My Japanese Horror (Part 2)
Those good old days of Japanese horror have generated a fresh supply of creative juices which I'm consistently depleting for my precious articles. How shall I use my supply today? Ah, let me share with you readers a movie which I feel has one of the most memorable opening sequences in cinematic history. Strictly speaking, the movie isn't considered full-fledged horror but in a lot of reviews and such it has been labelled as one under the main or sub-genre. Well, I'm definitely in favour of the horror label. The movie is called 'Jisatsu Saakuru' or Suicide Circle in English. It is also known as Suicide Club in some countries.
.jpg)
I was thrilled and thankful that Suicide Circle was imported to the local screen. I believe that only Cathay Cineplexes had screened the movie back then. Suicide Circle had been one of those smaller, independent movies that appealed to a niche audience. I first became acquainted with the movie through its teaser. I thought that the idea was really wicked. Unfortunately, the part which had attracted me the most didn't appear in the final cut. Through a little research, I realised that the director Sono Shion had decided to scrap that bit which was supposedly part of a sub-plot. Anyway, that didn't really affect my anticipation towards the movie. Oh, if anybody is curious to find out what that certain bit was, I suppose I could attach the link for the trailer at the end. Just a word of caution though - it might disturb, upset, [insert other adjectives that mean the same thing] certain readers. Approach at your own discretion. Watch out for the hair.
So, what is the memorable opening sequence all about? Suicide Circle opens with an unexpected bloodbath implicating 54 girls from different schools in a matter of seconds on a railway track. While there is relatively little gore to boast about (probably due to a low budget), the overall impact isn't to be ignored as that only serves as an appetiser to something bigger. I don't think that there is another movie that I've watched which has that level of haunting creativity. It is probably rather morbid to have that much praise and emphasis on a supposedly shocking and disturbing scene. Anyway, in the midst of all that madness is an underlying issue or two that society might have long forgotten. In my opinion, the general premise isn't really suicide but finding back the long lost identity of oneself otherwise being referred to as the connection in the later part of the movie. The gradual alienation of people's true selves due to inevitable conformity to the daily demands of survival and such ultimately leads to some unthinkable deeds. The suicide scenes are undoubtedly disturbing, with a particular scene involving a daikon, a knife and a woman's fingers which could easily be the most difficult to watch. Okay, I lied a bit. That scene was actually pretty comical when I first saw it. Go figure.
Honestly, it can be really difficult to categorise Suicide Circle. Some might say that it is a horror movie. Some would say that it is a thriller. Maybe it could be a mystery to others. I would say that it is an experimental movie salad. It is a social drama. It is a comedy. It is horror. It is part-musical as well. That reminds me, I kind of like the ending song though the vocals aren't exactly splendid. Oh, in order to get the best experience out of the movie, one might need to tune out a lot of things especially if they belong to the stiff, logical type. Yeah, some of those things include intentional spelling errors, chicks chirping about in a room with women, children and a naked man donning a funky head gear. In other words, Suicide Circle is a highly symbolic movie. I wish that I could watch it again.
Eccentrically Yours.
P.S. Here is the link to the trailer. Viewer discretion is strongly advised.
Written by J.Fluffysheep ♪
No Comment to " My Japanese Horror (Part 2) "