"Noroi: The Curse" Review "Noroi: The Curse" is a Japanese found footage horror film directed by Koji Shiraishi. Released in 2005, this film created quite a buzz among horror movie enthusiasts with its unique storytelling and chilling atmosphere. The movie revolves around paranormal researcher Masafumi Kobayashi, who investigates a series of disturbing occurrences. As he delves deeper into the mysterious events, he uncovers a horrifying curse that has plagued various individuals. One of the most commendable aspects of "Noroi: The Curse" is its realistic approach. The film is shot in a found footage style, utilizing a combination of fictionalized footage and interviews.

Does Shudder’s ‘Noroi: The Curse’ Earn Its Reputation as the Scariest Found Footage Horror Film?

The chances are that if you’re a frequenter of message boards, social media, or any other horror-centric corner of the internet, you’ve heard of Noroi: The Curse , a Japanese found-footage style faux-documentary that’s developed a strong cult following despite it being a not-so-easy to come by title for many years. Touted as one of the must-see scariest films in horror that eschews found footage horror’s typical bad rap, Noroi boasts stellar audience scores on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes. Though released in Japan in 2005, it’s still not had a proper physical release stateside. As a result, diehard fans have repeatedly uploaded it to YouTube only to have it pulled for copyright issues shortly after.

Now that it’s widely available as an exclusive streaming title on Shudder, it’s much easier for genre fans to access the film. But does Noroi live up to the underground hype?

Noroi plays out as a found-footage documentary by paranormal investigator Masafumi Kobayashi (Jin Muraki). Naturally, he went missing shortly after the completion of the documentary. The subject of Kobayashi’s work takes a while to present itself, initially appearing as a series of unrelated paranormal topics by way of various interviews, fieldwork, and TV clips. Emphasis on the slow unfurling; this film clocks in at nearly two-hours long. That languidly slow start plays a significant factor for the film’s detractors.

Eventually, Kobayashi discovers a connection between these random clips; death seems to follow eccentric recluse Junko Ishii (Tomono Kuga) and her young son everywhere they go. Pulling on that thread, Kobayashi starts unraveling the core mystery of a demonic entity named Kagutaba. This mystery and the elaborate mythology drive the film; much of the horror is implied until the final act. Director Kôji Shiraishi ( Grotesque , Sadako vs. Kayako ) employs barely any actual scares at all, forcing viewers to pay close attention to even the most seemingly innocuous of details presented. Shiraishi also skips out on employing many of the trademarks of found footage horror. All of which to say, the film’s power to scare rests solely on the shoulders of its storytelling. The more the dangling threads tie together, the more unsettling it becomes.

The methodical storytelling that ignores traditional atmosphere and scare-crafting combined with the lo-fi VHS quality is the wedge that divides those that love the movie and those that don’t. Admittedly, I fell into the latter upon the first watch. Nearly two hours is far too long for many horror movies, and the first hour does tend to crawl. The ultimate payoff may not feel worth it and certainly didn’t for me at first. But a second watch on Shudder deepened my appreciation for the film, which allowed for better absorption of the nuances and details. Details are crucial to unlocking this film, but patience is just as vital. Of all the found footage/faux documentary-style horror movies out there, Noroi sets itself apart from the pack with its unconventional approach.

Fear is always subjective, of course. Noroi spins a compelling mystery steeped in realism, though the mythology isn’t. Many of the actors play themselves, further blurring the line between reality and fiction. For many, it works. For others, it’ll drag without a satisfying payoff to merit the pacing. Wherever you fall on the spectrum of enjoyment, Noroi ’s place in horror remains fascinating. When it released in Japan in 2005, the J-horror craze in the U.S. had already started to wane. It remained in relative obscurity for years, at least overseas, leaving it up to fans to spread the word and keep it at the forefront of discussion. Over ten years later, the only DVD or Blu-ray offerings are imports, leaving Shudder as the only legal means of viewing.

And that just fuels the hype and mystery surrounding a unique anomaly such as this.

