: 劇場版　零 ゼロ

Romaji: Gekijouban Rei Zero

Release Date: September 26^th, 2014 (Japan)

Running Time: N/A

Director: Mari Asato

Writer: Mari Asato (Screenplay), Eiji Ohtsuka (Original Novel)

Starring: Ayumi Nakajo, Aoi Morikawa, Fujiko Kojima, Jun Miho, Karen Miyama, Noriko Nakagoshi, Kasumi Yamaya, Minori Hagiwara, Yuri Nakamura, Kodai Asaka,

Over Your Dead Body Trailers and Information

Over Your Dead Body    

Japanese: 喰女　－クイメー

Romaji: Kuime

Release Date: August 23^rd, 2014 (Japan)

Running Time: 94 mins.

Director: Takashi Miike

Writer: Kikumi Yamagishi (Screenplay), Tsuruya Nanboku IV (Original Kabuki Play)

Starring: Ebizo Ichikawa, Kou Shibasaki, Hideaki Ito, Miho Nakanishi, Maiko, Toshie Negishi, Koichi Sato, Hiroshi Katsuno, Toshiaki Karasawa, Kenichi Hagiwara, Kei Sato,

Takashi Miike recently said something like he was done making sensible films and going back to creating chaos and violence and with two films released this year, he’s hitting the horror high notes. The first looks like a really great meta-horror title.

Pet Peeve / Seeds of Anxiety / Fuan no Tane 不安の種 (2013)

Pet Peeve (International Title) / Seeds of Anxiety (Japanese Title)   

Japanese Title: 不安の種   

Romaji: Fuan no Tane

Release Date: July 20^th, 2013

Running Time: 87 mins.

Director: Toshikazu Nagae

Writer: Masaaki Nakayama (Original Manga), Toshikazu Nagae (Screenplay)

Starring: Anna Ishibashi, Kenta Suga Koudai Asaka, Kanji Tsuda, Shimako Iwai, Kurea Mori, Hitomi Kurihara, Ryosuke Kawamura,

Pet Peeve is a really awful title for a film, any film, and it is best to pay attention to the Japanese one, Seeds of Anxiety (Fuan no Tane) which sums up the content perfectly.

Moving towns is something a lot of us go through and it can be daunting but spare a thought for a group of outsiders settling in the rather strange Funuma city.

Ju-on: The Beginning of the End Teaser Trailer

I didn’t see this one coming but it should have been obvious. A new installment in the J-horror film series “Ju-on” is getting a release in July! We get to welcome back the extremely creepy boy Toshio, and his rather hot but super scary mother Kayako Saeki!

Ju-on: The Beginning of the End   

Japanese Title:  呪怨―終わり　の　始まり

Romaji: Juon – Owari no Hajimari

Running Time: 91 mins.

Director: Masayuki Ochiai

Writer: Masayuki Ochiai (Screenplay)

Starring: Nozomi Sasaki, Kai Kobayashi