What could be scarier than having a completely mundane and ubiquitous household appliance suddenly sprout fangs, breathe fire and try to eat you? What could be funnier than watching a monster from the depths of Hell try to devour an unsuspecting punk band? Set in a low-rent boarding house, this movie follows the odd little stories of a cornucopia of personal tragedies, that eventually intertwine in a heroic fight against a demonic force of tremendous evil. During a punk band performance. It's all a subtly but expertly tongue-in-cheek story of misfits, losers and lovingly demented people all colliding in a mixed-up nexus of fate and coincidence.
The pace of the film is subtle and unassuming. The comedy timing and the dialog are first rate. The performances are right on and the characterizations are all well-drawn. You have sympathy for the poor protagonist, who (via an accidental screwdriver plunge through the neighbor's wall that finds a startled and shrieking target) runs afoul of a struggling but eager punk band. You feel sorry for the electrical repairman who seems so accustomed to his failures that, when faced with tremendous supernatural forces, simply takes them in stride and resignedly reaches for his tool box. It's about common people trying to find their way in this chaotic and unforgiving world. Oh, and while they are at it, unbeknownst to them, the building around them is surreptitiously becoming host to a demonic force.
And don't forget the murderess in 2-C who is busy in the kitchen with a tree saw, cutting up the body of her husband, giving flushable pieces to her timid boyfriend who keeps thinking that the remains of the torso might be trying to come back to life.
This is a satire/horror/suspense/concert/slice-of-life movie that unassumingly pokes fun at both comedies and horror movies at one shot. From the ominous appearance of a wandering Buddist monk at the start of the film (who barely dodges a giant, flaming meteorite crashing to the Earth) to the audio commentary explaining how the only way the director could get the money to make the movie was to feature a punk rock band in it, you'll be ensnared by this story of the poignant lives and silly fates that befall this odd lot of miscreants. I got some huge laughs out of this film, and if you are familiar with Japanese cinema at all, you'll really get a kick out of it.
The pace of the film is subtle and unassuming. The comedy timing and the dialog are first rate. The performances are right on and the characterizations are all well-drawn. You have sympathy for the poor protagonist, who (via an accidental screwdriver plunge through the neighbor's wall that finds a startled and shrieking target) runs afoul of a struggling but eager punk band. You feel sorry for the electrical repairman who seems so accustomed to his failures that, when faced with tremendous supernatural forces, simply takes them in stride and resignedly reaches for his tool box. It's about common people trying to find their way in this chaotic and unforgiving world. Oh, and while they are at it, unbeknownst to them, the building around them is surreptitiously becoming host to a demonic force.
And don't forget the murderess in 2-C who is busy in the kitchen with a tree saw, cutting up the body of her husband, giving flushable pieces to her timid boyfriend who keeps thinking that the remains of the torso might be trying to come back to life.
This is a satire/horror/suspense/concert/slice-of-life movie that unassumingly pokes fun at both comedies and horror movies at one shot. From the ominous appearance of a wandering Buddist monk at the start of the film (who barely dodges a giant, flaming meteorite crashing to the Earth) to the audio commentary explaining how the only way the director could get the money to make the movie was to feature a punk rock band in it, you'll be ensnared by this story of the poignant lives and silly fates that befall this odd lot of miscreants. I got some huge laughs out of this film, and if you are familiar with Japanese cinema at all, you'll really get a kick out of it.