Japanese Reviews Reviews

Film Review: Creepy (2016) by Kiyoshi Kurosawa

The master of slow terror has returned, but he is a bit slower than he should be

Kurosawa's long-awaited return to his psychological J-horror roots, since his latest films were mostly art-house (Journey to the Shore, Real) or social ones (Tokyo Sonata), finally occurred, and the result is quite similar to “Pulse” (Kairo).

The action in the film starts immediately, as a tragedy occurs when a serial killer detective Takakura was questioning escaped. The result of the incident was for Takakura to resign, and to follow an academic career in criminal psychology. The script then moves in two axes. The first one takes place in the new neighborhood Takakura and his wife, Yasuko move in. While Yasuko wants to become friends with the rest of the neighbors, they treat her with suspicion except for Nishino, who seems to be the most peculiar of all, until, at least, he is proven to be utterly . The second axis occurs when Takakura decides to check an unsolved crime regarding a family that disappeared six year ago. As he meets Saki, the sole survivor, Takakura delves into the case, losing himself once more in it, while his wife seems to have psychological issues of her own.

Kurosawa's most distinct trait in his horror films was his ability to build up tension slowly until the point of “explosion.” This ability does not seem to have abandoned him, as he succeeds in gradually producing the horrific elements, through the slow pace and the not so frequent dialogue, while retaining, most of the time, a general sense that something is wrong. However, the issue with the aforementioned build-up is that it lags a bit, a fact that results in the agony deteriorating after a time, although the moment of disclosure and the extraordinary finale compensate, to a portion at least. It would be for the best, though, if the film was 15-20 minutes briefer (it actually lasts 130 minutes).

All three protagonists emit the sense that something is wrong, from the beginning of the film. as Takakura seems too eager to examine the crime, as Yasuko seems too eager to make friends, and most of all, as Nishino, who, looks utterly creepy, no matter how he acts. Kagawa could not be missing from a film called “Creepy,” since he excels in portraying similar characters. All the aforementioned give fitting performances, in harmony with the general aesthetics, but Kagawa is the one who definitely stands apart.

Technically, the film follows the atmosphere Kurosawa implemented in his horror movies, with the slow pace, the subtle sound and music, the realistic depiction of exteriors and the onerousness of interiors. In that last aspect, Akisizo Ashizawa does a wonderful job in the cinematography department, particularly in the interior of Nishino's house.

The master of slow terror has returned, but he is a bit slower than he should be. Nevertheless, the film is definitely worth seeing for its cast, the shock of the disclosure and its unexpected finale.

About the author

Panos Kotzathanasis

My name is Panos Kotzathanasis and I am Greek. Being a fan of Asian cinema and especially of Chinese kung fu and Japanese samurai movies since I was a little kid, I cultivated that love during my adolescence, to extend to the whole of SE Asia.

Starting from my own blog in Greek, I then moved on to write for some of the major publications in Greece, and in a number of websites dealing with (Asian) cinema, such as Taste of Cinema, Hancinema, EasternKicks, Chinese Policy Institute, and of course, Asian Movie Pulse. in which I still continue to contribute.

In the beginning of 2017, I launched my own website, Asian Film Vault, which I merged in 2018 with Asian Movie Pulse, creating the most complete website about the Asian movie industry, as it deals with almost every country from East and South Asia, and definitely all genres.

You can follow me on Facebook and Twitter.

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