Noroi: The Curse is a Japanese found-footage horror film directed by Koji Shiraishi. Released in 2005, the film gained notoriety for its unique and terrifying storytelling approach. While marketed as a work of fiction, Noroi: The Curse blurs the line between reality and fantasy, leaving many viewers wondering if the events portrayed in the film are based on true events. The movie follows the story of Masafumi Kobayashi, a paranormal investigator, as he delves into the mysterious circumstances surrounding a cursed woman named Junko Ishii. Through documentary-style footage and interviews, the film gradually uncovers a dark and disturbing network of supernatural occurrences, ancient rituals, and tragic deaths. One notable aspect of Noroi: The Curse is its ability to create a sense of unease and fear by leveraging traditional Japanese horror elements.
Recap / Noroi: The Curse
Noroi the Curse focuses of Masafumi Kobayashi, who makes documentaries from his investigations into the supernatural. However, the film reveals that after completing work on his latest project, "The Curse", he disappeared and his house burned down, his wife Keiko found dead in the ruins. The documentary is labelled as being too scary for public eyes, and the idea is that the audience is privately viewing it.
In 2003, Kobayashi and his camerman Miyajima visit a woman and her daughter who claim to hear strange noises coming from next door. The duo investigate, encountering the disturbing Junko Ishi, spotting her unnamed prepubscent son watching them from a window. They take a recording of the strange noises to an analyst who identifies them as multiple crying babies, despite Junko's neighbor claiming to have never seen any trace of an infant on Junko or her home. Just days later, Kobayashi learns that Junko has moved out of her house and the noises have stopped. He and Miyajima find dead pigeons scattered around Junko's abandoned house. Days after that, Junko's neighbour and her daughter die in a car crash, the mother having driven into oncoming traffic.
The film then splits into several subplots which all link to one another. On a Japanese Variety Show, ten children who have displayed Psychic Powers are put to the test to see who has the strongest abilities. Only one, a girl named Kana Yano, shows true talent, summoning water into a flask which has some kind of hair in it. The water is from a lake, and the hair from a newborn baby. Kobayashi visits the Yano family, learning Kana has become tired and depressed following the show, and her powers are erratic, launching an entire dinner set off a table. Not long after, Kana disappears. Her parents point Kobayashi to the peculiar medium Mitsuo Hori, a fidgety Cloudcuckoolander, who wears a tinfoil hat and coat, lives in a tinfoil-coated home, and claims that ectoplasmic worms took Kana. He freaks out when Kobayashi visits him, but is able to draw a crude map of a blue-coloured apartment block, hinting that is where Kana is, and asks what something called "Kagutaba" is, apparently hearing it with his ESP. The camera Miyajima is using to record these events experiences a strange glitch wherein the visual portion of the footage obtained during Hori's Freak Out is replaced with a still image of with a large number of crude masks. Kobayashi and Miyajima find the apartment, and watch as the owner, Osawa, takes pigeons inside, moving in an oddly calm manner. Like Kana, he disappears.
Meanwhile, Marika Matsumoto - who claims to have ESP - goes ghost hunting with two comedians to a remote shrine that is rumored to be haunted to get footage for a tv program, but the trip is cut short when she experiences a bizarre episode - she claims to hear voices, getting increasingly nervous due to a bad feeling, and finally screams wildly and falls to the ground while looking at an empty spot off in the distance. Marika begins sleepwalking as a result, drawing bizarre looping imagery. Kobayashi records her sleepwalking, discovering she has made a looping noose from an electrical cord. Loud noises can be heard in the footage, actually coming from the next floor, but Marika's neighbour Midori denies hearing anything. An unheard voice is also detected and speaks "Kagutaba". Finding a link between Kana's disappearance and Marika's behaviour, Kobayashi researches the phrase. Marika admits the voice sounds like one she heard at the shrine. It is also revealed that the 'empty spot' Marika was looking at was actually manipulated via film editing techniques to look empty - in truth, the camera that was recording Marika and the two comedians saw a bizarre quasi-human semi-translucent figure standing there.
