「まあ、一番のピークは本当に扉を開けたのは「リング」だったと思いますが。」
“Well, I think the biggest peak was “Ring” which really opened the door.”

Tracing the origins of Japanese horror films at the turn of the millennium, films featuring vengeful ghosts manifesting through contemporary technology against a backdrop of urban alienation and social decay.

With The J-Horror Virus, Sarah Appleton and Jasper Sharp retrace the origins of what is now called J-Horror. Through film clips and interviews, the filmmakers demonstrate the importance of this phenomenon.

Visually sober

The J-Horror Virus aims to show how a new strain of horror emerged at the turn of the millennium in Japan and conquered the world. To do so, the duo of directors opts for a certain sobriety. They present interviews with Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Cure, Pulse), Takashi Shimizu (Ju-On, Marebito), Rie Inoo (Sadako in Ring), Takako Fuji (Kayako in Ju-On), Masayuki Ochiai (Infection, Shutter), Shinya Tsukamoto (Marebito), Joji Iida (Spiral), Norio Tsuruta (Scary True Stories, Ring 0), Chiaki Konaka (Psychic Vision Jaganrei, Marebito), Teruyoshi Ishii (Psychic Vision: Jaganrei), as well as authors Tom Mes and Lindsay Nelson.

These talking-head interviews give voice to those who founded this cinematic movement. In a way, they could be compared to Truffaut and Godard and the New Wave. Yes, J-Horror had a similar impact.

To complete the picture, Sarah Appleton and Jasper Sharp add sequences from the most important films of this wave. Ring and Ju-On are the ones that come back the most. A bit more variety would have been appreciated, as well as less repetition in the chosen scenes. But the choices remain effective and relevant.

Fascinating 

The J-Horror Virus is a feature-length documentary that traces the origins, evolution, and global diffusion of a particular genre of purely Japanese supernatural horror films that infiltrated the world’s consciousness at the turn of the millennium, films featuring vengeful ghosts manifesting through contemporary technology, against a backdrop of urban alienation and social decay.

The documentary calculates that the beginning of this genre dates back to Teruyoshi Ishii’s 1988 mockumentary Psychic Vision: Jaganrei and the direct-to-video film series Scary True Stories (1991/92) by Norio Tsuruta. Moreover, we understand that, contrary to what one might believe in America, Blair Witch Project did not invent the found footage style.

It also analyzes other key titles such as Hideo Nakata’s Ring (1998), Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Pulse (2001), and Takashi Shimizu’s Ju-On: The Grudge (2002). The critics and filmmakers featured in the film reflect on how the dark dystopian visions and disturbing atmospheres that made these works so unique have infiltrated the world. The central question remains how, suddenly, the West became enamored with typically Japanese themes.

It is also interesting to see the origin of these Japanese ghost stories in which, unlike North American ghosts, the specters never directly attack humans.

A little more… 

The themes and tropes at the heart of the frightening stories from the Land of the Rising Sun are also touched upon. Those who have seen many Japanese horror films – J-horror or not – have probably noticed that the female ghost dressed in white, with long hair, hair covering her face, and water are almost always part of the horror stories.

There is one thing that is a shame, however. The documentary gives too much credit to the American remakes. By being more honest and accepting that the remakes are always – yes, always – worse and especially less terrifying.

Nevertheless, The J-Horror Virus is a must-see for any fan of Japanese horror.

Trailer