Recensioni degli utenti

It's possible for a movie to be both effective and kind of a mess at the same time, and in my books, this describes Howling Village. A few cool, genuinely creepy scenes mixed in with some muddled storytelling. Some good effects, some cheesy ones. More time spent in the titular village would've been a bonus. Overall, not a horror classic but not a waste of time, either. Worth a watch.

Easy to understand. I'm not sure what all the other reviews were talking about in that regard. The story line was interesting, but overall it wasn't the most exciting movie. I didn't find it so much a horror as more a thriller. Overall i did enjoy the movie slightly, and I'm not mad I watched it, but if you're looking for something scary this really isn't the watch for you. The characters weren't stupid per say, but there was some moments where I wanted to yell at them.

This is a weak film. Starts really well but then just becomes uninteresting with too much non-convincing drama, too much talk, very predictable scares/deaths and lack of connection between scenes.

What's worst here is that I can feel that this story could have been a great film, as everything about the village is really creepy.

I don't know if it's just that I didn't pay enough attention to the storyline or it is lost in the subtitled translation or it's disjointed with no hope. Much of the movie was good, even intriguing. And it's made well, not an amateur production which many substandard horror films are. Yes, you'll get the main point about a travesty the leads to the legend of the Howling Village, but beyond that, It just didn't come together. It has a more than enough horror tropes to warrant a good film, maybe too many. Without spoiling it, there's your characters that can see the dead/ghosts and you have a corporate calamity/crime, and a few zombie like monsters, a cursed heritage, time travel, and an alternate reality or maybe you don't have these elements. And, if you do? How do they fit together? Aggh. Having just read some other reviews, I guess my confusion has less to do with my level of attention and more to do with the movie. G.

This film essentially begins with a young woman named "Akina Nishida" (Rinka Otani) and her boyfriend "Yuma Morita" (Ryota Bando) going to an abandoned tunnel which is said to be the gateway to a haunted village on the other side. However, in order to get to this village a person has to receive a call from a specific phone booth near the tunnel at exactly 2 o'clock in the morning. Sure enough, when the phone rings, Akina nervously answers--and then proceeds into the tunnel with Yuma following behind and recording everything. The problem is that neither of them are prepared for what awaits them once they venture to the other side. The scene then shifts to a child psychologist by the name of "Kanata Morita" (Ayaka Miyoshi) getting acquainted with a new patient who apparently suffers from an overactive imagination and sees people who aren't there. Interestingly enough, Kanata also used to see apparitions and, while talking to the young boy, happens to catch a fleeting glimpse of the same person he does. Yet as startling as this may be for her, her fears become a reality when she returns home and learns that both Yuma and his girlfriend have encountered something supernatural--and complete insanity follows closely behind. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was a difficult film to follow due in large part to the manner in which the overall story unfolded. Likewise, the language and cultural barriers didn't help either. So, what you have are several good horror scenes, followed by other scenes that don't initially make any sense. And even though there is some clarity at the end, the director (Takashi Shimizu) again muddies the water in the final scene. Unnecessarily, in my opinion. Be that as it may, while I don't consider this to be a bad horror film by any means, the fact is that it failed to meet its true potential, and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

I was expecting a lot of this movie. But had to be disappointed since the opening scene of the story. I'm a little confused,that this is a movie about ghosts or zombies? For the character 'Akina'(opening scene) I think she is good at acting. She Making feel haunted and terrified with her ,even when the scene is in the daytime.

The element of the film that I am impressed with are color-design Creating an atmosphere and haunting background music (song like the nursery-rhyme).

But for the story part . Although it didn't confuse me. But it make me frustrate. Seems to be trying to bring the issues together too forcefully .I don't understand- 'Why did the movie have to include this part?' I think in some parts it doesn't look scary. But out of the story.

If you compare it to what Hollywood is churning out. Some form of family/friends entering a new home and facing horror, then this one is a refreshing change to that pattern.

Here the story is somewhere in Japan. Some teenagers visit a forgotten and hard to find place named Howling Village. There's the anticipation there exist ghosts. To their surprise the teenagers found out, that this is exactly the case. Pretty scary ones as well, so they ran in panic away, but the girl which was courageous amd funny until then, couldn't shake away the experience she just had. Not long later she commits suicide and her boyfriend wants revenge a d turns back to the place. He goes missing and that sets in a chain of events that are not very friendly to the town...