He meets an historian, who explains that Kagutaba is actually a demon - though he suspect that 'demon' was just a convenient term for the villagers to use to describe an entity they did not understand the nature of - who was summoned by a community of sorcerers in a village called Shimokage, demolished in 1978 to make room for a dam. Kagutaba was summoned to bring disaster upon the village's enemies, acting as a sort of spiritual assassin, but turned against the villagers. The village then punished the demon by trapping him underground, and annually perform a ritual to pacify Kagutaba, or he could possibly escape. Kobayashi then visits a cultural archivist, Tanimura, who shows Kobayashi the filmed footage of Shimokage's last performed ritual before the village was destroyed. The ritual is shown, Kagutaba depicted as a red demon with a deformed Nightmare Face, seen throughout the film. However, the ritual goes wrong when the priest's daughter, dressed as the demon - falls to the ground screaming, just like Mariko did earlier in the film - possessed by Kagutaba. Troublingly, this happens in spite of the ritual being performed correctly, leaving us with no explanation as to how Kagutaba overcame it. Tanimura tells Kobayashi that the villagers of Shimokage all relocated to one specific neighborhood, and directs him to it. He also reveals that the woman who became possessed during the ritual is Junko Ishi.
Kobayashi investigates Junko's past. His attempts at getting information from the relocated villagers is met with dead end after dead end, as the inhabitants refuse to speak to him after he mentions Junko. One villager does speak to him, revealing Junko worked at a clinic that performed abortions - including illegal, late term abortions - helping to dispose of aborted foetuses, but was rumored to have stolen them. It is also noted that every home in this neighborhood has a pet dog, and a sickle near every door - which Tanimura mentioned was a traditional, superstitious way of keeping out evil spirits.
Marika informs Kobayashi that Midori committed suicide, hanging herself in a playground with several strangers using the same nooses she had been forging. Another one of the dead is noneother than Osawa. Kobayashi allows Marika to live with his wife. Midori and Osawa were implied to worship Kagutaba, and it is revealed that for a time, Junko lived next to Osawa, likely introducing the demon cult to him. In a news report, Kana's father is arrested for stabbing his wife. Oddly, he turned himself in, and seems to not know why he did it.
Marika begins showing signs of demonic possession whilst living at Kobayashi's house, and several pigeons kill themselves outside the house. Kobayashi decides to visit Junko again, going to Hori again, and shows him the footage of Junko, but he freaks out the moment she becomes visible in the video. Marika asks Kobayashi to take her to the dam so they can perform the ritual and pacify Kagutaba. Hori is convinced to come as well. They pass through Junko's neighborhood, noting it is quiet and all of the dogs are missing. They reach the dam, Kobayashi and Marika set out in a boat to the middle of the lake to perform the ritual. It is seemingly successful, as - after a brief fainting spell - Marika is apparently completely free of Kagutaba's influence. However, Hori starts freaking out again, claiming Kana is up the mountainside and runs off to look for her, pursued by Kobayashi. Miyajima and Marika wait in the car, but the latter starts showing possession again and flees into the woods, chased by Miyajima.
In the forest, Kobayashi and Hori discover the village dogs have been ritualistically mutilated, and a summoning circle has been formed around the old Shimokage shrine using wires and pigeon body parts. Kobayashi's camera cuts out and switches to night vision, revealing a ghostly Kana covered in undead baby foetuses, and wearing ceremonial robes, but the image vanishes when Kobayashi returns his camera to normal. Marika miraculously returns to normal, but she and the stunned Hori are rushed to hospital. Hori is committed to a mental health facility shortly after.
Kobayashi and Miyajima break into Junko's house to confront her, finding in it a ton of trash, various dead animals, and shrine to worshipping Kagutaba, complete with the collection of masks from the camera glitch earlier. Junko has hung herself. They find Kana's corpse, with Junko's unnamed son silently watching over her. Kobayashi sympathetically adopts the boy, believing he may not even be Junko's child, as there is no official record of his existence. Marika recovers from everything and returns to her acting career. Kobayashi revisits Tanimura, who finds a scroll in his grandfather's collection which describes how Kagutaba was originally summoned, involving the sacrifice of animals - including baby monkeys which the medium devoured - to call forth the demon. Kobayashi surmises that Junko was trying to replicate the ritual, kidnapping Kana and forcefeeding her aborted fetuses.
Kobayashi disappears two days later and his house burns down. Hori escapes the mental institute, but is found three days after the fire, cruelly mangled and shoved into a ventilation shaft. A month later, Miyajima receives a video camera from Kobayashi, revealing what happened on the night he disappeared. Hori was living at the Kobayashi household, and proclaimed that Kagutaba is still alive before attacking Junko's son with a rock. Kobayashi's camera briefly glimpsing the boy's face transformed into that of Kagutaba, implying the boy is acting as a host for the demon, or is the demon himself. Kana's ghost appears in a corner. Keiko and Hori are possessed by Kagutaba, Hori suddenly calming down and striking Kobayashi with a rock, before leaving with the boy. Keiko then sets herself on fire, regaining her senses just in time to suffer through a painful death while her husband watches, helpless.
