Kaidan (2007)

2007
Directed by Hideo Nakata
Starring Kuroemon Onoe, Kumiko Aso and Asaka Seto

We're smack dab in the middle of summer movie season...which means that this is the time of year that I usually get deeper and deeper into the Japanese section of the horror collection.  Don't ask me why.  It's not like it's a tradition that got PLANNED or anything - it just sort of happened.  Some people associate summer with outdoor activities, I associate it with long-haired demon ghosts.  Different strokes and all.
 
Kaidan is a flick directed by the undisputed king of Japanese ghost movies, Hideo Nakata.  From Ringu to Dark Water, he's done it all.  And folks, it simply doesn't get more ghost-y than this movie, a callback to a movie that I reviewed a few weeks ago called called Kwaidan, but these movies share a lot more than just the same name apart from a "W."  Obvious joke alert.  It takes a traditional Japanese folktale, but unlike that classic, Nakata extrapolates his story to the nth degree, making it last for 120 depressing minutes.  I LOVED this movie when I first saw it, but after a few years and many more Japanese horror films, it's lost some of its luster.  With that, let's get to it.

First things first, the movie has a pretty lengthy back story that I'm not going to summarize.  Consult Wikipedia if you're in desperate need of that information.  Suffice to say, there's all kinds of implications for the characters as kids crossing over into their lives as adults, and something about everything coming full circle or such nonsense, but you go to English majors for that kind of analysis.  I'm going to focus on the present (or rather the movie's present, since this film takes place in feudal Japan), where we meet Oshiga, teacher at a school for young girls in Edo.  She meets and eventually falls in love with a charismatic tobacco vendor named Shinkichi, and the two of them agree to live together as husband and wife.  I've said this before, but those last two sentences are like 40 minutes of this flick condensed.  Japanese horror films certainly do love their PACE.

This is a very acting-heavy movie, with Kumiko Aso and Kuroemon Ono taking the roles of Oshiga and Shinkichi, respecively.  There is precious little information out there on the interwebz about these two, but I've got to commend them for being able to take a situation that is't terribly appealing and be able to hold your attention for pretty long stretches of time.  They've also got distinct traits that are fleshed out much better than they are in, say, Jurassic World, with slight hints of Oshiga's obsession bubbling underneath the surface from the get-go while Shinkichi comes across as an affable guy (initially) who nonetheless always wants more than what he has.  This is represented when he begins to flirt with one of Oshiga's students, and this is the beginning of the end for the "happy" section of the movie.  Commence shit hits the fan section.

During a heated argument, Shinkichi accidentally slashes his wife's face with a samurai sword.  They reconcile, but she becomes ill from the wound and eventually dies, making Shinkichi promise to never re-marry or she will haunt him till his dying day.  Ignoring the warning, he immediately runs off with the student he was attracted to.  (Lick Ness Monster cliche time) I think you know where we're headed from here.  The movie manages to get some decent scares out of the premise, however, as vengeful Oshiga's sudden appearances happen at some very unexpected moments.  Nothing that will cause you to conjure up images after the movie is over, but solid stuff nonetheless.

The movie has a lot going for it in the atmosphere and acting departments, but unfortunately, this just isn't a very fun flick to watch.  Not in the way that you'll hate watching it or anything, but there are LONG stretches where you will be desperately trying to think of something else to do.  This was something that didn't leap out at me when I first watched it.  That was 2009, when J-horror as a genre was still something that amazed me on such a deep level after a youth spent devouring slasher flicks that I had yet to apply any sort of scrutiny to the genre as a whole.  Whoa, that last sentence made me vomit.  Kaidan is a different kind of horror movie from, say, Ju-On.  It's a long story of tragedy and loss with no real breaks of coolness to speak of.  In addition, the Shinkichi character is kind of a douche who brings all of the bad stuff to happen upon him, and by the time the final credits roll, what happens to him come across as just desserts.  But not especially in the satisfying way - more of an "it's about time" way. 

If you get the impression that this movie drags, you're right.  There's plenty to admire about this movie, but man, is it a chore. 

*** out of ****.  The flick is worth taking in, but you DEFINITELY have to be in the right mood to watch it.  Preferably in a VERY good mood to give yourself some buffer space.