Editorials

‘Shin Godzilla’ – The Lovecraftian Horrors of the Cosmic Monster Movie

November 29, 2023

Monsters have been representing primal fears since time immemorial, and the best of them are capable of adapting to evolving societal fears. From werewolves occasionally becoming metaphors for puberty to zombies going from supernatural slaves to viral consumerism, there’s plenty of multifaceted creatures to choose from. That’s why it’s fitting that the King of the Monsters himself has seen so many wildly different variations over the years.

Originally a physical manifestation of the fear of the atomic bomb, with the first film being produced a mere 7 years after the nuclear destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Godzilla would end up spawning a multimedia franchise as the radioactive dinosaur accidentally became a national icon. Over time, toys, games and countless toned-down sequels ended up diluting the character’s original purpose: to terrify audiences as a giant monster inspired by real-world horrors.

While several of these sequels would attempt to return Godzilla to his previous glory as a horrific antagonist, such as Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (where the original monster’s bones are used to construct an undead cyborg with PTSD) or GMK: Monsters All-Out Attack (where he’s literally possessed by victims of the Japanese Imperial Army), none of these films managed to escape the merchandise-friendly tropes of a traditional kaiju film. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as Godzilla is versatile enough to be an interesting character whether he represents natural balance or atomic energy gone wrong, but it was a shame that Toho mostly refused to fully embrace the scary side of their iconic property.

That is, until the company partnered with Shinji Higuchi (director of the highly successful Attack on Titan adaptations) and Hideaki Anno (creator of the iconic anime Neon Genesis Evangelion) to produce a genuinely frightening throwback to the monster movie that started it all. Titled Shin Godzilla, with the prefix “Shin” meaning “new”, “true” and “God”, this 2016 remake was a colossal success, going so far as to win the Japanese Academy Award for Best Picture as well as several international prizes.

Since its release, there have been plenty of think-pieces about how the movie touches on serious themes like the inherent evils of bureaucracy and the real-world mishandling of the 2011 Fukushima disaster, and while these are all notable parts of what makes this such a compelling cinematic experience, what I love the most about the film is how it’s probably the closest we’ll ever get to seeing a Lovecraftian Kaiju flick – and I think that’s worth discussing.

I don’t think Kong has a chance against this version.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a God-like entity rises out of the sea and proceeds to show humanity just how tiny we are in the cosmic scheme of things, with our protagonists woefully unprepared to deal with the existence of a creature that defies everything we think we know about the world. From The Beast From 20 000 Fathoms (which actually inspired the 1952 Godzilla) to numerous post-Godzilla creature features, this could be the synopsis to any number of giant monster movies, but it’s also a brief summary of H.P. Lovecraft’s first entry in the Cthulhu Mythos, 1919’s Dagon.

Lovecraft obviously doesn’t hold a monopoly on sea-dwelling abominations, and it’s more likely that these monster movies were simply inspired by the same legends that informed his imagination, but the American writer did pioneer the idea of scary stories where primitive beasts actually represent the fear of an uncaring universe. In these stories, the real terror comes from the existential implications of realizing that the antagonists exist in the first place – not from a simple fear of death or destruction. And when you get down to it, I don’t think any monster movie encapsulates this better than Shin Godzilla.

The titular monster is much more than just a radioactive dinosaur in this incarnation, with the creature taking on the added dimension of an otherworldly force meant to punish the world (and more specifically Japan) for its sins. His coming is even foretold by the prophetic scientist Goro Maki, an enigmatic character that sets off the main mystery of the movie but never actually appears onscreen other than a photograph which is actually of the legendary director Kihachi Okamoto.

While a traditional Kaiju flick would have made Goro a central character meant to provide sci-fi exposition rationalizing the monster, Anno’s decision to have the character commit suicide at the beginning of the flick rather than face what was about to happen gives this story yet another similarity with Lovecraft’s dreary yarns and their ill-fated protagonists. And without a source of ancient knowledge to demystify our monster, the film becomes free to explore the fear of the unknown.

Hell, even the soundtrack hints at the idea that this version of Godzilla is not just a simple mutated animal, with the melancholy Who Will Know track featuring chorus lines spoken from the monster’s point of view. The ominous chanting here seems to describe Godzilla’s internal struggle with his own freakish existence, with lyrics suggesting that the beast is in fact a conscious being in an incredible amount of pain.