Noroi the curse true story
The genius of Kōji Shiraishi’s 2005 found-footage epic Noroi: The Curse is that it presents itself as a film edited together after the fact. This allows it to cut between two cameras at crucial moments and to kid itself by adding schlocky music and intertitles that undersell the real horror that coils during its two hours. It allows Shiraishi to interrupt the narrative with seemingly innocuous or irrelevant footage, like a clip from a children’s variety show, or to fake out the viewer by letting the credits roll before giving us one of the ghastliest and most satisfying endings in the history of horror. Most crucially, it gives Shiraishi a way to work around the most common complaint about horror movies, which is why everyone is always acting with such disregard for their lives and the lives of others. Why would you split up to cover more ground? Why would you go in that abandoned building?
The hero of The Curse is Masafumi Kobayashi (Jin Muraki), a middle-aged ghost-hunter with a friendly, apple-cheeked face. The Curse is presented as his last documentary — his last, of course, because he disappeared after finishing it — as it’s aired on a late-night television program. We learn that he started writing books and then began filming his exploits, and we get a montage of interviews with witnesses to the supernatural (but no supernatural events). By all professional standards, Kobayashi is an excellent journalist. He’s persistent, understanding, a hard worker; at one point, he drives through an entire city looking for a single blue building. He’s also a man whose job is to make the stupid decisions people in horror movies have been making for generations. “No matter how horrifying, I want the truth,” goes his mantra, quoted at the beginning of the film as if to eulogize him. And as much as we like Kobayashi and admire his commitment to his work, his willingness to endanger the lives of others on his search for good footage becomes the one thing we can’t forgive him for. It leads directly to what happens in that final scene, the moment when this movie from horror’s most disreputable genre earns the importance of tragedy.
Masafumi Kobayashi (Jin Muraki) in Noroi: The Curse. (Xanadeux)
The Curse is a little disorienting at first. Scenes appear that seem like self-contained vignettes, like the variety show scene that becomes so much scarier and sadder when you watch it again and remember what was contained in that glass of water. Supernatural events are few, far between, and usually minor for much of the movie, which unspools in such a way that you might not be entirely sure of what you think of it until it’s finally and truly over. The Curse is as much a horror movie as a detective story, and the scenes that don’t deal with demons and ghosts mostly consist of Kobayashi interviewing people, snooping around derelict sites, following leads as he investigates the disappearance of a girl named Kana Yano (Rio Kanno).
Two other key characters emerge. Mitsuo Hori (Satoru Jitsunashi) is a character we initially distrust or suspect. Covered in tinfoil, hair unkempt and eyes bugging out, he’s the cartoon image of a conspiracy-theorist shut-in. He’s violent and erratic, psychic but in no way the master of his powers, and the most heroic character in the whole movie. He’s as committed to finding the missing girl as Kobayashi, but while we suspect Kobayashi is more motivated by his unceasing quest for the “truth” than his concern for the girl’s welfare, Hori seems to physically feel the grief around him and often seems at the verge of tears. At one pivotal moment, Hori runs into the woods mournfully wailing Kana’s name, and there’s something a little perverse about the way Kobayashi waddles along behind him, holding his camera out in front. When Hori meets his demise we feel sorry for him, not least because we understand his actions were altruistic.
Marika Matsumoto in Noroi: The Curse. (Xanadeux)
Marika Matsumoto is a real actress, playing herself. I’m not sure of her reputation in Japan and how it would affect a viewer’s experience of the film to know who she is. As far as the plot of The Curse is concerned, she’s been haunted by a supernatural presence since she was a child and tags along with the crew to undo her own curse. Her face is often illuminated by bright lights so that her skin becomes luminous and her facial features indistinct, like those of a ghost. Her job is to be a damsel in distress, but even as she writhes hysterically on the ground we never get the sense that she’s in danger or a danger to others, and her personality doesn’t develop like those of the other characters. I’m not sure how much she’s needed in the plot besides as a living embodiment of its found-footage conceit, but few people would ever be fooled into thinking The Curse is a record of real events; Shiraishi didn’t forget to give himself a huge credit on the screen at the beginning before the “program” starts.
