JAPANESE FILM FESTIVAL 2023 Horror Highlights
The JAPANESE FILM FESTIVAL is currently running in select Palace Cinemas across Australia and this year’s program includes two horror films; IMMERSION and THE FORBIDDEN PLAY.
IMMERSION
Dir. Takashi Shimizu 2023 | 108 minutes
Genius neuroscientist Tomohiko Kataoka (Daigo Nishihata) relocates to a secluded island to join ‘Shinsekai’, a research team studying the connections between virtual reality technology and neuroscience. However, things take a dark turn when the VR duplicate of the island created by the team flags an eerie glitch in the shape of a mysterious woman in red. When violent drowning deaths start to occur, the island’s deeply rooted shamanic superstitions seem to be the only key to uncovering a terrifying curse claiming lives from beneath the ocean surface.
Directed by Takashi Shimizu, the brain behind J-horror masterpieces such as Ju-On and Marebito, Immersion is an intriguing dive into the dichotomy between technology and tradition, a recurring theme in Japanese cinematic storytelling. Shimizu cleverly ventures into the uncharted waters of virtual reality horror and blends it with the Japanese leitmotif of the female vengeful spirit, while a macabre shamisen soundtrack marks the time until the next victim is consumed by grudgeful waves from a parallel dimension.
Friday 20th October
Palace Raine Square, Perth – Tickets
Palace Barracks, Brisbane – Tickets
Tuesday 24th October
Palace Balwyn, Melbourne – Tickets
Friday 27th October
Palace Norton Street, Sydney – Tickets
The Kino, Melbourne – Tickets
Saturday 28th October
Palace Central Sydney, Sydney – Tickets
Sunday 29th October
The Kino, Melbourne – Tickets
Tuesday 31st October
Palace Norton Street, Sydney – Tickets
THE FORBIDDEN PLAY
Dir. Hideo Nakata 2023 | 110 minutes
When beloved wife and mother Miyuki passes away, her little son Haruto buries one of her fingers in the backyard she cherished dearly, hoping to bring her back to life. As father Naoto watches Haruto chant a resurrection spell, he can hardly bear to tell him there’s no way to bring his mother back. But little does Naoto know, as Haruto repeats his chants daily, something evil is pulsing underground… How could Miyuki ever rest in peace when Naoto turned his back on a family promise?
The Forbidden Play is the film adaptation of the 2019 novel of the same name, written by Karuma Shimizu. Director Hideo Nakata, renowned worldwide for the cultural phenomenon Ring (1998), playfully concocts a mixture of Hollywood and J-horror tropes, creating an unforgettable yet unexpected antagonist who defies the laws of nature. Make way for backyard abomination Miyuki as she crawls through!
Thursday 19th October
Palace Barracks, Brisbane – Tickets
Saturday 21st October
Palace Raine Square, Perth – Tickets
Palace Barracks, Brisbane – Tickets
Thursday 26th October
The Kino, Melbourne – Tickets
Friday 27th October
Palace Balwyn, Melbourne – Tickets
Palace Central Sydney, Sydney – Tickets
Saturday 28th October
The Kino, Melbourne – Tickets
Sunday 29th October
Palace Norton Street, Sydney – Tickets
