An outrageous horror flick from Japan.
Marebito (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:29
Fresh:12
Rotten:17
Average Rating:5.2/10
Consensus: The scares are lacking in this J-horror flick, and the plot soon turns half-baked.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for strong bloody violence and some nudity
Runtime: 1 hr 32 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Theatrical Release:Dec 9, 2005 Limited
Synopsis: Japanese director Takashi Shimizu (JU-ON) presents another slice of atmospheric J-horror with his gory frightfest MAREBITO. In an inspired bit of casting, real-life director Shinya Tsukamoto... Japanese director Takashi Shimizu (JU-ON) presents another slice of atmospheric J-horror with his gory frightfest MAREBITO. In an inspired bit of casting, real-life director Shinya Tsukamoto (TETSUO: THE IRON MAN) stars as Masuoka, a filmmaker obsessed with capturing the essence of fear via his ever-present digital-video camera. When Masuoka accidentally films a grisly suicide in the Tokyo subway, he begins to explore the system's subterranean depths and finds a ghostly pale, mute girl (Tomomi Miyashita) chained naked to a rock. Bringing her back to his apartment, Masuoka soon learns that his new companion drinks only blood, which he compliantly feeds her--in increasingly disturbing ways. Shot on a tight schedule over an eight-day break between JU-ON and its American remake, THE GRUDGE, MAREBITO makes effective use of its claustrophobic, underworld locales and grainy, hand-held cinematography for a ghoulishly queasy and self-reflexive treatise on the nexus between art and reality, and media and violence. [More]
Starring: Shinya Tsukamoto, Tomomi Miyashita
Starring: Shinya Tsukamoto, Tomomi Miyashita
Director: Takashi Shimizu
Director: Takashi Shimizu
Screenwriter: Chiaki Konaka
Studio: Tartan Films
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Reviews for Marebito
Marebito never gives us what it promised: a glorious, totally new sense of horror.
Marebito feels like it's twice as long as it should be. It feels like an episode of a horror anthology show, stuffed to make it feature length.
It's just a little too interesting for its own good, a fascinating setup that leads to multiple conclusions -- none of them satisfying.
Plot specifics are so muddy that part of the fun is getting lost in the narrative red herrings.
Marebito, a piece of soft-core trash disguised as pop art from director Takashi Shimizu, marks a new low in the genre.
Dreamy and atmospheric, Marebito is a better film than Ju-On: The Grudge.
This all-digital indie is, by genre standards, either a misfired doodle or an attempt to Lovecraft-ize the popular movement. Or both.
What begins as a smart J-horror update of Blowup quickly turns into a sick joke.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
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| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 83% 83% | Harry Potter and the H… |
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