Yôichirô Hayama's DEAD WAVES (SHIRYÔHA), w/ Toshihiro Wada, Shihori Kanjiya, Masaki Miura, Asuka

I've mentioned Yôichirô Hayama's Dead Waves (Shiryôha) in a number of other ScreenAnarchy articles. Although the movie was released at the Shibuya Ciné la Sept in Tokyo back on February 5th, I'm posting about it here and now because there's a good chance that, sooner or later, there will be an English-subtitled DVD release of this movie somewhere.

The screenplay for Dead Waves was written by Hayama and Kayo Kanô. The movie's principal cast was as follows: Toshihiro Wada, Shihori Kanjiya (she's in Aniki (Hajime Ishimine), Katsuhito Ishii, and Shin'ichirô Miki's Naisu no mori: The First Contact, and Kaizô Hayashi's Detective Office 5 (Tantei Jimusho 5 - 5 nanbâ de yobareru tantei-tachi no monogatari)), Masaki Miura (he's in Yoshihiro Nakamura's Booth (Bûsu) and Ryûichi Honda's Ikusa; he was also in Tôru Kamei's Double Suicide Elegy (Shinjû erejî), Kazuyoshi Kumakiri's The Ravaged House: Zoroku's Disease (Tadareta ie: 'Zôroku no kibyô' yori) - one of the movies in the Hideshi Hino's Theater of Horror (Hino Hideshi no za horâ: kaiki gekijô) hexalogy - and Takahisa Zeze's Secret Journey (Yuda) - one of the four movies in the Eros Bancho Series (Erosu banchô shirîzu)), Shigenori Yamazaki (he was also in Norio Tsuruta's "Crevices" ("Sukima") in the TV horror movie Dark Tales of Japan (Suiyô puremia: sekai saikyô J horâ SP Nihon no kowai yoru), Akiko Esaki, Asuka Kurosawa (she's in Takahisa Zeze's Mrs., and was also in Katsuya Matsumura's Kirei? - The Terror of Beauty (Ki-re-i?) - a.k.a. "Beau-ti-ful?"), Yukimi Tanaka, Yuki Ôtake (she sings the theme song for, and is in, Mayumi Miyasaka's Angel (Tenshi)), Kanji Furutachi, Mari Sakai, Miho Hirata, Meikyô Yamada (he's in Hideaki Sunaga's Nagurimono: The Fighter (Nagurimono)), and Akihiro Nakatani (he was also in Hiromu Nakamura's Concrete (Konkurîto)).

Here's a synopsis for Dead Waves from the website of the international sales agent for the movie, Pony Canyon K.K. (K.K. Ponî Kyanion):

"A meeting is being held in a TV network conference room about ratings for the program 'Spirit Sightings'. Ratings for 'Akie Doma's Exorcism' corner - directed by Hiroshi Usui - have fallen, and producer Akinori Hayami (Akihiro Nakatani) encourages him to do something about it.

Hiroshi and assistant director, Naoto Taniguchi (Shigenori Yamazaki), visit the Nagao residence. Eccentric Tsuyoshi Nagao (Masaki Miura) insists that his younger sister, Runa (Shihori Kanjiya), is possessed by evil spirits and needs to undergo an exorcism.

Several days later, Akie Doma (Asuka Kurosawa), dressed as a priestess, starts the exorcism. Tsuyoshi screams as his body begins to shake violently. Runa's eyes seem to be following something as she mysteriously apologizes, 'I'm sorry. It's all my fault....'

Hiroshi receives an e-mail from psychiatrist Akihiro Kawamura (Meikyo Yamada), asking if he's heard about 'dead waves'. Kawamura had previously spoken out saying that incidents covered on Hiroshi's program were examples of mental illness and had nothing to do with spirits. Intrigued, Hiroshi surfs the Internet and finds reports of 'dead waves', vengeful spirits that have combined with the TV broadcast waves to draw the viewers into the world of death.

Hiroshi feels uneasy and examines the matter further and uncovers the astonishing truth behind the Nagao household. Runa's mother and one of her classmates have disappeared. Hiroshi himself has become suspicious over the disappearance of one of his team.

Kawamura has come into possession of a suicide calendar, which he gives to Hiroshi. The calendar records instances of suicide and it becomes apparent that there has been an increase in suicides since October. October is when Hiroshi's TV program, 'Spirit Sightings', was first aired. Coincidentally, Hiroshi's ex-girlfriend, Shoko, also committed suicide on the first day of broadcast....

It is nearly 8 pm. The opening titles of 'Spirit Sightings' are about to roll.

When the medium of television releases the 'dead waves', a spine-chilling horror stalks the viewers...."

Dead Waves trailer (streaming, Windows Media)
Dead Waves official website
Pony Canyon: Dead Waves