Together — along with the silent cameraman Miyajima, who makes me think of the joke about Bear Grylls’ cameraman being more badass than he is because he has to do all the same stunts while lugging around a bunch of equipment — they journey into a labyrinth of ancient rituals and folklore. While most of Kobayashi’s early footage takes place on city streets and in apartment buildings, the long sequence at the heart of the film takes place in the countryside, just as the sun conveniently sets. Many of the portents we find in the film are natural: dying pigeons, animal cries, river water far from its source. We learn that the construction of a dam played a part in unleashing a demon. It’s suggested early on that Kobayashi’s shift from writing books to making documentaries codified his obsession, and even his camera cannot always be trusted. The Curse is not an anti-technology screed, but there’s the suggestion that all of modern life and society is perilously perched above a yawning unknown of ghosts and demons and things too ancient to understand.
Mitsuo Hori (Satoru Jitsunashi) in Noroi: The Curse. (Xanadeux)
And then there’s the business with the baby. Is this an anti-abortion film? There’s a scene near the end where Kobayashi visits a clinic where abortions were once performed, and the camera zooms in on a living infant. This mirrors a shot very early on where the camera zooms in on a young girl’s face as her mother discusses the possibility of infant ghosts. The revelation of why there are infant ghosts is one of the most horrifying things in the whole movie, and it wouldn’t be hard for a pro-lifer to argue that a ritualistic massacre of babies isn’t meaningfully different from abortion. But if this is the message of The Curse, it doesn’t insist on it.
Its true message, I believe, can be found in that final scene. Only one death occurs onscreen in the entire movie. Take note of who it is and why it happened, and then think back to poor Kobayashi — the man who only wanted the truth, no matter how horrifying, but had no idea how bad it could really be.
One notable aspect of Noroi: The Curse is its ability to create a sense of unease and fear by leveraging traditional Japanese horror elements. The film takes inspiration from Japanese folklore, incorporating concepts such as vengeful spirits, curse rituals, and possession into its narrative. It also incorporates urban legends and explores the occult through various characters and events.
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Holy Horror: Noroi the Curse and the Importance of Folk Rituals
Hello and welcome to the first Holy Horror! Scriptophobic’s very own comparative religion meets horror movie analysis column. To get this off on the right foot, I decided to start with Koji Shirashi’s 2005 mockumentary Noroi: the Curse. The title should sound familiar to my Everything But Bone readers, as I’ve mentioned this film a few times. I chose Noroi because I wanted to start with a religion that wasn’t Christianity, and because it’s a terrifying folk horror story.
The film is one of the better entries in the horror mockumentary genre. It does not cross into found footage or shaky cam until the end and by then the element is earned. Noroi follows a Japanese paranormal investigator named Masafumi Kobayashi (Jin Muraki) as he investigates small incidents of strangeness which soon connect into a larger curse. The audience already knows this isn’t going to end well as the opening tells you Kobayashi’s house burned down shortly after completing the documentary. His wife Keiko’s body was found inside and he himself is declared missing.
Noroi is meant to be the in-universe documentary Kobayashi made before his disappearance. He and his loyal cameraman, Miyajima, gradually realize the cause of the problems come from an entity called Kagutaba. This is a being responsible for, among other things, accidents, dead pigeons, apparitions, and the kidnapping of a little girl named Kana who appears to have ESP.
Shinto Shrines are the religious spots Noroi emphasizes. Shinto shrines are where kami, or spirits, live. The shrines are important to the communities they belong to, and this is why the forgotten shrine at Shimokage village is the main thread of the plot. While the horror does not come from the shrine itself, the forced neglect allowed the evil to be unleashed. Because of the struggle between folk tradition and modernity, the location was flooded to make a reservoir, thus preventing the shrine from being properly tended to.
The demon Kagutaba may have religious (I use the term loosely) origin, however religion does provide help to Kobayashi and his allies. Part of why this is effective is because Kobayashi himself. He is one of the gentler paranormal investigators in the genre. He is kindhearted towards all he encounters (for better or for worse). When the mystery deepens, he listens to the folk historians about Shimokage’s rituals and what to do about Kagutaba, and then does what they recommend.
I am not an expert about Japanese culture in any way, but the country and its society are probably more important than religion when it comes to Noroi’s themes, specifically the Japanese treatment of the mentally ill and abortion. Japan does not have the best mental health system, and this is one of the reasons the evil is able to get so far. The characters of Hori and Kagutaba helper Junko Ishii are clearly mentally ill from their first appearances. Hori is a psychic who dresses in tinfoil and has a hat made of the same material. His house is even layered with tinfoil. A lesser film would have played Hori for laughs, but what happens to him is meant to be tragic. Junko is a disturbed woman who lives in filth with a young boy who is later revealed to not be her son. No one with authority checked on Junko and the child. A demon verses CPS never ends well, but Japanese social services are limited to begin with.
