Noroi Gets An English Subtitled HK DVD December 15th 2006.

One of those odd things now, there's been so much plying of relatively generic (or entirely generic, traditionally formed) J-Horror that your either using it as a guide to get something you know you'll have a certain amount of interest in, or to avoid something you sense you'll despise. There's a kind of intentionally, necessary prejudice that comes from over-simplification of a films content as a tool for selling stuff, you both build a certain amount of market (exactly how large, anyone's guess) or you simultaneously allow easy dismissal of what could in theory, if not more often in practise, be a perfectly good film.

Now, Takashi Shimizu, he of 'Ju-On / The Grudge' fame can turn a good film still - 'Marebito' is cracking, minimalismist by comparison to his usual stuff, and 'Reincarnation' ('Rinne') is a great little film that treads genre movie making, traditional storytelling quite well in a larger -budgeted twisty film that's kind of going relatively unnoticed. This isn't Shimizu, but it's from prolific Producer Ichesi who has been involved in many of the films from this genre, and yes it does look a little far removed from what usually classes itself as Horror in the West, save for the obvious comparison of 'Blair Witch'.

Why? We spend money on these things. It costs. Lots of money. We're never that well informed as to what's going on, even if we see a trailer for the thing(s), and we kind of feel our way around in various fashions as best we can. So, 'Noroi' was another J-Horror that popped-up during 2006 and it's making an unexpected HK DVD appearance courtesy of Universe Laser (with English Subtitles) in a week or so.

'Noroi' Embedded Flash Trailer at YouTube.
'Noroi' Trailer, Downloadable WMV.
'Noroi' Article here at ScreenAnarchy, May 2006.