“A shaft of light is all I need to cease the darkness killing me.”

The soundtrack also features plenty of repurposed music, both from Evangelion as well as the original Godzilla. While the 1952 tracks serve to showcase how Shin is meant to be a return to form for the franchise, the references to Evangelion seem to reflect the common themes between the film and anime. Appropriately enough, Evangelion was an existential deconstruction of the Mecha genre which used giant monster battles as an excuse to dive into the psychological struggles of its main characters while appropriating religious iconography to explore metaphysical concepts. That’s why it makes sense that a film about a newborn God wreaking havoc upon humanity would share some common ground with the iconic anime (which even referred to its monsters as “Angels”).

While these preternatural elements of the movie are fascinating, the truly terrifying moments of Shin Godzilla are the ones closest to reality. Revisiting the film after a global pandemic reframes the entire experience, as watching bumbling government officials tragically mishandle a deadly crisis as deaths continue to mount makes for a decidedly uncomfortable viewing experience after Covid-19. While this clearly wasn’t Anno or Higuchi’s intention, it’s hard not to remember the race for vaccines when characters are forced to negotiate raw materials with factories in order to produce an absurd amount of coagulant to stop Godzilla in his tracks, much like real-world governments had to negotiate with companies to produce and distribute vaccines on an unprecedented scale.

These real-world horrors contribute to the movie’s scare-factor, as unlike a typical monster movie where protagonists are often finding themselves into ridiculous situations in order to justify them being near the main attraction, you’re never afraid for a single character here – you’re afraid for the world. Our heroes never even get close to the radioactive monster, and the final battle is truly won by committees and blue-collar workers, not giant robots or gun-toting action heroes. But even then, the movie makes it clear that it’s only a matter of time before Godzilla may rise again.

In all fairness, for Shin Godzilla to be truly a Lovecraftian piece of fiction, the mere sight of the monster should have been enough to drive the residents of Tokyo to madness and destabilize the entire world (though his cancerous redesign comes close to doing that to viewers). However, while Lovecraftian creations like the tentacled Cthulhu were never meant to be seen as physical beings, with that entire story hinging on how the Old One’s true form and intentions couldn’t be grasped by the human mind, film is a visual medium, and Shin Godzilla is likely as close as we’ll ever get to a big-screen representation of that particular kind of cataclysmic story.

There’s no way of knowing if these Lovecraftian elements were intentional, but there’s no doubt in my mind that Shin Godzilla remains an excellent example of cinematic Cosmic Horror done right. If you need further proof, I’d suggest taking another look at that hauntingly beautiful final shot of the creature’s mutated tail. It works as a horrific visual in and of itself, but the existential implications of that image are what make the ending truly horrifying, and that specific kind of apocalyptic dread is why Shin Godzilla remains my absolute favorite Kaiju flick.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on October 24, 2022.

“That is not dead which can eternal lie, and with strange aeons even death may die.”

Movie Review – Noroi: The Curse

By 2005, J-horror popularity in the United States was peaking. There were so many poorly made and poorly received adaptations that producers began looking elsewhere for something to exploit. That’s a shame because Noroi became a film criminally overlooked by audiences in the States. This is one of the best found-footage horror films I’ve ever seen, and I’m someone who typically hates this subgenre. Noroi works because it doesn’t just stick with the framing of seeing the movie through the eyes of someone walking around, holding a camera the whole time. Instead, it engages in mass media as part of its narrative, cleverly telling its story through complex structures that add up to a single disturbing whole.

Noroi introduces itself as the final video in a series of paranormal investigations by researcher Masafumi Kobayashi. Kobayashi has gone missing since a fire at his home that killed his wife. We’re told by the narrator that this video has been cobbled together with the footage made during the researcher’s final investigation. That mystery begins with him looking into Junko Ishii, a strange woman whose neighbor complains of hearing crying babies coming from her house. Junko is incredibly hostile and speaks strangely to Kobayashi when confronted. Days later, she suddenly moves, and the complaining neighbor and her daughter die tragically off-screen. This only encourages Kobayashi to follow the clues to uncover what is really going on.

