Sara Minami gives a wonderfully crazed performance in a twisted, fresh take on the genre as Yuriyan Retriever’s debut feature examines infatuation, bullying and beauty norms
Back in the 90s and 00s, Japanese horror (or “J-horror” if you want to save on syllables) was much admired, reasonably widely distributed and sometimes remade in other languages. They never actually stopped making them in Japan, but the results don’t seem to get as much crossover exposure as they used to. That may be because we have quite enough horror getting made closer to home, especially since it’s so remunerative at the box office.
Nevertheless, it’s good to see evidence that the genre keeps evolving in Japan just as it does everywhere else, and there is something tangibly fresh and kicky about this low-budget horror-comedy amalgam. Made by comedian Yuriyan Retriever, an irrepressible character whose dadaist shtick got her on America’s Got Talent twice, makes her directorial debut with this satirical ghost story which sends up male misogyny and women’s obsession with romance alike.
