6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A suburban town in Japan is the victim of what is supposed to be just an urban legend. A woman's spirit with a horribly disfigured face is intent on kidnapping children for unknown reasons.
Starring: Eriko Satô, Haruhiko Katô, Chiharu Kawai, Rie Kuwana, Kazuyuki MatsuzawaForeign | 100% |
Horror | 93% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Japanese: LPCM 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of the
J-Horror Rising set from Arrow Video.
When a set like J-Horror Rising offers someone like the venerable Tom Mes freely detailing how at least some elements that combined to
create what is commonly
called J-Horror (at least vis a vis J-Horror as it's about to be defined, below) might be likened to American B movies or even direct to
video or made for television efforts, there may be a bit of a subliminal
warning
to be gleaned,
all of which is to say, perhaps expectations need to be reasonably set when approaching some and potentially all of the films in this set. Mes
unabashedly lists Ringu (the original Japanese Ring film, for the uninitiated)
as
a defining J-Horror
landmark, at least within the context of the films offered here, in that none of these films probably could be imagined and almost certainly wouldn't
have been made without the influence of the celebrated Hideo Nakata outing. It's also salient to note that several of the films in this collection
were
first exhibited as the "down ticket" item on "double features", sometimes not so coincidentally under main attractions like Ringu 2 and/or
Ringu 0. As Mes overtly mentions in his overview of J-Horror included in this set, the wake left by Ringu was wide, but it
wasn't particularly deep, at least as evidenced by how quickly this particular "rage" ebbed, and so as such even the Rising part of the title
of
this collection might be slightly misleading, since as Mes describes, by the time these offerings came along, things may have already been fading.
Note: Those interested in this release may want to also check out Daiei Gothic: Japanese Ghost Stories, from Radiance, which is streeting the same day as this
collection.
Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains the following minimal information on the transfer:
The films in this collection were remastered in high definition and supplied by Kadokawa.This is a rather odd looking presentation at times, though part of that oddness, namely a sickly looking yellow color timing, was evidently intentional, as mentioned in one of the supplements on this disc. Even given that supposed stylistic choice, this rarely offers a robustly suffused palette, though admittedly part of the wan quality may simply be due to the near omnipresent jaundiced coloring on display. Detail levels can actually be quite good in close-ups, including some disturbing if thankfully relatively brief looks at the titular character's disfigurement (including her opening her mouth). While grain is certainly in evidence, it has a kind of splotchy look where what almost look like little smudges of black dot the frame.
Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman is presented in 1.85:1 with 5.1 and stereo sound.
Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 options in the original Japanese. This film frankly doesn't offer the boldest sound design, though several outdoor scenes have some decent ambient environmental effects that help to differentiate the surround track from the stereo track. A lot of this film tends to be talky, without much in the way of significant layering. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.
- Production Stills (HD)
- Behind the Scenes (HD)
The horrifying title character in this film arguably gives it the "edge" (no knife pun intended) in terms of a visceral fear factor out of all the films in this set. Video quality may strike some as odd, but audio is fine and the supplements are very interesting, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.
(Still not reliable for this title)
Ju-on
2002
着信アリ2 / Chakushin ari 2
2005
2008
Un gatto nel cervello | Glow in the Dark Cover & Mini Portrait of Lucio Fulci Limited Edition to 3000
1990
Quella villa accanto al cimitero
1981
Ring
1998
Wú gōng zhòu | Ng gung jau | 蜈蚣咒 | Limited Collector’s Edition Slipcase #2
1982
幽霊屋敷の恐怖 血を吸う人形 / Chi o suu ningyô
1970
着信アリFinal / Chakushin ari: Final
2006
À Meia-Noite Levarei Sua Alma
1964
Shiryô no wana
1988
Esta Noite Encarnarei no Teu Cadáver
1967
2009
Ju-on 2
2003
Standard Edition | El Aullido del Diablo
1988
Delirio di sangue / Slipcover in Original Pressing
1988
Follia omicida
1981
AIP Cut | 60th Anniversary
1963
Al morir la matinée / Frankenstein: Day of the Beast / Puppet Pal V [SD]
2020
Pengabdi setan
1982