Search - Tales of Terror LiteBox (slimpack) on DVD

HORROR FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD

Mike S. | Milford, MA | 12/07/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Normally I would never buy a subtitled film. I don't like reading subtitles and I always feel that there is something lost in the translation. However, this one is different.

This is not a set of feature movies. Tales Of Terror is an anthology of short horror films and vignettes, some as short as merely 5 or 6 minutes, some as long as 20 minutes. The location and language is Japanese, but there is very little need to read subtitles in this. The eeriness of these short sagas is gripping and requires little dialog to relate.

The stories range from stark horror, to merely strange, and a few are even humorous. Most of these tales center around strange apparitions or hauntings, and many of them involve doors and what might be lurking on the other side. The film director Takashi Shimizu ( director of hit movie The Grudge ) among several other directors make very effective use of hidden horror in these films. The buildup of tension as to what it is making that noise just on the other side of the door, rattling the door handle, rasping in a hoarse voice to be let in..., it does send shivers down your spine. These are not blood-soaked films, though there is plenty of implied violence occuring. Things happen, like elevator doors opening to reveal strange somber people asking a young girl if she's going down, but she's already on the lowest floor of the building. Or a child hearing a knock at the door that neither her mother or sister seems to hear, and a strange voice on the other side claiming to be a relative asking to be let in, but instinct tells the child this person at the door is not who she claims to be. Or a teenager goes for a job interview at a retail clothing store, only to discover that the place is empty of customers and staff, but there is an ominous "dripping" sound coming from somewhere, and small drops of blood seem to be falling from somehwere. I suppose these stories fall mostly into the category of ghost stories, or stories of demonic possession. Some of the short stories are better than others, but overall it's worth buying if you like horror movies and would like to see how they do horror in Japan.

- Mike S."