7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A documentary filmmaker explores seemingly unrelated paranormal incidents connected by the legend of an ancient demon called the "kagutaba."
Starring: Duncan, Jin Muraki, Rio Kanno, Tomono Kuga, Marika MatsumotoForeign | 100% |
Horror | 57% |
Psychological thriller | 8% |
Supernatural | 6% |
Mystery | Insignificant |
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 | 4.0 | |
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.
Noroi: The Curse 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.There's an unavoidably heterogenous appearance on tap here, courtesy of all the supposed different formats and/or technologies at work, though generally speaking whether intentionally or not, a lot of the material here that's supposedly video based has a definite upscaled quality. Everything is generally kind of mottled looking, with a kind of washed out palette and generally only passable detail levels. Other, ostensibly "newer" footage is considerably sharper and better detailed, along with offering a more nicely suffused palette. This presentation probably needs to be accepted with an understanding that this outing is by design cobbled together from (supposedly) different sources.
Noroi: The Curse is presented in 1.85:1 with 5.1 and stereo sound. Additional remastering work was completed by The Engine House Media Services, London.
Noroi: The Curse features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 options in the original Japanese. This is another effort where the surround track may open up ambient environmental effects a bit, but where there really aren't huge differences between the 5.1 and stereo presentations. There are occasional passing sound effects in addition to ambient environmental sounds, but by and large this is a talk fest, and as such, the stereo track may suffice perfectly well for many. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.
- Director's POV (HD; 25:38) features director Koji Shiraishi.
- The Man in the Shadows (HD; 17:48) features producer Taka Ichise.
- Changing Perspective (HD; 21:56) features Lindsay Nelson discussing this film's "mockumentary" approach.
- Ectoplasmic Worms (HD; 20:32) features critic Amber T. discussing the film.
- How to Protect Yourself Against Curses (HD; 13:35)
- Urgent Report! Pursuing the Truth about Kagutaba!! TV Special (HD; 38:11)
- Deleted Scene #1 (HD; 4:00)
- Deleted Scene #2 (HD; 1:10)
- Deleted Scene #3 (HD; 3:13)
- Deleted Scene #4 (HD; 3:29)
- Deleted Scene #5 (HD; 2:13)
- Deleted Scene #6 (HD; 2:18)
- Deleted Scene #7 (HD; 2:18)
- Deleted Scene #8 (HD; 2:57)
- Deleted Scene #9 (HD; 1:27)
- Deleted Scene #10 (HD; 00:28)
- Deleted Scene #11 (HD; 2:28)
- Deleted Scene #12 (HD; 00:49)
- Deleted Scene #13 (HD; 2:22)
- Teaser Trailer (HD; 00:40)
- Original Theatrical Trailer (HD; 1:43)
- TV Spot A (HD; 00:30)
- TV Spot B (HD; 00:16)
- TV Spot C (HD; 00:16)
Noroi: The Curse manages to do a couple of interesting things within a general "found footage" (or "found footage" adjacent) context, and the ending is pretty disturbing. Technical merits are decent, with an understanding that video quality is intentionally pretty shoddy looking quite a bit of the time. This disc offers more bounteous supplements than some of the others in the J-Horror Rising collection, for those who may be considering making a purchase.
(Still not reliable for this title)
Ring
1998
Ring 2
1999
Misterios de Ultratumba / Indicator Series
1959
Quella villa accanto al cimitero
1981
1980
Follia omicida
1981
Standard Edition
1985
Operazione paura
1966
着信アリ / Chakushin ari
2003
Pengabdi setan
1982
着信アリ2 / Chakushin ari 2
2005
Ring 0 / Ringu 0: Bâsudei
2000
2006
殭屍
2013
Riget / Riget II / Exodus
1994-2022
곤지암
2018
1990
2009
Ju-on 2
2003
Rasen / らせん
1998