Kiyoshi Kurosawa - Umezu Kazuo Horror Theatre

[marshal99]

I don't think anyone has post this so here goes ..


Kiyoshi Kurosawa has created a movie from the 6 comics written by renowned manga artist Kazuo Umezu. The film "Mushi-tachi no ie" (HOUSE OF BUGS) was on sale in May 2005 at the Cannes Film Festival. With the recent successes of Japanese films such as Juon (remade in Hollywood as "The Grudge") and the Ring series, this film by Kurosawa is also expected to attract a great deal of attention. The works adapted to film are from a collection of six short stories contained in the "Kyoufu Gekijou" (HORROR THEATER) released by well-known publisher Shogakukan to celebrate the 50th year of Umezu's writing career. The storyline of HOUSE OF BUGS follows the main character, played by actor Hidetoshi Nishijima, as he reveals to his work colleague, portrayed by actress Tamaki Oda, that his wife is "no longer human" and asks her help in discovering why. Kurosawa's previous horror film "Kairo" won the International Film Critics Award at the 54th Cannes Film Festival held in 2001, and received great praise in France. Umezu has said that he wants the world to appreciate how fear can create the ultimate psycho-drama. In addition to this, there is also "Zesshoku" (THE DIET), the tragic tale of the end to an extreme diet by Hiroshi Takahashi, the scriptwriter of the Ring series, and a comedy called "Jigoku Koshien" (Battlefield Baseball) by new and upcoming director, Yudai Yamaguchi, as well as a revenge tragedy involving Santa Claus called "the Present." Each of these 50 minute movies will go under the title of Kazuo Umezu Fear Theater(Horror Thater), and opened in Tokyo on June 2005.

http://www.shochikufilms.com/movie/horror01.html

http://www.twitchfilm.net/archives/003036.html

Story:
Tale 1 HOUSE OF BUGS / Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Cure, Circuit)/ Writer: Sadayuki Murai (Steamboy, Millennium Actress)
Koji confesses to his lover, that his wife who has been cheating on him is not a human being anymore. He asks her to visit his home to check if he is seeing an illusion or not. Is the bug in your head, or is it in my head? What is real and what is not? Who is the one who has lost their mind?

Tale 2 THE WISH / Director: Atsushi Shimizu (The Messaiah from the Future) / Writer: Sadayuki Murai (Steamboy, Millennium Actress)
A lonely elementary-school boy finds a block of wood at a garbage dump that seems to be in the shape of a human head, and makes a puppet. He names it "Mokume" and starts playing with the puppet and become friends. Things do not turn out to be so innocent when the puppet starts to become haunting...

Tale 3 DEATH MAKE / Director: Taichi / Writer: Chikazu Konaka (School Ghost Story 3)
A teenager Kuroe and a TV director Satomi visit an abandoned warehouse to shoot a horror TV program. They find a mysterious mask at the warehouse. Suddenly...

Tale 4 THE PRESENT / Director: Yudai Yamaguchi (Battlefield Baseball, writer for Versus, Alive)/ Writer: Tamio Hayashi
College students are enjoying themselves at a Christmas party. However, thing turn extremely bloody and gruesome once Santa Claus comes to town to punish those who are naughty. They better watch out and they better not cry!

Tale 5 DIET / Director: Tadafumi Ito / Writer: Hiroshi Takahashi (RING series)
A fat girl goes on an excessive diet to impress a guy who has dumped her. She succeeds on the diet, but just as she was able to appear in front of the guy once again, her appetite that she has suppressed for so long springs to life...

Tale 6 SNAKE GIRL / Director: Noboru Iguchi/ Writer: Chikazu Konaka (School Ghost Story 3)
Yumiko has been invited to spend the summer vacation with her cousin at a rural village. For some reason, she is not welcomed by the village people who keep on calling her as "Snake Girl"...

Official website (longer trailer for individual episodes)
http://www.umezu-movie.com/

I believe the dvd has been released but apparently without any subs. When you have stories about a scary supernatural murdering santa clause , a snake girl , a spider girl , a creepy doll , this looks great , if anyone got any news of a dvd with subs , please post here.

