Noroi: The Curse
Directed by Koji Shiraishi
SADAKO VS. KAYAKO director Kôji Shiraishi helms this highly praised, riveting found-footage horror must-see. NOROI takes the form of a documentary by a prominent paranormal journalist named Kobayashi, who went missing shortly after completing it. What begins as an investigation into strange noises soon evolves into the chilling mystery of a demonic entity named Kagutaba, as suspense and terror build steadily to a heart-stopping finale.
A paranormal journalist explores a series of strange events that may be connected to an ancient demon.
Cast: Jin Muraki, Rio Kanno, Tomono Kuga
Member Reviews
it's spooky
Interesting story. Sad. Pretty well done.
A great found footage movie with fantastic acting, interesting lore, and a restrained approach that was nearly perfect! The extreme slowburn build-up plus the nearly two-hour runtime, however, did make it a bit of a chore to watch in one sitting. It was filmed to look like a serious paranormal investigation documentary that aesthetically and tonally felt more like a no-frills TV news segment than a cinematic film, but the acting and story were engaging and grounded throughout. Speaking of no-frills, the supernatural scenes felt realistic because the filmmakers didn't rely on an overuse of CGI gore or ghost/demon effects (except for a couple brief moments, but even those weren't over the top). I especially enjoyed the backstory that was gradually uncovered and how it added elements of folk horror.
It was hard to follow. There were a bunch of scenes that didn't seem connected, but despite being connected later it didn't really do anything mind blowing. I was expecting more from it after watching the first 20 minutes or so. Pretty big let down.
I love this one, even though I'm never really scared by it. I am constantly unsettled and creeped out, and it leaves me wanting to know more about the mythology it is based on. Biggest issue I had, sometimes it is a little too good at feeling like a documentary, and struggles to actually tell a story. The viewer often needs to make assumptions to connect the dots, and not everyone will like that.