Eko Eko Azarak: Wizard of Darkness

I had seen this first 'Eko Eko Azarak' movie at a festival when it came out at the time. I remember being enthusiastic about it. I planned on re-visiting it together with the next 3 installments of this series. Only watched the first two so far. And re-watching this one, was a bit disappointing, sadly. I remembered it to be a bit better. Or maybe that first-time-viewing impact that many movies have, was simply gone now. There's a few moments were the story just doesn't seem to move on. But other than that, it's still a fun flick. High school kids trapped in the school building overnight. Satanic rituals going on. Someone out to inherit all evil powers of Lucifer. A good teenage witch out to stop her. Lots of magic. Possession. A handful of nice gore and very bloody killings. A couple of really hot lesbian scenes. And all-in-all it's not even some trashy Japanese exploit-effort, so the production values are pretty decent. A fun enough watch, worth seeking out.

Misa Kuroi (Kimika Yoshino) comes to a new school and is challenged by kids dabbling in magic. Her skills in the dark art don't fail to impress the others, but a much more dangerous master seems to be around. Misa can't find out who it is. Soon after, a lot of the kids are trapped at school. All doors are locked, and then mysterious killings begin... Unfortunately, the first movie of the series contains a few blunt scenes of lesbian sex and molestation that should better be left to the tentacle monster flicks. The 3 sequels have hardly anything of this way of exploitation. Apart from that one little complaint, we have an effective teen horror movie here, cheaply shot in the narrow spaces of a few corridors and classrooms, but with vicious shocks and the bizarre surrealism of a nightmare. Voted 7/8/5/6 for part 1-4.

Unlike most Western horror films aimed at a teen demographic, this high-school horror from the land of the rising sun comes complete with gore (including that old Asian favourite, the arterial geyser) and even a fairly racy lesbian sex scene between a teacher and a female student: those naughty Japanese just can't help themselves. The blood-letting and sexiness certainly helps to make this otherwise unremarkable satanic movie a reasonably painless watch.

The plot sees thirteen classmates become trapped in their school for the night by a mysterious Satanist who intends to sacrifice the kids so that they can invoke Lucifer and gain demonic powers; new student and good witch Misa Kuroi (Kimika Yoshino) tries to help her friends escape with their lives, but doesn't do a very good job. That's pretty much all there is to it story wise, the fun being in the way that the victims die, the mystery surrounding the devil worshipper's identity, and all those girls in their sailor-style school uniforms.

To sum up: one drowning in a bathroom cubicle, five mangled bodies, one decapitation by a window, two lesbian sex scenes, several deaths by knife (including one suicide), one crucifixion, one death by fire axe, and the villain being sucked inside out by Lucifer (which sounds way cooler than it actually is).

5.5/10, rounded up to 6 for IMDb.

Outstanding!!!! Smart, well crafted flick with a couple of twists I MOST CERTAINLY didn't see coming! Usually horror flicks are pretty damn predictable, but this was not! Instead of a bad dub job, we get subtitles, which I much prefer, except when it distracts me from the mondo Japanese cuties on the screen! Our star is some kind of gorgeous, and the other girls aren't too difficult to look at, either. The plot is nothing overly original or spectacular, but it's done well, you're in suspense all the way, there's red herrings aplenty, and the aforementioned twists hit hard, and you're saying "I'd have NEVER thought that would happen". The FX are so-so, but they don't distract at all, you're too into what's going on to worry about it. I know there's two sequels, and I'm going to be looking for them!!!!! 8/10 Excellent!!!!!

Here's a sexy and bloody by-the-numbers supernatural teen horror film that somehow manages to be fresh and exciting. The tight and intelligent script is matched by high production values, interesting characters, slick special effects, and a haunting musical score. The direction is smart and generates a tense atmosphere of ever-increasing dread without dipping into cheap thrill exploitation. Highly recommended as a late night scare-fest - particularly if you enjoy watching girls dabble in the black arts.