[logboy]

the whole series has been licensed by media blasters for release in america on dvd sometime next year... it was one of the titles (well, 6 films, 6 titles i suppose) confirmed recently by them : includes takashi miikes 'yokai daisensu' too.

[Mandi Apple]

Interesting news - thanks for the heads-up! I like what I've read of Kazuo Umezu's work so I'll be looking forward to this

[Mandi Apple]

Two of the movies - including the KK one - are out in Japan under the overall title Umezu Kazuo Horror Theatre via cdjapan.co.jp (but without subs, unfortunately): http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=DA-756#

[maxtreme]

Here's hoping this comes to America!

[jim harper]

I watched the first two Media Blasters discs this weekend. I was going to write full reviews for the decent instalments, but since it's unlikely I'll be watching any of them again, I'll stick to brief reviews for the Snowblood forums.

1. House of Bugs (dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa, writ. Saduyuki Murai). Sad to say, House of Bugs is easily Kurosawa's least interesting horror film to date. It's initially interesting, featuring an offbeat story and some perspective shifts that really throw you, but ultimately there's no conclusion and no attempt to resolve the story. It's not entirely Kurosawa's fault, but it does highlight just how reliant he is on decent material. Despite some pleasing echoes of Perfect Blue, Murai's script is second-rate stuff and leaves Kurosawa with very little to work with. 5/10.

2. Diet (dir. Tadafumi Ito, writ. Hiroshi Takahashi). Probably the best of the lot, Diet benefits from a decent script and solid performances. Unfortunately the publicity blurb (quoted in the first post here and on the back of the DVD) manages get half the plot wrong and give away the final twist, so it's less effective than it could have been. It's slightly longer than the others, and worth seeing, but I doubt anyone will be digging it out for repeated viewings. 6/10.

3. Snake Girl (dir. Noboru Iguchi, writ. Chiaki Konaka). Easily the worst of the four. The direction is pretty average, but the usually-reliable Konaka turns in a pitiful script with some truly awful lines during the 'climax'. The predictable plot is hampered further by poor special effects that are more suited to a children's TV program than an allegedly serious horror film. Avoid. 3/10.

4. The Wish (dir. Atsushi Shimizu, writ. Sadayuki Murai). Not-bad episode features a fairly unoriginal plot but manages to work up some decent (if temporary) tension and a surprisngly creepy doll. Again, it seems more aimed at children, but after the unintentional horrors of Snake Girl, The Wish is a breath of fresh air. 5/10.

Not a fantastic series, to be honest. I'll pick up the third disc when it arrives, but I'm not optimistic.

[Pygar]

A short Kurosawa film that you can get on DVD, at least in the US, is the 60 minute 'House of Bugs' episode in Volume 1 of the Kazuo Umezu Horror Theater series. The other story its twinned with (not directed by Kurosawa) isn't as strong, but it's a must for completists. It's quietly impressive!

[Mandi Apple]

I remembered we had a thread for this particular KK entry so I moved your post here I really must pick up the first volume, if only to see House of Bugs - thanks for the reminder Pygar

[Halcyon]

I'm going to buy the Kazuo Umezz's Horror Theatre DVD with the "House of Bugs" episode somewhen in February, so I will probably write a short review for it then.

[fiol_brothers]

I bought all of the Kazuo Umezz's Horror Theatre dvds when i was in HK...i already watched the awful "Death Make" and the excellent-gory "Present". Does anyone know if the comics are available in english somewhere?
thanks

[Anticlimacus]

Kiyoshi Kurosawa directs this short film (lasting 50 minutes). The situation is interesting: a husband and wife remember important events in completely different ways. This disconnect in perception causes significant friction between them. The story gets more and more interesting as it progresses. The lighting and sound are very nicely done in places, and even the CGI is effectively implemented. This is a nice little psychological gem with some imaginative sequences.

If you tag this title onto Loft and Retribution, it appears that Kiyoshi has made a "Memory Trilogy" of sorts that delves into the concept of memories. I'm sooo glad he made these entries. I was definitely disappointed with his recent dramatic/comedy titles (Doppelganger, Bright Future, etc.).