The film then begins using segments from fictional television programs. A television comedy duo and their guest, actress Marika Matsumoto visit a supposedly haunted shrine in the forests. She has a seizure and begins sleepwalking afterward. Then there’s the story of Kana Yano, a young girl who appeared with a group of children who had shown psychic abilities. She has the most prevalent displays and even manifests water from thin air. Shortly after appearing on the show, Kana disappears. Kobayashi also meets Mitsuo Hori, a paranoid and mentally unwell man who covers himself and his home in tinfoil. He rants about “ectoplasmic worms” that are everywhere and trying to eat people. He claims to have met Kana and knows that she was taken by something. During his investigation, Kobayashi hears the name “Kagutaba,” and this one word brings him to a rural village where a deep sense of evil pervades the air. The choices he makes as these seemingly disparate people come together will lead to the opening of a door and the arrival of a powerful evil into our universe.

Noroi is such a well-crafted horror story, feeling literary yet working perfectly as a film. I was reminded of horror literature that dabbles in the world of film like House of Leaves or Michael Wehunt’s fantastic short story “October Film Haunt: Under the House.” The exact explanation of what is happening is kept at arm’s length. There are enough pieces to come up with some solid conclusions, but the movie itself leaves things open enough to make speculating after the end credits a lot of fun. The film never falls into the rut many found footage movies do of being too mundane. This is helped with the conceit of the edited and produced video framing. We’re not just watching raw footage; this is something turned into a product to sell by a video production company.

The characters in the movie also feel more alive than many dull ones you’ll find in movies like Paranormal Activity. Kobayashi is arrogant and goes headfirst into situations, thinking he is beyond reproach. Marika feels like someone having a breakdown with reality, unsure of what has happened to her. Mitsuo Hori is a fantastically wild character who is genuinely scary. He is shown to have the ability to see things that ordinary people simply cannot, and for most of the film, we don’t get to see them. There’s a jarring moment at the end of the second act where the camera gets to see through Hori’s eyes briefly, and it is nightmarish, unlike anything I’ve seen in another movie. Because these characters feel like they have lives off-screen, it adds to the fictional reality of Noroi and absorbs the audience deeper.

The funny thing about Noroi is that the film is devoid of any conventional scares. There are no moments designed to jolt the audience or any shocking reveals until close to the end. The horror is about as slow-burning as it gets, creeping dread that’s cultivated by small little pieces falling into place. Kana’s strange appearance as a young psychic on tv raises some questions. Marika finds she’s knotting yarn in her sleep to make a peculiar pattern over and over. Hori rambles about the worms being everywhere. People tell stories about hearing noise from a neighbor. Much like Ringu, none of this is scary on its own, but the director is building up to something. By the time we’re in the middle of nowhere searching for a town buried underwater due to the construction of a dam, it feels like the tension is on the verge of exploding.

Noroi is also a film that might not feel like it was worth it immediately. That slow burn doesn’t necessarily explode in the third act. It is, however, a film that rewards close viewing and rewatching. A second viewing will reveal how seeds of what was to come were so cleverly planted in pieces of dialogue or seemingly innocuous details. You begin to see how unconventional Noroi is in the found footage genre compared to the more famous American counterparts. This isn’t following a formula, and it demands patience from its viewers. Because Noroi plays with the form of found footage, it never fails to surprise at every turn, a truly unique entry in the genre.

‘Noroi: The Curse’ 2005 Review

Noroi has a little bit of a reputation. Initially released in Japan in 2005 it came at the tail end of the J-Horror boom in the US and never received a physical release here. Instead, it became an underground, cult experience. Shared on file-swapping sites and bootleg DVDs on eBay. Viewing it as a grainy, low-quality dub could only have enhanced its low-fi charms. It became almost an urban legend – the found-footage movie that was actually scary.

