Reincarnation (2005)

A Japanese actress begins having strange visions and experiences after landing a role in a horror film about a real-life murder spree that took place over forty years ago.

Director:

Takashi Shimizu

Writers:

Takashi Shimizu, Masaki Adachi

Stars:

Yûka, Karina, Kippei Shîna

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Yûka	...	Nagisa Sugiura
Karina	...	Yayoi Kinoshita
Kippei Shîna	...	Ikuo Matsumura
Tetta Sugimoto	...	Tadashi Murakawa
Shun Oguri	...	Kazuya Omori
Marika Matsumoto	...	Yuka Morita
Mantarô Koichi	...	Yamanaka Producer
Atsushi Haruta	...	Norihasa Omori
Miki Sanjô	...	Ayumi Omori
Mao Sasaki	...	Chisato Omori
Hiroto Itô	...	Yuya Omori
Takako Fuji	...	Hotel Maid
Yasutoki Furuya
Tomoko Mochizuki
Hiroshi Okazaki

Storyline

Nagisa Sugiura (Yuka) is a young Japanese actress who comes face to face with a slew of ghosts. These restless spirits begin to appear when she signs on to star in a horror film which tells the true story about a crazed, local professor whose murderous rampage at a hotel left 11 guests dead, including his young son and daughter. The movie is being filmed at the very site where the killings took place.

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Plot Keywords:

men's room | straitjacket | psychotronic film | supernatural | killer | 

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Taglines:

Death Is Only The Beginning

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violent and disturbing content

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

7 January 2006 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Reincarnation

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,482,000, 19 November 2006

Gross USA:

$321,875

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,664,641

Company Credits

Production Co:

Entertainment Farm (EF), Geneon Entertainment, Mainichi Broadcasting System (MBS)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Takako Fuji has a cameo as a hotel maid. She has previously collaborated with Takashi Shimizu on the Ju-on series and the American remakes known as The Grudge.

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Goofs

(at around 1h 27 mins) When the professor (Nagisa) drops the camera after committing suicide, the camera keeps recording for a couple of seconds. Almost at the end of those seconds, it is possible to see a crew member approaching the scene from the right door.

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Connections

References The Shining (1980)

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Soundtracks

Rinne
Performed by Ougi Aina

User Reviews

Compelling And Creepy Asian Horror.

Another one of the "8 Films To Die For" from After Dark's Horror Film Festival, this little Japanese chiller is a complex and spooky film. The movie follows Nagisa, a Japanese actress who gets the part in a horror movie that is based on a real murder spree that took place in a large hotel forty-some years ago. At first she is excited that she has gotten the part, and is looking forward to filming, although it is a "scary movie" that she is being a part of. But things begin to get a little spooky, when Nagisa begins seeing a ghostly little girl everywhere. Her visions intensify when the film's director takes the cast to the real hotel where the actual murders happened, for inspiration. It seems she has a connection with the hotel and the grisly murders... but how, and why? She may find out the answer very soon...

I haven't seen a lot of Asian horror, I saw part of the original "Ju-On", and I've seen the remakes of those films, but that was about it. Although I haven't seen much of it, I know what it's like pretty well. So, I wasn't quite sure what to expect going into this film - luckily, I was pleasantly surprised. "Reincarnation", or "Rinne" in it's original language, is a solid supernatural horror film that rose far above my expectations. The writing here is really nicely done, I must say. It has a few inconsistencies here and there, but nothing too major. About midway through the film, I thought that I had everything figured out - I was almost positive that I knew what the whole plot "twist" was going to turn out to be. I was pretty confident that I had all of it figured out. Then, during the final five minutes of the film, my entire assumption disintegrated, leaving me minorly shocked. I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I did not see the plot twist coming. I suppose what I was expecting to be the twist in the film was a set-up to trick the audience, and I have to admit it worked on me.

Along with the intelligent writing, director Takashi Shimuzu (who directed "Ju-On" and "Ju-On 2", and both American remakes of those films ("The Grudge" and "The Grudge 2"), has an eye for the eerie. Unlike the style that is found in "The Grudge" films, "Reincarnation" boasts a subtle spookiness that I personally find much more menacing than those annoying 'jump scares'. There are numerous shots and scenes in this film that are hard to forget, and the direction is great. Lots of creepy shots and disturbing imagery (the homemade snuff footage is beyond eerie) really make this a creepy film. The music is good as well, and fits the movie perfectly. It's slow and subtle, just like the film is itself. Acting-wise, I'd have to say the movie succeeds as well. The performers are pretty believable, and while there is the language barrier, I thought they were really good. Again, the conclusion to this movie is the real kicker. I was surprised and creeped out by the way the entire thing came to a close.

Overall, "Reincarnation" is a really good supernatural horror film. Take your traditional ghost story, throw in a hotel, and the reincarnation theme, and you've got this movie. If you enjoy slow moving horror films and/or are a fan of Japanese horror, I'd recommend this film. It has a few very minor problems, but the good easily outweighs the bad. And the ending is really surprising. I'm not sure if it fits everyone's tastes, but for me, I couldn't have picked a better foreign horror flick. 8/10.