Junko’s taking of the aborted fetuses appeared to me as a perversion of the Japanese Mizuko kuyo or water baby memorial service. This ritual has Buddhist origins and became popular in the 1970’s. After a miscarriage, stillbirth, abortion, or death of an infant, a woman and her family make offerings to Jizo, a bodhisattva who protects children as a way to make peace for the loss. Since Noroi is a horror film, children do not find peace here.
Yeah, this isn’t the column where I talk about visual storytelling but we do need to discuss how the horror is presented to the viewers. Many of the frightening moments happen either in daylight or in well-lit areas. Audiences have a clear view of what is going on and this is especially effective as Noroi does not rely on jump scares to be scary. Your imagination is left to fill in the blanks, and that is always worse. Even the big bad Kagutaba is primarily represented by masks, clay icons, or drawings. And when he does show up in the flesh (for less than two seconds) it’s chilling.
I believe that Noroi: the Curse is one of the best of the best within its subgenre. The story would not have worked as effectively outside the mockumentary format. The veneer of reality adds to its uncomfortableness. Actresses Marika Matsumoto and Maria Takagi, among others, are credited as themselves. And at times, the film reminded me of true crime documentaries with its glimpses of new reports. Horror has forever been a genre to discuss social issues and even though I would not say Noroi is the best example of the former, the themes can’t be easily dismissed by critical viewers.
As for the religious aspects, they are treated with respect by the characters and plot. Noroi could have added unneeded drama by having Kobayashi not believe in the curse as many other films do. Folk wisdom and compassion are what’s valued as important here. Even though, as Kana says “I guess it’s too late for us all.”
Next Time: Holy Horror examines an intimate look at a cult for Women in Horror Month.
This blend of traditional and modern horror elements adds to the film's chilling atmosphere. What contributes to the film's alleged authenticity is the use of found-footage style, a technique popularized by films like The Blair Witch Project. By presenting the events as raw and real, Noroi: The Curse succeeds in blurring the boundaries between fact and fiction. Some viewers have even reported feeling genuinely terrified and disturbed by the film's dark imagery and unsettling tone. Despite its success and the speculation surrounding its authenticity, Noroi: The Curse remains a work of fiction. However, its skillful use of storytelling techniques, its incorporation of traditional Japanese horror elements, and its ambiguous portrayal of reality have made it a cult favorite among horror fans. Whether the events depicted in the film are true or not, Noroi: The Curse stands as a chilling and haunting piece of horror cinema that continues to captivate audiences to this day..
Reviews for "The Unexplained Paranormal Events in Noroi: The Curse"
1. John - 1 star
I found "Noroi the curse true story" to be extremely disappointing. Despite the promising premise of a documentary-style horror film, the movie failed to deliver any real scares or suspense. The pacing was slow and the story never really came together cohesively. I found myself bored and unengaged throughout the entire film. The found footage style also seemed poorly executed, with shaky camera work that made it difficult to follow the action. Overall, I would not recommend "Noroi the curse true story" to anyone looking for a genuinely terrifying horror film.
2. Emily - 2 stars
I had high hopes for "Noroi the curse true story" after reading some positive reviews, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. The film lacked originality and relied heavily on tired horror tropes. The scares were predictable and lacked any real impact. The characters also felt underdeveloped and I struggled to connect with any of them. The documentary format, while initially intriguing, became tiresome as the film progressed. It felt like a missed opportunity to tell a truly compelling story. Overall, "Noroi the curse true story" failed to live up to its potential and left me feeling unsatisfied.
3. Sarah - 2 stars
I was not impressed with "Noroi the curse true story". The film appeared to promise a terrifying and chilling experience, but it never quite delivered. The plot felt disjointed and confusing, with numerous loose ends that were left unresolved. The scares were few and far between, and when they did occur, they felt lackluster and uninspired. The pacing was also off, with long stretches of the movie dragging on without any real progression. Overall, I found "Noroi the curse true story" to be a forgettable and underwhelming horror film that failed to leave a lasting impression.
4. Mike - 1 star
"Noroi the curse true story" was a complete waste of time for me. The story was convoluted and hard to follow, and I couldn't connect with any of the characters. The scares were predictable and felt forced, failing to elicit any genuine fear. The found footage style, which can be effective when done well, was poorly executed in this film. The shaky camera work was headache-inducing and added nothing to the overall viewing experience. I would not recommend "Noroi the curse true story" to anyone looking for a well-crafted and genuinely scary horror film.