Kisaragi Eki
2022 / 82m - Japan
Drama, Horror
3.5*/5.0*
Kisaragi Station poster

Watches

January 25, 2023

3.5*/5.0*

A fun take on Japanese horror. While the setup feels quite familiar, the execution is decidedly more modern. It's a film that seems to deliberately distance itself from the style of horror that people have come to expect from Japan. If it hadn't been for some slight structural issues, this might've been a bona fide contemporary horror classic.

A young woman is investigating paranormal stories. When she hears a tale about a train that takes you to an abandoned station, she seeks out a survivor who is willing to tell her the entire story. The train supposedly takes you to an alternate world, where six people come together and only one can escape from the clutches of an evil spirit governing this world.

The setting is moody and the cinematography is surprisingly polished, the only thing that bugged me was the cyclical structure of the plot, where the entire second half is basically just a variation of the first part. Sure enough, it comes with a good twist, but it still left me a bit wanting. I am looking forward to Nagae's next film as Kisaragi Station shows a lot of promise.