Some creepy parts and the story is interesting throughout the movie. The ghost town is a nice idea and there's a twist in the end that might not be your thing.

Not as bad as alot of people say. There were alot of scary moments which give you great goosebumps but visually it was weak. It could have been more scarier visually. Overall good horror flick comparing to the modern horror releases. Give it a try!!

Its first 10-15 minutes is boringly slow filmed with a hand held SLR camera that shook all over continuously. I almost stopped watching it (because I hate shaky camera filming and,stuff that looks like it was filmed with a mobile phone). It switched to normal filming just in time so I carried on watching. It rambled on and it told you nothing and though the actors were all doing a great job, the film wasn't.

I can't really describe this film to you in any depth where I wouldn't have to give very poignant parts of the plot away. All I can tell you is that it doesn't link the story(s) together or the sub plot story's either and so, it ends up being a mishmash of broken links; yet somehow manages to come out with a revealing end plus a bizarre twist; that could leave it open for a sequel.

The score I have given it is all for prosthetics and acting, as the story was not great and camera work, lighting etc was non too special!

I'm sorry but this movie was a complete waste of time and also very far-fetched. An easy story made confused for no solid reason.

I watched it with my friend payed 1000yen. Totally wasted our money. Terrible storyline terrible visual effects etc.... Never shouldve spent money on such a terrible movie you shouldnt spend money to watch this its not worth it.

Very bad weak storyline not recommended for any one

Inspired by a Japanese urban legend, Howling Village is the first installment of Takashi Shimizu's "Horror Village" film series.

Some plot elements shouldn't have to be in this film. They dragged the storytellling on a different path. With a fantastic cast Takashi managed to create a new J-horror experience.

The Howling Village starts out interesting, but fails miserably. The plot choices are ridiculous and nonsensical, ending with an ambiguous revelation that seals the coffin of this film.

Kanata, a clairvoyant who sees spirits, must uncover the mystery surrounding her sister's death before an ancient secret destroys her family.

The acting is the usual one of oriental films, despite the Brazilian dubbing that leaves a little to be desired. In some moments, the actors can't convey the emotions they try, they seem fake, especially if we consider the context present in the film.

The film has the hallmarks of low budget. The practical effects are good, but the CGI sucks, a weird overlay that doesn't feel real at all, not believable at all.

The scene of Kanata's sister's death is hilarious, I can't help but comment. A satirical death, with an unnecessary dark humor. It would be more efficient to keep reality in focus.

The plot revolves around the mystery of the Howling Village and what happened to its inhabitants. The story tries to highlight the contrast between the actions of the big corporations against the humble and desperate, but the plan backfired, since, in the course of the film, we realize that the inhabitants of the village were not so good guys.

All of these facts lead to the final revelation, a confusing and out-of-context revelation. The last piece of the puzzle doesn't fit, giving the impression that the writers didn't know which story to tell, culminating in this hybrid story full of bitter holes.

After being brought on-board a new case, a woman finds that her charge has been affected by a recent visit to a fabled city in the area that's home to a dreadful curse that has taken numerous other lives in the past and brings her into a deadly realization involving her connection to the fabled village.

This one has quite a lot to like about it even with some issues to it. When the film comes off best is a generally enjoyable storyline that merges several intriguing storylines together into a workable and somewhat chilling setup. As we get a strong sense of her bizarre powers to see and communicate with ghosts and the tragedy that brings to her friends and family with the nightmarish events that occur to those around her, it sets up the emotional resonance of the first half nicely. Due to the tragedies that have taken place, the revelations that emerge not just about the source of her powers but the family's connection to the cursed village and the actions taken place there, there's a rather involved setup at play. When combined with the way the local authorities treat the connecting tunnel into the cursed village and the stories surrounding it, there's a lot to like with this storyline. That gives the chance for this to offer some solid supernatural scares. The opening exploration of the village through the hand-held camera has an immediacy that makes the ghostly figures dancing in the background and the eeriness of the abandoned village incredibly creepy which starts the film nicely. The series of ghostly sightings she sees around the hospital that is eventually revealed to be the birth mother, which is unknown at the time, offers up some more likable qualities before setting up the later fun to be had once the ghosts and spirits are far more prominent. The chilling scene of the spirits stalking the group through the hospital floors while a secondary encounter takes place at a phone booth with trapped victims inside while running water threatens to drown them is a highlight encounter and is highly effective. As well, later encounters showing the ghosts taking out her accomplices during the investigation are somewhat shocking with the focus more on the horrific events that happened and trying to keep it from continuing. It all makes for a thrilling finish and ends things on a positive high-note overall. As mentioned, there are some problems to be had with the film. The biggest drawback is that the story has way too much going on for its own good, oftentimes being incredibly detrimental about it. The idea of the psychologist with paranormal powers investigating the cursed village once her family goes missing is a fine and workable setup for what's going on, yet there's just too much going on here with the need to look into the young boy's background and looking into the rather convoluted history of the tunnel into the village. These just complicate matters unnecessarily when dealing with the investigation into the strange events in the village and extend the running time, much like the flashbacks revealing the discovery of her powers and the realization that she can talk with ghosts which we already know. There's also an issue where the film feels way too dragged down in the mid-section doing these investigations into the town's history and background information. While it furthers the story by grounding the experience rather nicely, the fact that the energy and scares of the film noticeably dips during this part is quite obvious and noticeable which creates a jarring effect at points. Overall, these factors do hold it back somewhat but just a little from the positives.

