Hell Girl, pull the scarlet thread, you know you want to!
Posted by Ms Harker | Filed under Asian Horror, Horror Animation
Over the years I have copped a little bit of flak from friends who do not understand my love for Anime. ‘Why do you watch cartoons?’ they ask, well its because ‘insert explanation of Anime’s artistry and in depth story telling’, this discussion is usually pointless, however if drunk may end in a ’suck my balls’ comment from yours truly! Today I want to introduce you to a wicked little lass who I have been watching intently for the past week, her name is Ai Enma aka Hell Girl!
Hell Girl is an Anime which first aired in Japan in 2005 and from her web presence has a large following of fansites, merchandise and Cosplay look a likes.
Hell Girl is called upon via an internet page called the ‘Hell Correspondence’ to wreak vengeance for those who have been wronged. The victims can only find the web page at midnight, whereby they then type in the name of their oppressor. If their cause is just, Hell Girl presents them with a straw doll which has scarlet thread around its neck. If the victim chooses to pull the thread then their enemy is carted off to the depths of hell by Hell Girl and her team (which includes a spunky young man, a wise old sage who chain smokes and a busty raven haired woman dressed in an extremely loose kimono) in a nightmare fashion in order to try and teach them the error of their ways. However there is a price, there must always be a price. If you choose to pull the scarlet thread when you die, your soul will also go to Hell, so the choice is yours, would you pull the thread?
Hell Girl and her crew!
The season I watched was 26 episodes long, now I don’t know how many of you out there are Anime fans? So lets be honest, sometimes when these series go on for more than 12-15 episodes they can go a bit loopy, lets say tangential. All of a sudden there is a fifth dimension, a doppelganger or a giant robot that enters the fray and you are as confused as all crap left wondering what happened. This is not the case with Hell Girl. Even though at some points the whole carrying souls off to hell bit got repetitive (see below for clip), about halfway through not only did the methods of teaching the condemned souls a lesson become more horrific (my favourites are in the episodes ‘Island Woman‘, ‘The Night Among Traveling Entertainers’ and ‘Bride Doll’) we start to see the story unravel as to how Ai Enma came to be Hell Girl.
The use of traditional Japanese imagery such as cherry blossoms, strong red and brown Autumn leaves, Japanese costuming; juxtaposed with the frenetic city dwellers is striking both visually and is reflected in the narrative throughout the series. The tension characters feel between their duty, their sorrow and the traditional versus the present is constantly conveyed in the stories of each victim and eventually Hell Girl herself.
This is not hard core Anime horror, like ‘Wicked City‘ there are no women with teeth in their vagina’s who turn into giant spiders (I’ll review that some other time, the spider chick rocks!). Hell Girl is a more subtle, haunting style of horror, playing on people’s desire for vengeance and exposing the evil’s that human kind perpetrate on each other, delivering the unique yet eternal cost that hell provides.
Ms Harker
Tags: Asian Horror, Horror Animation, Japanese Horror
Shock Labyrinth, could you navigate your way through?
Posted by Ms Harker | Filed under Asian Horror
Thanks to Shock Til You Drop for pointing me towards the fantastic looking website for the upcoming Japanese Horror film ‘Shock Labyrinth‘. I have decided to devote this weekends post to my beloved Asian Horror, as due to my obsession with Eric Northman from True Blood, I have neglected my favourite horror sub-genre!
So lets get to it… ‘Shock Labyrinth’ is directed by Takashi Shimizu who also wrote and directed the J-Horror stalwart Ju-on (1,2,3!). The website is a remarkable piece of web design, rotating a site map of the hospital our young teenagers get trapped in which turns out to be a haunted house and labyrinth of horrific twists and turns. The site is accompanied by a creepy soundtrack and enables you to explore the story, music and trailer (see below). Of course I am delighted it is in my favourite colours too, red and black!
Unfortunately the trailer doesn’t have English subtitles but the message is very clear, with images of ragged toy bunnies, and the ever present long haired Asian girl with the vacuous yet psychotic stare and staccato gait. Are those hessian bags full of kittens or humans? Either way I’m keen to see this film! Roll on October!
Ms Harker
Tags: Asian Horror, Horror, Japanese Horror
Robogeisha… Geisha Dance… Geisha Milk?
Posted by Ms Harker | Filed under Asian Horror, Horror Films
Ok, this post comes with a disclaimer, if you are easily offended or have a low tolerance for gratuitous violence don’t watch the trailer below.
I have been following a guy on Twitter the last couple of days called Topless Robot, who also has a blog. He posts numerous times a day on weird and wacky things related to sci-fi, horror and the like. So, I am sitting here at my laptop trying not to freeze my arse off, and what should drop into my RSS feed but an article entitled ‘Robogeisha’. Now readers, you may not know but apart from loving Asian Horror, I have a bit of an obsession for most things Japanese. So away I clicked and the below trailer slapped me upside the head!
From the makers of Tokyo Gore Police (really this should have given me some warning), ‘Robogeisha’ is here to take out whomever gets in her path. The voice over is hillarious, as is some of the scenes Geisha Dance, Geisha Milk (?!), Geisha Transformer (yes she just turned into tank in front of your eyes) and Geisha Arse/Hip Sword! Things do start to go a bit pear shaped after this, when a girl gets stabbed in the anus and the Geisha Army is let loose and Geisha Chainsaw does her thing. However I am curious as to why the buildings are bleeding when the MegaBot slices them in half.
I don’t quite understand the appeal of these films, however they seem to have quite a cult following, they are definitely not for those prone to squeamishness when the blood starts to flow, or more accurately squirt in the case of ‘Robogeisha’.
Ms Harker
Tags: Asian Horror, Horror, Horror Films, Japanese Horror
