Ju On: White Ghost / Black Ghost [2009]
呪怨: 白い老女 Ju-on: Shiroi Rōjo/ 呪怨: 黒い少女 Ju-on: Kuroi Shōjo
Actors: Al Kago, Akina Minami, Hiroki Suzuki
Directors: Ryuta Miyake, Mari Asato
Language: Japanese
Country: Japan.
Studio: Well Go (USA)/ Kadokawa Pictures (Japan)
Year: 2009
Overall Run Time: 121 minutes
BHI Rating: 9/10.
Ju-On: White Ghost: It's a chilling tale of a senior high school student Arkane whose strong ESP power induces her into
seeing Mirai, the tragic ghost of an old school friend.
(Run Time: 61 mins.)
(Run Time: 61 mins.)
Ju-On: Black Ghost: A young woman
called Fukie who discovers that she's carrying an unborn 'grudge', which
vengefully curses all those around her.
(Run Time: 60 mins.)
I'm presuming
that if you've picked up this Blu Ray disc/ DVD from your local DVD store with the
expectation that you're going to harped with some sort of a blood chilling Asian Horror freak show, you may be quite
right there. However, if you are the type who has seldom ventured Asian
Horror, I'd suggest you may have to return to the drawing board. You may
also consider browsing through the back catalog of the original Ju-On Series.
Once again,
don't be fooled, because both these films do not have a direct co-relation to "The Saeki Murders", which was
the crux of the original Ju-On Series directed by Takashi Shimuzu. With the
exception of a very brief scene of a Saeki family member.
Both White
Ghost and Black Ghost are shot by two different directors and are basically
shot in an anachronistic order. White Ghost is split into 8 different segments,
while Black Ghost contains 7 different segments.
Both stories
talk about separate side hauntings, so you may choose to watch in an orthodox
fashion or likewise.
Again both
stories also run in a non linear format, chapter to chapter, which is a trend
in most of the Ju-On Series. In all eventuality, there will be folks who will
end up feeling lost or baffled, by the ambiguous nature of the plot. But fear
not, because both tales have enough meat for you to ponder upon and demands for
repeat viewing, which primarily enhances the mood factor to the next level.
Also allow me to take a step a little further, while you venture into the dark world of the Ju-On chapter, White Ghost.
The opening scene involves a central character hanging himself on the noose during one cold and icy winter. And seconds before that a tape recorder records his final words and stops with the handbag in the snow backdrop. Another story talks about a pastry delivery
guy on his way to transport a Christmas cake to a customer. Another chapter enchants us about a young and pretty girl Akane, who possesses a strong psychic ability to see an apparition of a specific
character in the plot (Ha! I woudn't want
to reveal that for the world). This chapter involves high school classmates, who try their hand on a Ouija board. Also a taxi driver who rides his daughter to
school on a regular basis, offer some light moments of humor.
That being said,
this still can be quite an unsettling experience for most viewers, due to certain
macabre sequences and grisly murder scenes. I can go on record to say that out of all the Ju-On installments, this one takes the cake of being extremely morbid. And all this is achieved with some clever direction
and strong performances by all characters in the film.
And all this
primarily revolves around the plot concerning a family of six, which moves into
the infamous house. How this correlates to the above tales unfolds story after
story and unlocks a grim and nightmarish world of White Ghost.
It's twin
tale Black Ghost is director Mari
Asato's baby. Here the opening sequence shows a school kid who sees another
student collapse in one of the school's classroom through the glass window. Post
that, we have a chapter that deals with a teenage boy, who seems to be
infatuated with his next door neighbor Yuko. The subsequent chapter deals with
a nurse who undertakes the responsibility of a young girl by the name of Fukie,
who is hospitalized due to a strange cyst in her body.
I'll leave
you with just that. It's kind of hard
for me to say, which one is scarier or smarter. Because, that's entirely
dependent on the viewer's mood, experience and expectation. All in all, here's
a Japanese horror flick that's not over dramatised like the American sequels of
The Grudge Series. The budget was pretty much shoe string and regardless of all
that still promises us relentless blood curdling moments, occasional shock and
horror. This is unlike a lot of overhyped productions that fail to deliver due
to a weak plot, predicable or contrived settings and poor direction. Here, the
characters do not make stupid mistakes as opposed to their American
counterparts.
The acting
appears to be a standout, but so does the cinematography, direction, editing, background
score, lighting. The combination of all these just adds to the tension, as you toss those chunks of popcorn into your mouth. And that's pretty much it. A
recommended watch during a gloomy monsoon or a cold winter, while you sit at
your desk all by yourself waiting and watching until the ghouls from urban
Japan usurps your soul.
Go cop the Blue Ray/ DVD to add to your exclusive collection of After Dark Horror:
Also, watch the teaser for a little warm up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8GRmYYwZTQ
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