Movies
Not as overly energetic or chaotic as its peers, rather it creates an eerie, claustrophobic atmosphere that drags you deeper into its concrete prison with each successive scene.
A Japanese horror film based on a game franchise doesn't immediately spark high expectations, but with Masafumi Yamada in the director chair, I was quite curious to see how this would pan out. Corpse Party was certainly a lot more graphic than I had expected it to be, other than that it's a pretty standard genre flick. A couple of students are cleaning up their classroom. They realize they probably won't see each other again after this, and so they chant an incantation to keep their friendship alive. The incantation isn't as good-natured as they'd hoped, and before they know it they're stuck in an alternate reality where they're hunted down by some rather violent ghosts. A couple of Japanese high school students trapped in a school building, if you've watched some Japanese horror films it's not something you haven't seen before. Luckily, the kills are pleasantly over-the-top and some shots are pretty awe-inspiring. Not enough to make this an instant classic, but if you're looking for some fun horror filler, Corpse Party does the trick.Read all
A direct sequel to Yamada's first film, based on a popular game that branched out to several other media. It's just more of the same really, which is a bit of a shame considering Yamada's earlier work. It's a far cry from Tsuburo no Gara, then again we should probably be happy Yamada is still around, making films. Naomi survived the first trip to Heavenly Host Elementary, most of her classmates didn't. She finds a way to go back into the haunted world and save her friends, but the second trip reveals a much bigger evil haunting the school. While noble, Naomi's attempt to save the others might cost even more lives. This second film is a bit too much like the first one, the setting and rules are already clear, there's just quite a bit of extra lore to work through. It gets a bit too convoluted at times, luckily the ending cranks up the horror elements and comes with a few nifty surprises. Decent filler, but little else.Read all