The search for her vanished brother Tsuyoshi leads Kaoru to the lonesome village Kozukata in the Japanese back-land. The locals react repelling to her, which the exception of the Chinese girl Sally. As her car breaks down Kaoru is trapped in the village; will she have to repay for something she has done in the past?
Direction
Tsuruta builds dread through empty landscapes and hostile silence.
Practical Effects
Unsettling scarecrow designs that avoid cheap jump scares.
Cinematography
Isolated rural Japan shot like a ghost already claimed it.
Director
Norio Tsuruta
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Based on Junji Ito's manga 'Kakashi,' though Tsuruta significantly diverged from the source material. Ito reportedly found the film 'interesting'—damning praise from horror's greatest perfectionist.
This was Ko Shibasaki's pre-Battle Royale horror era—she filmed this while becoming Japan's 'it girl,' making her village outcast role deliciously against-type.
JP
