Film Review: BAPTISM OF BLOOD (aka SENREI) (1996)

From Japan comes the disturbing Baptism of Blood (1996) which sees aging actress Matsuko (Lisa Akikawa) suddenly come down with a dis-figuration facial disease which prompts her to retire from the public.  Instead she pours all her attention into raising her daughter Sakura (Rie Imamura) only she rules her daughter’s life with an iron fist hidden away in her old and crumbling mansion.  When Sakura over hears her mother’s ghastly scheme to transplant her brain into her own, she must find a way to escape her mother before it is too late.

Based on the manga by famed horror writer Kazuo Umezu, the film is written and directed by Kenichi Yoshihara who does a great job translating the material to the big screen even though I think that he could have gone even a little further with Umezu’s style in translation.  This being said fans of Umezu’s manga will enjoy this adaptation.  It’s a shame that Yoshihara hasn’t directed anything else as from this film he has potential to really create something unique with his style (especially if it was more material from Umezu).

Although not a spectacular film, it has its charms and was a decent adaptation of Umezu’s work.  It will satisfy Umezu’s fans as many of the other adaptations have been hit or miss but even though this one plays it safe, it does a great job with the characters despite any other faults.

Film Review: KILLER BEES (aka KILLING BEE) (2005)

The Japanese horror film Killer Bees (2005) is pretty basic in its premise and execution as a group of young women with a single male chaperone embark on a camping trip in the woods and come across a strain of mutated killer bees.  When one of them is first taken ill, the chaperone and victim head out for help leaving the rest to (seemingly) enjoy the rest of the weekend.  By themselves the remaining women soon realize that there are more of the bees and soon find themselves assaulted and stalked by the bees.  They are split up and killed one by one as they try to find a way out of the woods and to safety.

Unfortunately, the CGI bees look horrible and the women all do little more than run and die one by one in a very slow manner.  It actually takes a long time for each of them to get bumped off as I’m thinking this is to pad the run time since there is little else in the way of plot for the film and the women are pretty much cliche and generic.

The film is written by Chiho Kawabata and Norihisa Yoshimura (who also directs) and comes off as an excuse to get a bunch of attractive young women in the woods in order to kill them one by one.  If the film concerned itself with anything else it may have actually been at least entertaining but instead the film is filled with annoyingly bland characters whom you want to see die but it just doesn’t happen soon enough and it’s not in the least bit exciting, in terms of gore (to appease the true horror fans).  A complete time waster for all those except actual fans of killer bee films.

TEMPLE (2017)

Three American tourists venture to Japan for vacation when they come across a map and diary to a secret temple in the film TEMPLE (2017).  The set up is pretty basic with Kate (Natalia Warner) taking her boyfriend James and best friend Christopher (Brandon Sklenar and Logan Huffman, respectfully) on a trip to hopefully get Christopher to reconnect with the world.  Since Christopher speaks Japanese, he’s the best person to help them all navigate through an unfamiliar country.

When they come across an ancient diary detailing an exotic temple the three decide to go on an adventure.  It’s a short trip away but it is far from civilization and anything they’re ever known.  When they get to the temple, they realize that they are not alone and that spirits of the dead prevent them from leaving the temple twisting their minds and what they believe to be real.  Their hope to survive the night continues to fade as one by one they become consumed by that which inhabits the temple.

Although the story is pretty derivative, the actors do a really good job of bringing life to their characters and to the film itself.  You’ll get more nuance to the characters than is typical of these types of films.  The script is written by Michael Barrentt (who also directs) and the story is by Neal Edelstein, Shinya Egawa, and Mike Macari.  If you enjoy the slow burn then you might enjoy this film but if you’ve already had your fare share of ghost stories (with haunted locations) then you can skip this film as even though it is well made it doesn’t really offer anything that you haven’t seen before.

Graphic Novel Review: NANJING: THE BURNING CITY

During World War II, the Imperial Japanese Army entered and seized the Chinese capital after the bombs fell and shook the walls of Nanjing.  In Ethan Young’s Nanjing: The Burning City two abandoned soldiers are trapped and desperate to find a way out of the city before they are discovered by Japanese soldiers.