Not that I was aware of that reputation. My first experience with Noroi was almost casual. I had been looking for something J-Horror (or K-Horror or any Asian horror really) and stumbled across Sadako vs Kayako on Shudder. I couldn’t bring myself to watch it – I really enjoyed Ringu, Ju-On and their US remakes and I senses only disappointment coming from watching a film where those two characters clashed. (And I say this as someone who actually enjoyed Freddy vs Jason.)

I did see that they had a film called Noroi: The Curse by the same director, Kôji Shiraishi. Not necessarily a high recommendation, I know, but it looked like an early Japanese found footage horror film, which is an uncommon genre. (If you’re watching J-Horror found-footage it’s probably a Kôji Shiraishi film, actually.) I looked up the director, and realized I’d seen at least one of his films, Shirome, another found footage flick. I didn’t remember much about it (other than the butterfly imagery and a lot of screaming girls), but it was enough to make me take the plunge. “Five minutes,” I thought. “if it doesn’t catch me in five minutes I’ll bail and find something else.”

Well, it caught me.

It was only later that I realized the film was “internet famous” in certain horror circles. I’m glad I stumbled on it, rather than having it built up for me into something that couldn’t possibly live up to the hype, as underground as that hype might be. Which, I do realize, I’m engaging in a bit of with this introduction. Let me just wrap up this ramble by saying that, while it’s not the scariest found footage movie I’ve ever seen, it’s very effective, creepy and unsettling in a way most found-footage films are not and it’s become one of my favorites of the genre.

The Medium
Noroi is a Shudder exclusive and has been for a few years now. The quality is as good as you can expect for a film that appears to have been shot in standard definition on various media (including VHS tape). (That’s consistent with the context of the film, and not a budget consideration.)

In the US you can only rent or purchase the film via iTunes. There are no DVD or Blu-ray releases.

The Movie
Noroi: The Curse is a film-within-a-film, in that the framing sequence – a matter of a few minutes introduction and ending – is presenting the final work of a ‘well known’ journalist and paranormal expert, Masafumi Kobayashi (Jin Muraki). The majority of the film is presented as the actual documentary – finished before Kobayashi disappeared after a fire at his home that resulted in the death of his wife.

This is a great choice and allows for pacing, music, repetitive visuals, slow motion and generally all of the filmmaking tricks one uses when creating a documentary to try and tell a story. (An approach used in one of my other favorite found-footage films, Lake Mungo.) There’s no need to have long sequences of running through the woods with vague shouting (although, to be fair, there is a bit of that) or people saying things people would never actually say in order to get information across. We get newspaper clippings, segments from Japanese reality TV shows, interviews and footage from various sources edited together to create tension and mood, while still maintaining that ‘realistic’ feeling. And of course you’ve got a cameraman and a documentary filmmaker – the perfect excuse to keep the cameras rolling when most people would have dropped the damn thing and beat feet.

Kobayashi’s documentary is called The Curse (natch) and details his final investigation, starting with a woman’s call about a strange neighbor and developing through to a final exploration of the events in and around a ‘drowned’ village (flooded by a damn). Along the way we’ll see psychic kids, tinfoil hat (and clothes) wearing conspiracy theorists, strange knots, possessed TV stars, suicidal pigeons, ancient shrines and much more besides. It sounds like a lot – and it is – but here the films length actually works for it, allowing all these disparate threads to slowly weave together, forming a tapestry of unsettling events and people.

At nearly two hours the film is perhaps overlong, but it works for me. Noroi is not a film that depends on the usual half-glimpsed figures in the background or lound-noise jump scares. It’s filmed as a documentary, so if you see something weird they’re going to rewind and show it to you again in slow motion. The weird noise will get taken to an audio specialist and isolated so we can get a clear idea of what we heard. It’s the bright lights and accumulating mass of information that lead to the unease and dread, and you need time to build that up. I started off a little bored and ended up creeped out in the dark in my basement, unable to pinpoint the exact moment that I’d bought in again.

I’m avoiding a clear discussion of the plot of the film, in part because this is a movie the relies on the journey more than most. It’s how you start to put the events, people and images together in your own head that makes for much of the horror.

