(2004) ***1/2
A freelance videographer catches a man committing suicide, via knife straight into the eye, on camera. He becomes obsessed with the man’s look of terror that embraced him before the act. Longing to possess such terror himself, he wanders into a subterranean underworld that is hidden below the streets of Tokyo. In this netherworld, he finds a young woman, naked, emaciated and chained to a rock. He frees her and brings her home. She refuses to eat or drink anything, she doesn’t speak and crawls about on all fours. After accidentally discovering her sustenance is blood, he begins killing to feed his “pet”. Strange people, watching his every move follow him as he descends deeper and deeper into madness.
I was fully expecting to see a J-horror ghost flick thanks to Netflix and their ill description of this film. They weren’t even close. However, what I got was a surprisingly unique film with a complex storyline. Very interesting indeed, it’s kind of cool sometimes how that happens. If you’re up for something deeper than the slashers are, haunted houses and giant monsters, give Marebito a go.
