
The man who helped kick-start the Asian suspense wave. He made a couple of decent films along the way, though his "less-is-more" approach to horror is somewhat of an acquired taste. If you care about film history though, there's no way around Nakata.
Movies




Dark Water

A film that is often considered in the same wheelhouse as Ringu. It's not too weird a thought, both films are after all directed by the same person, they were released not far apart and they're both horror films. What made Dark Water so much better for me is that it's not quite part of that less-is-more let's-go-for-cheap Japanese horror cinema. After divorcing her husband, Yoshimi gets into a legal battle over the custody of her daughter. Her husband never really cared for her, but now he wants to take her away from Yoshimi. They need to find a flat quickly, so Yoshimi picks the first one she comes across. The place isn't great, and it may be haunted. The start is slow, but the build-up is competent and things get progressively more tense. It's not exactly scary anymore and if you've seen a couple of these films you can easily predict the underlying drama, but the final third of the film contains some haunting and memorable scenes. Very solid, but a little dated.Read all

Hideo Nakata returns with a gambler epic. It's not that Nakata turned his back on horror cinema completely, but he's been branching out for quite a while now. Usogui is a pretty decent film, but it's also blockbuster fodder that lacks a real signature and can't compete with the better films in the genre. Baku overplays his hand when he tries to become the leader of the Kakero organization, a wealthy club that oversees large bets. He is exiled and flees Tokyo, but a few years later he sees a path to rejoin the organization. For that, he will need all his skills and cunning because his adversaries are just as crafty as he is. The elongated gambling scenes are pretty fun, the problem is that the outcome is always very predictable and the little twists aren't really all that genius. Performances are decent and the production values are high, but it's not really enough to make this one stand out. Solid and decent entertainment though.Read all

Hideo Nakata's tech thriller. It's a bit like watching an update of The Net (1995), only with some serial killer elements thrown in to make it a bit more exciting. It's actually somewhat successful too, though this film mostly underlines that Nakata hasn't been on top of his game for quite a while now. Makoto is late for a meeting and stuck in traffic. He decides to take the train instead, but he forgets his phone in his cab. Shortly afterwards his girlfriend receives a call for a man who has found Makoto's phone. She picks it up and everything seems back to normal, what she doesn't know is that Makoto's phone got hacked. Stolen Identity isn't a bad film, Nakata's direction is competent and a couple of minor twists keep things interesting. On the other hand, it's not a very notable film. Performances are decent, so is the cinematography and score, there's just little here that makes a big impression. Entertaining filler though.Read all


The Incite Mill


Stolen Identity 2

More of the same, only less interesting. Nakata's Stolen Identity was a decent but somewhat bland techno-thriller, the second part is a bit blander still. It feels too much like an expanded TV series episode, void of cinematic qualities and only interested in serving a police investigation with mediocre twists and turns. Urano is safely locked behind bars, but new bodies turn up in the same place Urano ditched his victims. Detective Kagaya learns that somebody helped Urano, and the only way to get to him is by using Urano's dark web access. The police cut a deal with him and together they try to catch M, the mastermind behind the entire operation. The cinematography is poor, the performances leave a lot to be desired and the plot is mediocre. The second half is a little better, as there are some proper reveals, but it's not enough to make this a worthwhile film. It's decent thriller filler, but Nakata can do so much better. Too lazy for its own good.Read all

Another entry in the Ringu franchise, helmed by Nakata himself. It's more mystery/drama than horror though and the few scares that are there are greatly ineffective. It feels like a film from a bygone era, but judged on its own merits it's not a terrible film. Just don't expect too much from it and don't try to compare it to the other films in the franchise.

A mediocre thriller. Performances are decent and there are a few tense moments, but the plot isn't all that interesting and the drama fails to impress. Though short, the film is basic and struggles to keep the attention. It's been a while since Nakata made anything worthwhile, this film isn't doing much to fix his faltering reputation.

Mediocre dramady about forced retirement and the difficulties some people have with the change of pace. Japanese work culture is a bit different from ours, but it shouldn't be too hard to follow. Sadly the performances aren't that great, the comedy is rather weak and Nakata isn't the best drama director. Not terrible, but very forgettable.



I think Nakata has reached the point where he needs to ask himself if he feels he still has something to add to the horror genre. Stigmatized Properties felt like a 25-year-old film that just happened to be made last year. It is so insanely derivative and uninspired that you have to wonder why Nakata even bothered. After a comical duo disbands their act, one of them lands a job as a TV host, with the other on board as a screenwriter. His job is to seek out haunted houses and spend the night there. He gets lucky on his first job as his camera registers a spirit. He becomes an overnight sensation and before he knows it, he is on his way to his second haunted house. There is a lot of padding here, which isn't very interesting at all. Generic characters and Nakata's tepid direction simply don't support a dramatic narrative. The bigger problem though is that none of the haunts are scary. It's just the same old ghosts and apparitions doing the same old things. The ending gives the film a small boost, other than that this is for the most hardened J-Horror fans only.Read all
Death Note: L Change the World





Scary True Stories: Curse, Death & Spirit
