Otogiriso (2001)

Nami has been creating artwork for a new video game based on images she's been seeing in her dreams. With one of the game producers, she travels out to an abandoned house that seems to ... See full summary »

Director:

Ten Shimoyama

Writers:

Goro Nakajima (screenplay), Takenori Sentô (screenplay),

Stars:

Megumi Okina, Yôichirô Saitô, Kôji Ôkura

Cast

Credited cast:
Megumi Okina	...	Nami Kikushima / Naomi Kaizawa
Yôichirô Saitô	...	Kohei Matsudaira
Kôji Ôkura	...	Shin'ichi Ukita
Reiko Matsuo	...	Tôko Koseki
Minoru Terada	...	Sôichi Kaizawa (as Minoru)
Yasunari Hashimoto	...	Voice on the Radio (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kim Little	...	Nami Kikushima (voice)
Jeff G. Peters	...	Radio DJ (voice)

Storyline

Nami has been creating artwork for a new video game based on images she's been seeing in her dreams. With one of the game producers, she travels out to an abandoned house that seems to match her visions. As they explore the old mansion, Nami begins to have more visions of a forgotten childhood, until at last she comes across a photo of twin infants, labelled "Nami" and "Naomi". As Nami and the producer go from room to room, an unseen person seems to be watching them from a hidden room.

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Plot Keywords:

twin | twin brother | same actress playing twin role | lost twin | evil twin | 

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Genres:

Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violence and disturbing images

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

27 January 2001 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Hämndens hus

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Girlie"
Written by Kazuya Yoshii
Performed by The Yellow Monkey
Courtesy of BMG Funhouse

User Reviews

Style over substance, a "modern" horror film

When video game makers decide to visit a decaying Gothic mansion (which belonged to one of the crew's deceased relatives) in order to produce their next video game, things go weird very quickly indeed. It's only a matter of time before things become deadly serious and long hidden secrets are revealed...

"St. John's Wort" (2001) is an example of a modern horror film. It's shot using digital cameras, giving it that unique hi-tech sheen that some may love or hate. The effects in post-production are interesting, for example, scenes going into fast forward, pausing and rewinding, etc. There's an interesting use of colour and an impressive use of sound effects, too.

Despite the modern look of the film, the script sadly did not hold me glued to my seat with fear and anticipation of events to come. In fact, there were moments when this film became a little boring. It tries to blend reality and virtual reality but doesn't really cut the mustard in the way I felt "Avalon" did. This film may be interesting for those interested in the geography / making of video games but that's where any deepness ends.

Still, there are a couple of attractive girls in the movie for those looking for eye candy, and mixed with impressive video effects and a top drawer soundtrack, this still rates as around 5/10. After other recent top-drawer explorations into Asian cinema, I felt this was disappointing but the DVD is inexpensive and still provides more entertainment value than many of its western counterparts.....