This horror movie is presented as a documentary and is largely shot by a hand-held camera, like Rec or other found-footage horror movies that are popular these days (Paranormal Activity, The Woods, The Borderlands, etc.) This one is Japanese, which brings its own flair. Japanese horror movies are often subtle and insidious, and this one more than most. 'Noroi' has only a few traditionally scary parts, but the whole movie is carried by an atmosphere of mystery and impending danger. It tells the story of a journalist gathering tapes that touch on a supernatural phenomenon and a string of disappearances. We see the characters only when the camera is turned to them, but we get to know them through the methodical compilation of material, their voice and their obsession with the case.
'Noroi' has a lot going on: telepathic powers, possessing demons, abusive parenting, shadows of the past, teens experimenting with the occult, Japanese game shows... To navigate through the puzzle you have to pay close attention to the movie, and it helps if you have some passing familiarity with Japanese culture and customs.
I would describe the movie as 'really creepy'. It doesn't have the nightmarish imagery of scarier Japanese horror movies, but it does have a persevering sense of dread surrounding it. Some of the things that come up in the investigation are rather campy but even the campiness is somehow dreadful in this movie.
I would recommend the movie to fans of foreign horror but not to the average layperson.
'Noroi' has a lot going on: telepathic powers, possessing demons, abusive parenting, shadows of the past, teens experimenting with the occult, Japanese game shows... To navigate through the puzzle you have to pay close attention to the movie, and it helps if you have some passing familiarity with Japanese culture and customs.
I would describe the movie as 'really creepy'. It doesn't have the nightmarish imagery of scarier Japanese horror movies, but it does have a persevering sense of dread surrounding it. Some of the things that come up in the investigation are rather campy but even the campiness is somehow dreadful in this movie.
I would recommend the movie to fans of foreign horror but not to the average layperson.