Kakashi (2001) Reviews

• Subtle & Understated Horror

  andrew-2172002-01-11

  Subtle & Understated Horror, & yet all the better for it. I have seen numerous 'horror' films & have to state that the vast majority are derivative & lacking. Kakashi however whilst dealing with a very tired subject matter approaches it in a very atmospheric way, relying on visuals & incidentals rather than narrative & action. I cannot recommend this too highly, & if you want something a little different from the norm, give it a try, I think you may be pleasantly surprised I know I was.

• unnerving and melancholy..

  Nephilim-62003-08-17

  I bought this movie 2 months ago because I like Japanese cinema plus it was cheap(and from the director of Ring 0: Birthday. Yes the Japanese series is superior to the American remake. Even Rasen is more interesting than 'The Ring'.). However I didn't watch it until tonight mainly because it didn't get too many favorable reviews on IMDB. That sad I was bored and decided to watch it. And from the first scene I was drawn in... This movie has a rather creepy but melancholy tension thoughout. It's a slow movie yes but boring? Definatly not. The pacing is just right. It amplifies the mystery of the story. Most people who watch scary movies nowadays just expect cheap scares instead of a truly eery atmosphere thoughout. So I think that is what makes a lot of people dislike this movie. This movie isn't big on the scares, it has some but not many, but what it does is make the viewer wonder. The movie basically is about Kaoru(she's a very pretty girl btw) whose brother is missing. He seems to have gone to visit his girlfriend in a little rural village in the middle of nowhere. That's the last he's heard from. As Koaru goes off to search for him there she finds that things are odd in the village... Everyone seems to be obsessed with a festival(Japan has a lot of festivals for many spiritual things) about scarecrows. And everyone seems to want her to leave and is unwilling to help her... The ending I found wasn't a dud like someone mentioned but more like a very sad one. More I will not say about this movie. You have to watch it for yourself. This isn't a movie for people who like cheap scares. But someone who likes mystery and eery things happening will probably like this movie. very reccomended.

• Wonderful little Japanese horror film.

  HumanoidOfFlesh2005-07-05

  A mysterious letter,the only clue left for Kaoru to search for her missing brother and the reason behind his sudden disappearance.Her blind but relentless search leads the girl to 'Kozakuta-mura',a cursed and insane village where people are mesmerized by the power of the Kakashi(scarecrow).Soon a series of strange things will be set in motion..."Kakashi" by Norio Tsuruta is a typically Japanese supernatural mystery that takes its inspiration from such great horror pictures as "The Wicker Man" and "Pet Sematary".The film is pleasant to watch with some gorgeous cinematography and fine lighting.The soundtrack is minimal and haunting and the mood is well-captured.The main theme in "Kakashi" is the endless cycle of death and rebirth and this is cleverly paralleled with various social concerns throughout.So if you want to see a poetic and atmospheric piece of horror give this one a chance.8 out of 10.

• eerie shots of the Japanese countryside

  christopher-underwood2007-01-11

  Not at all bad! There is always a bit of a problem with the odd scarecrow horrors that there have been and that is basically it's hard to get too scared over a man of straw. This is creepy though and with convincing performances, effective music and beautiful but often eerie shots of the Japanese countryside, this at times reminds one of Wicker Man. Kaoru is searching for her brother and ends up in some sort of village of the damned made out of straw. Not entirely original and not too many heart stopping moments but it does have it's own momentum and plenty of innovative elements to keep one more than interested throughout. Most likable.

• Slow, but sensitive

  mandiapple2002-11-07

  I haven't read the Kakashi manga by Junji Ito that this movie is based on, but I've never known Ito to put a foot wrong yet. I've read a lot of fairly awful reviews of this film - slow, boring etc. - but I kind of have to disagree with them. Yes, Kakashi is a slow-paced film, not much in the way of horror... but it does work very well as a kind of weird drama, although some of the scarecrow scenes are a little... silly, perhaps? The cinematography is lovely, the story is sensitively handled, and the soundtrack is beautiful... and Kou Shibasaki is even more evil than her role as Mitsuko in Battle Royale ;) I enjoyed it a lot and I'd definitely recommend it, but more on a drama basis than a horror - it's really not very scary IMHO, compared to some other Japanese films.