In Young’s wartime nightmare the soldier Lu and The Captain are on a mission to simply survive but when they witness atrocities done to the people that they refuse to help a sense of honor and duty becomes more important to them than just simply surviving.  The characters go tremendous turmoil and tragedy as they think they get closer to freedom and an escape of Nanjing that crumbs around them.

Young’s black and white art focuses on visuals to move the story forward and it is truly a remarkable feat.  War has never looked so harrowing as it does in Young’s story.  This is a great graphic novel for readers who love these type of stories about characters trying to overcome unspeakable odds and human tragedy.

Film Review: THE HOUSE WHERE EVIL DWELLS (1982)

Cultural ghost stories are always interesting as they try to meld two different cultures into a seamless ghost story that entertains and does justice to both cultures.  The House Where Evil Dwells (1982) is one of these films that manages to be both an entertaining ghost story and the story of an American family being terrorized by a three Japanese ghost.  The Fletcher family have moved into the perfect Japanese home not knowing that it is the place where a samurai warrior killed his wife and her lover before taking his own life.  Soon the Fletchers begin to find themselves being possessed by the Japanese spirits as they relive the moments of the spirits’ lives before they died which leads them on a deadly course that may have them reliving the fate of what happened to the Japanese spirits.

Edward Albert and Susan George star as husband and wife Fletcher whose fates lie in whether or not they can break free of the Japanese ghost before it is too late.  Directed by Kevin Connor (who directed Motel Hell) the film is a character driven ghost story as you watch a seemingly perfect family decay under the influence of jealous ghosts.   It’s a slow, yet deliberately paced film that still holds up thirty years later.  Albert and George are especially good as the perfect couple whose lives fall apart due to the influence of ghosts.

Although it might seem passé for some audiences looking for more shock value in their horror films this is a moody and atmospheric ghost story that gets under the skin without peeling it away and showing all the veins underneath.

Film Review: THE BOOTH (2005)

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.

Book Review: KILLER KAIJU MONSTERS: STRANGE BEASTS OF JAPANESE FILM Edited by Ivan Vartanian

Giant monsters have always been a huge draw for horror fans and especially young audiences.  Most of our early association with giant monsters is with the numerous Godzilla films and even Mighty Morphing Power Rangers or Ultraman.  Ivan Vartanian has taken our love of the giant monster (and more specifically the Japanese giant monster) and crafted the book Killer Kaiju Monsters: Strange Beasts of Japanese Film.  Although not a complete and comprehensive guide to Japanese monsters it does give readers a quick overview of some of the most popular starting with the Big G himself – Godzilla. 

Each monster in the book is accompanied with stills from the films that they were featured in as well as a filmography of those films (for the completest that needs to see all the films their favorite giant monster may have appeared in).  You can’t understand what Japanese giant monster films are unless you understand the term “kaiju” and Vartanian does a great job explaining to the casual viewer what a kaiju is and what it meant in the original Japanese giant monster films.  In fact, Vartanian also delves into character design and presents cross sections of kaiju in addition to illustrations and various forms of artwork that has been inspired by the kaiju.  

A real highlight of the book is the look at soft-vinyl figure collecting and the plethora of pictures showcasing the various figures created over the years.  There is even a paper craft kaiju in the book that allows you to put together your own “little” giant monster.  One of the highlights for me was the Japanese illustrated comic at the end depicting kaiju against yokai (spirits and paranormal world creatures) in order to dramatize the thematic and stylistic differences between the two types of characters.  Despite being exclusively in Japanese I can plainly understand what is going on due to the illustrations.

As I mentioned before this is in no way a comprehensive book as it really only focuses on Godzilla and his rogue’s gallery of monsters with a small mention of Gamera.  I could’ve gone for a longer book that had more info on many more overlooked kaiju but this is a great starting on point for those wanting to know more as this is the basics.