Kansen (2004)

Director:

Masayuki Ochiai

Writers:

Ryoichi Kimizuka (story)
Masayuki Ochiai (screenplay)

Release Date:

2 October 2004 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama | Horror

Tagline:

Death is just a breath away.

Plot:

INFECTION takes place in a dark, isolated hospital, where one doctors mistake has led to dire consequences for a patient.

Plot Keywords:

Doctor | Nurse | Cover Up | Hospital | Infection

Cast

Michiko Hada	...	Dr. Nakazono
Mari Hoshino	...	Nurse
Tae Kimura	...	Nurse
Yoko Maki	...	Nurse (as Yôko Maki)
Kaho Minami	...	Head nurse
Moro Morooka	...	Dr. Kishida
Shirô Sano	...	Kiyoshi Akai
Koichi Sato	...	Dr. Akiba (as Kôichi Satô)
Masanobu Takashima	...	Dr. Uozumi
Isao Yatsu	...	Hospital Patient

Also Known As:

Infection (International: English title)
J horaa shiataa 1 (Japan) (series title)
J-Horror Theater Vol. 1 (International: English title) (series title)
Taka Ichise's Infection (Philippines: English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for horror-related images.

Runtime:

Japan:98 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

UK:15 | Malaysia:18SG (uncut version) | Malaysia:U (cut version) | Netherlands:16 | Spain:18 | Argentina:18 | Australia:M (2007) | Japan:PG-12 | Philippines:PG-13 | USA:R | Singapore:PG

Company:

Aozora Investments

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Benchwarmers (2006)

Those crazy Japanese are at it again

J-Horror is quite an odd beast to be reckoned with. This movie was at least entertaining to watch, unlike the last J film I saw - the barely coherent pile of puke known as Rinne - with some nicely done characters that actually made you feel a little bit sorry for them before they died, and a plot that most likely wasn't achieved by snorting large amounts of imported cocaine, along with some surprisingly good suspense sprinkled lightly over the whole thing. There are some damn good scares here, too, such as the possessions of the young nurses (those Japanese can be pretty twisted). This is actually pretty entertaining, despite the fact that the ending makes less sense than an elephant walking down Main Street with a shimmering pink ribbon attached to its testicles.

Once again though, the potential this movie had was not fully realized. I suppose this was made on a rather limited budget, because the special effects and gore are really, really fake looking. Green ooze does not a (good) horror film make. And the way the plot was executed was just slightly lacking somehow, could've been much more suspenseful and dark I suppose. And once again, this is just too weird sometimes, without any real reason to be. This should've just been a typical insanity/plague horror movie, but the Japanese, in traditional Japanese style, have blurred the lines and created quite a dreary, hazy atmosphere that hovers over Infection like a cloud of gnats. These elements aren't even brought into full as on Rinne, making one wonder why they were even included in the first place. Leave that to Donnie Darko and company.

Hey, if you like horror movies with crazy old women and boiling green slime, then this is right up your alley! Recommended.