Occult (film)
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| Occult | |
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 Original theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Kôji Shiraishi |
| Screenplay by | Kôji Shiraishi |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Kôji Shiraishi |
| Edited by | Kôji Shiraishi |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by |
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Release date |
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Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
Occult ("Okaruto") is a 2009 J-Horror, "found footage" film in the form of a documentary. The movie was written and directed by Kôji Shiraishi.[1]
Plot
The film chronicles a documentary filmed by Koji Shiraishi investigating a mysterious mass murder at a Japanese resort called Myogasaki three years ago by a man named Ken Matsuki, whose body is never found after he jumped off the cliff following the act. The murder claimed the lives of two women and injured an unemployed man, Shohei Eno, with a strange petrogylph-like mark on his back. Eno claims that supernatural occurrences, which he calls "miracles", have been happening to him since the incident, including a UFO-like object hovering in the sky. He also tells the crew that he never blames Matsuki for the stabbing; in fact, he is thankful when he heard Matsuki saying that "it is your turn", which he interprets as saying that it is Eno's turn to fulfill a "ceremony" commanded by God, as had been done by Matsuki. Seeing that Eno is financially troubled, the crew agree to pay him on the condition that they are allowed to film the occurrences personally.
Eno, who is an alcoholic, smoker, and rude individual, repulses the crew, especially since they think that he will follow Matsuki's path of murder. From Matsuki's father, the crew learns that Eno's mark resembles the one possessed by Matsuki since childhood, and their search brings them to Mount Ohiruyama, where the sacred Kutoro Rock is located. The crew find a stone with Matsuki and Eno's petrogylph marks inscribed on it. According to a horror film director, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, the Kutoro Rock (九頭呂岩, literally "Nine-Headed Spine Rock") in Mount Ohiruyama (お蛭山, literally "Mount Leech") was dedicated to Hiruko, a Japanese god with the form of leech. This tale matches Shiraishi's experience of having nine leeches biting his left leg when he visited the rock five years previous.
Eventually, Shiraishi sees the creature itself while drunk with Eno. Eno reveals that he has been saving ¥700,000 to build a bomb so he can commit a suicide bombing in a busy street in Shinjuku, which he claims would send him and all people involved to God's realm. Shiraishi agrees to cooperate, intending to record the step-by-step for other people to identify. The bomb claims 108 lives, including Shiraishi's fellow journalist, Shinobu Kuribayashi. However, Eno's body, like Matsuki, is never found. Shiraishi, meanwhile, is sentenced to prison for complicity.
21 years later, Shiraishi has been released from prison and reunites with his producer. He finds that his leg is bleeding with leech marks as well as a camera and a ¥100 coin that Eno borrowed years ago. He realizes that Eno has given his word of sending both of them from the "other side" following the suicide. The camera recording shows Eno being sent to a Lovecraftian-like universe (presumably Hiruko's realm) after his bombing with leech and jellyfish-like creatures that he declares as Hell. He screams for help among other people's torments before a leech consumes him.
See also
- The Curse (2005), another "found footage" mockumentary by the same director
- Shirome (2010), another "found footage" mockumentary by the same director
- Chō Akunin (2011), another "found footage" film by the same director
External links
- Occult at the Internet Movie Database
References
- ^ 3:AM Magazine, "If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It): An Interview with Koji Shiraishi," by David F. Hoenigman (November 29th, 2009 - retrieved on September 23rd, 2011).