Marebito

As fascinating as it is troubling, Marebito is a meditation on fear. The central character Masuoka, an independent cameraman played by eccentric Japanese director Shinya Tsukamoto (Tetsuo, A Snake of June) searching for the true meaning of fear, embarks on an allegorical journey through a subterranean labyrinth beneath the bustling city of tokyo. His travels lead him to a young woman, naked and chained to a rock, whom Masuoka frees only to keep her imprisoned in his apartment. Later, it is Masuoka himself who becomes captive to the alluring creature’s appetites.

Shot in just eight days on a small budget, this film does not suffer from its lack of resources. Directed by renowned horror filmmaker Takashi Shimizu, Marebito borrows heavily from horror but steers away from the shock-style terror of his best-known works Ju-On and its American re-make The Grudge. Instead, Shimizu plays with pacing and ferociously builds tension; and without the big “boo!” pay off, he creates a feeling of dread that permeates every frame, lingering with the viewer well after the film has ended.
— James Barone

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