Search - Ghost Gate on DVD

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pequin | 08/03/2008

(1 out of 5 stars)

"This is a heads up for anyone interested, Ghost Gate is dubbed, there are no audio options. When I press play on the trailers it stops the dvd.
You have been warned."

About average, with an interesting plot

Dancing Ganesha | Bangalore, India | 02/16/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Unlike the other reviewer, I do not think this is the worst movie ever made, it's just that it's about average. I think it veers more as drama than horror, but at the same time, one could also interpret the maliciousness of the group of "friends" in this film as the true horror.

I actually thought this film was quietly eerie in its own way. The only thing I didn't like was the J-pop at the end. Japanese horror always likes to end that way . . . why?"

Badly dubbed and badly filmed

Zack Davisson | Seattle, WA, USA | 01/25/2009

(1 out of 5 stars)

""Ghost Gate" commits the unforgivable sin of a foreign-language DVD; There is no original language track. There is absolutely no reason for a DVD to be produced that doesn't contain a subtitle track along with the original voice track, in this case Japanese. On that basis alone, this is a one-star DVD.

This film is the first in a six-part series called "Series Kyofu Yawa" ("Series Horror Night Tale") that includes Demon Hunting, The Last Coffin, Legend of Ogre, Melocholia and In the Site. Fortunately, I think "Ghost Gate" is the only one in the series to not come with a Japanese-language track, and the remainder probably do not have that problem. The films are all fairly amateur, filmed on video and utilizing a cast with few if any professional credits. One gets the sense that they are largely the director and his friends getting together to make a movie. There is nothing wrong with that, and the results can be a lot of fun to watch. I really enjoyed "Legend of Ogre", and the others I have seen in the series are worth a watch.

"Ghost Gate" director Yamaguchi Makoto is also not exactly a skilled professional, and his only non-amateur credit is the ill-received TV series "Kyofu Gakuen" or "Frightful School". Still, he obviously has a passion for horror and makes good use of limited special effects. Unfortunately, his lack of skill shows as boom mikes and crew-member limbs pop up from time to time taking you right out of the scene.

The story has a group of students spending a weekend in an ancient castle to investigate a murder, for which a 50,000,000 yen reward has been posted. The group fancies themselves as amateur ghost hunters, and this is not their first foray into the spooky unknown. Inside, they find a cellphone with pictures of people getting murdered by a mysterious ghost figure in the background. The group tries to make a speedy exit, but the castle door snaps shut, trapping them inside and the game is on.

I have to say that this was the worst of the "Series Kyofu Yawa", not only for the bad dubbing but the movie as a whole. Like the rest of the series, there are a few Japanese bikini models making appearances, in this case Yabe Miho being the main attraction. But looking good in a bikini doesn't make you a good actress, and she keeps all of her clothes firmly on. There really isn't too much here to recommend, and getting one of Miho's photobooks would be a better use of your money. Definitely one to miss."