Studio 6 has been empty ever since a radio DJ took his own
life on the air. Years later Shogo
(Ryuta Sato) is forced to do his romantic talk show from Studio 6 when the
building is under construction. This is
the premise behind the Japanese ghost story The
Booth (2005). Shogo is an arrogant
and condescending man whose is used to getting his way but when he is forced to
do his show from Studio 6 his dark secrets come to light when he is forced to
confront his own demons instead of those of his call-in guests.
Written and directed by Yoshihiro Nakamura this film is more
concerned with atmosphere and character than your typical jump scare and at
times may try the patience of most viewers as very little happens in the film
until the final act. Sato anchors the
film as he is in every scene but he is supported by a capable cast including
Maiko Asano, Makoto Ashikawa, Mansaku Ikeuchi, Msaki Miura, and Hijiti Kojima,
to name a few. This is a good thing as
the film hinges on him since it is mostly character driven. For those looking for the typical ghost story
this isn’t it as very little in the ghostly realm is seen in this film unless
it is absolutely necessary.
Unfortunately, this is not just the problem of this film but
many other Asian ghost story films that have cluttered the market. There is little here that will entertain the
fan that has seen one too many of these films and there is even less for those
looking for the jump scares that made Ju-On
and Ringu such popular films. This is a film that lies somewhere in the
middle which means that it’s for a very small group of horror fans.
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