There are a few missteps in execution and not every actor is as good as the leads, but to be honest I’m only thinking about those things in retrospect. They didn’t bother me while I was watching – I was pretty engrossed. There’s also one dodgy piece of CGI, but it was horrific enough in context that I didn’t notice until the film re-used it later. The scares are more in a growing sense of unease and the creepiness of realizing what’s going on. There are some jump scares, but they’re few and used to good effect. I found the ending pretty clear (and horrifying), but some might find it either too ambiguous or too flat.

The Bottom Line
Noroi is an extremely effective horror movie – in mood and execution it reminds me of Junji Ito’s work, though not as gory or bizarre as they tend to end up. There’s a great mood and the sense of being unsettled by what you’re seeing. It’s in the unsaid things that slowly add up and the implications you’re led to. One of the best found footage movies I’ve seen and highly recommended.

Still not up for watching Sadako vs Kayako, though.

The film is shot in a found footage style, utilizing a combination of fictionalized footage and interviews. This immersive technique adds to the authenticity of the events and makes the viewing experience more unsettling. The slow-burn pacing of the story works effectively in building tension and suspense throughout the film.

The audience is gradually immersed in the dark world of supernatural entities and occult practices. The eerie atmosphere combined with the grainy footage creates a sense of unease that persists until the very end. The film's narrative structure is unconventional, featuring multiple interconnected storylines and characters. This complexity adds layers to the plot and keeps the viewer engaged. Each thread uncovers a different piece of the puzzle, gradually revealing the true extent of the curse. Furthermore, the film's visual effects are subtle yet effective, adding to the overall creepiness. The use of natural elements, such as water and fire, to depict supernatural occurrences enhances the eerie ambiance. The sound design also complements the visuals, with ambient noises and distant whispers amplifying the sense of dread. "Noroi: The Curse" stands out as a thought-provoking horror film that explores themes of spirituality, folklore, and the consequences of meddling with the supernatural. It showcases the dark underbelly of Japanese folklore and the terrifying ramifications of unearthing ancient secrets. However, despite its many positive qualities, the film does suffer from a few drawbacks. Some viewers may find the slow pacing and complex narrative structure confusing or tedious. Additionally, the use of shaky camera footage may be unsettling to some and make it difficult to fully discern certain details. In conclusion, "Noroi: The Curse" is a masterfully crafted horror film that delivers an intense and chilling experience. Its realistic approach, eerie atmosphere, and thought-provoking narrative make it a standout in the genre. Although not without its flaws, this film is a must-watch for fans of Japanese horror and anyone seeking a spine-tingling supernatural thriller..

Reviews for "The Haunting and Atmospheric Cinematography of Noroi the Curse"

- John Doe - 1 star - I don't understand why people find "Noroi the curse" scary or enjoyable. The movie was slow-paced and the story was confusing. The constant use of found footage only added to the headache. I was just waiting for something to happen throughout the entire film, but it felt like a never-ending buildup with no payoff. Save your time and watch something else.

- Jane Smith - 2 stars - I had high hopes for "Noroi the curse" after hearing all the positive reviews, but I was sadly disappointed. The film lacked a coherent plot and the characters weren't well developed. I couldn't connect with any of them and it made it difficult to invest in the story. The scares were also lacking and I found myself bored most of the time. Maybe I just don't appreciate this particular subgenre, but I wouldn't recommend it.

- Robert Johnson - 1 star - "Noroi the curse" was a complete waste of time. The constant use of shaky cam and found footage style made me feel dizzy and nauseous. The story was convoluted and hard to follow, and the scares were predictable and overdone. I found myself uninterested and wanting the movie to end as soon as possible. Not worth watching.

- Sarah Thompson - 2 stars - I'm not a fan of found footage horror movies, and "Noroi the curse" did not change my perspective. The constant use of handheld cameras made it difficult to see what was happening, and the storyline was confusing at best. There were a few moments that had potential for scares, but they were overshadowed by the overall messiness of the film. Maybe fans of this subgenre would appreciate it more, but it wasn't for me.

Unraveling the Secrets of the Paranormal in Noroi the Curse

Noroi the Curse: A Hidden Gem of Japanese Horror Films

Noroi the Curse: A Terrifying Masterpiece of Japanese Horror