The J-Horror Virus

This was a documentary that intrigued me when I saw that it hit Shudder. I decided on a slower day at work to check this out, treating it like a podcast. When you're dealing with foreign films, which this doc does, I knew there would be interviews in subtitles. This is a sub-genre of films that I'm a fan of so I was excited to see what this would present.

What I like here is giving backstory and history. I didn't realize that most of the filmmakers/writers all knew each other. Whether they were students together at university or were writing for similar magazines as critics, that was interesting to learn since in my head, when you have contemporaries, I figure they were rivals. This seems more like when you have people working on film franchises or companies in America or Italy, where they worked together and then got their shot at telling similar tales in different ways.

Then going along with this, I like learning more about the mythology and folklore that inspired these stories. It seems that they stem from a popular ghost story which would be told in different ways through the Kabuki theater. Technology is a big part of Japan and its culture so it only made sense then to start having it infiltrate there as well. That is one aspect of the boom of J-Horror that also intrigues me, since it has become such an important part of the worldwide zeitgeist.

They also then detail how it is now just a sub-genre of its own since the boom. They even bring up how it influenced not only Hollywood, but also other regional filmmaking like Thailand and South Korea. That makes sense. I have seen films from these other places that do feel inspired. They tend to be ones that I'm a fan of as well.

I'll then end by saying that this is made well enough. I do see gripes about using AI driven videos to fill in parts. I can see the issue there. There is footage as well from films in the genre to help visually show things that are being discussed. I did appreciate the experts they got like Takako Fuji, Teruyoshi Ishii, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Takashi Shimizu, Hiroshi Takahashi, Shinya Tsukamoto, Norio Tsuruta and Mari Asato. There are also academies here helping to frame things. I could have watched a documentary that went a bit more in depth, but this is a good starter doc for people who want to just get an overview that isn't going too deep under the surface. It is on Shudder so that helps as well.

My Rating: 7 out of 10.

I recently watched The J-Horror Virus (2023) on Shudder. The storyline explores the origins of films like Ringu, Ju-on, Dark Water, and Pulse-their inspirations, the films themselves, and how the directors and their work were interconnected, ultimately giving birth to a new subgenre in horror.

This picture is co-directed by Sarah Appleton (Damaged) and Jasper Sharp (Sex and Death), and features appearances by Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Pulse), Takashi Shimizu (Ju-on), Rie Ino'o (Ringu 1 & 2), and Shin'ya Tsukamoto (Tetsuo).

The documentary does an excellent job laying the groundwork for the rise of J-horror, including some of the 1980s films that inspired it. I found it fascinating that many of the genre's key directors went to school together, maintained close relationships, and often borrowed ideas and inspiration from one another. The Edo-period backstory of rivers, the persecution of criminals, and how that imagery evolved into the recurring "emerging from the water" theme in J-horror was also particularly compelling. The film also highlights how the dead often use technology to communicate with the living in these stories-symbolically delivering messages about mistreatment and societal issues.

There are many layers of hidden meaning within the genre, and this documentary does a solid job illustrating and unpacking them.

In conclusion, The J-Horror Virus is a thoughtful and informative look at the roots, symbolism, and evolution of a uniquely haunting genre that continues to resonate today. I would score it a 6/10 and recommend seeing it once.