I'm currently on a roll with Japanese horror anthologies, this being the third one after Ura Horror and Tales of the Unusual in the last two days. I thought this one was pretty fun overall. I'll try to break it down segment by segment.
"Spiderwoman" - dir. Yoshihiro Nakamura
The first segment is a cheesy, but rather entertaining chase for a mysterious spiderwoman who only appears in her true form during the night. Not quite scary or surprising, but it's good enough for a start.
"Crevices" - dir. Norio Tsuruta
This one was about 5-10 minutes long and I wished it was actually longer. It's similar to Dark Water, but hasn't got enough time to flesh out its main idea. Still, it's a good one, creepy the whole time.
"Sacrifice" - dir. Koji Shiraishi
Ah yes, my favorite J-horror director of the moment. His segment is possibly the best one here (bias or no bias), as it inserts some pretty horrific imagery into a plot that revolves around curses and mysterious illnesses, with a duration just long enough to wrap it up effectively.
"Blonde Kaidan" - dir. Takashi Shimizu
This one is short like Crevices, but weaker. It's yet another standard ghost story from a director who often tries to replicate his success with Ju-on, with predictably duller results. It's not too terrible given that it's mercifully short, but it's definitely unexceptional.
"Presentiment" - dir. Masayuki Ochiai
The last story is a fun one, it follows Teruyuki Kagawa (in a very solid performance) as a nervous businessman stuck in an elevator with 3 mysterious persons. I don't want to spoil it, but it's a worthwhile closer to an entertaining anthology.
So yes, in conclusion, I have to say I rather liked this film; it's definitely not high art, but it's a nice choice if you're looking for horror that doesn't always take itself seriously.