Rated Unrated/R: Violence and Language.

When you hear about the director you immediately expected the solid realistic material touched by well experience person. In a short word "director of grudge = solid storyline with terrific jumpscare.

Where is it all ?

We miss all of those expectation in here...

As someone who views paranormal events, religions, and conspiracy theories as mere quackery, I am an avid follower of paranormal channels on YouTube-because they are simply hilarious.

In Japan, there isn't a single paranormal-themed channel that hasn't talked about the location featured in this film. It's incredibly popular-even curious Westerners spend a fortune traveling to this place just to shoot videos titled "I Saw a Ghost" or "I Spent a Night Here"...

Now, as for the movie-despite their ability to craft scripts that constantly breathe new life into the horror genre, the Japanese still haven't managed to improve their technical execution. The cinematography is so bad that it completely pulls you out of the film.

Other than that, it's a below-average effort-nothing more than a casual diversion for genre enthusiasts with time to spare.

Like another reviewer here, the film has some great moments and kept my interest throughout; it even has one of the creepiest things I've seen in film ("soon"). But in the end it tries to be way too many different types of films. Not as amazing as the trailer makes it seem to be but also glad I bought it. It's worth watching.

A physcologist lady who have power able to see ghost and she try to find the dark secret of her family history and hidden village.. Really story and screenplay was stunning.. Must watch movie without missing each and every detail..

Following her distressed brother Yuma's (Ryota Bando)sudden disappearance, his beautiful, psychically gifted psychologist sister (Ayaka Miyoshi)visits his last known destination, an eerie, infamously haunted and ill-omened locale known as "Howling Village." Her investigation fatefully exposes a shocking revelation that this benighted village's terrible mysteries are connected to her family! Takashi Shimizu's unsettling, atmospherically doom-laden narrative is an immersive spook-fest with some monumentally shuddersome sequences! The quality performances and technical aspects are exemplary, and I'm quite sure your angsty trip into Howling Village should prove memorably macabre! I loved Shimizu's masterful J-Horror treat, and the feral, ghoulish-looking spectres are splendidly spooktacular! The dark, cryptic mythology of The Howling Village is compellingly strange, and its malign mystery should prove thrilling to fans of intelligent folkloric horror. The moody, emotionally stirring climax is genuinely exciting, and I found Shimizu's Howling Village to be a fascinatingly creepy admixture of Dark Water & The Returned.

I have watched several Japanese movies. Most are pacing, boring, ridiculous, and sometimes irrelevant, including this one. Not too much horror in it, half of the movie is about what really happened in Inunaki Mura. Most Japanese horror movies these days don't really want to scare you, they take you on a journey to see things that behind what is happening. For example, do you think you are going to see how the spirits in Inunaki Mura possess and murder people, with excessive violence and gore? No, it's gonna show you what happened to the village and why it no longer exists, and why the spirits are so vengeful. Japanese horror movies are very different to American and European horror movies, e.g. Japanese horror movies don't have much violence, gore and profanity. They also don't really have a great makeup department to make ghosts/spirits/creatures as scary as possible. They are more interested in "the whole story". People who love it will love it very much but those who don't, they will just "leave the cinema when it's still playing". Viewers who watched this also watched: Jukai Mura and Vshikubi Village.