Les Épouvantails

Kakashi is not horror movie but it tries to be. It should be a werid Japanese drama. The movie has some great ideas but the director doesn't know how to finish them effectively. The movie if made again with all the great ideas could be a very effective horror movie. There some questions they never answered Why did Kaorus brother light his girl friend on fire? Why did the girl friend act so strange? Why was it so easy to find the village where Kaoru brother was? Why was the girl friend so powerful? and why did the dead become walking scarecrows? The movie was hard to understand. They really needed a screen writer to explain more and not go to fast. If the comic was this there's no way any Japanese person could understand what the hell was going on.

Very strange can't recommend it but if screen writers are looking for horror ideas watch this movie.

**

Subtle & Understated Horror, & yet all the better for it.

I have seen numerous 'horror' films & have to state that the vast majority are derivative & lacking. Kakashi however whilst dealing with a very tired subject matter approaches it in a very atmospheric way, relying on visuals & incidentals rather than narrative & action.

I cannot recommend this too highly, & if you want something a little different from the norm, give it a try, I think you may be pleasantly surprised I know I was.

Effectively creepy Japanese horror, about a young girl searching for her lost brother. She follows his trail to a mysterious village, where the occupants are readying scarecrows – or kakashi – for a rural festival. Naturally the villagers and the kakashi are not as they seem.

Disappointingly, the ending of the film is a bit of a damp squib. Performances are also uninspiring; Nonami Maho is very pretty but seems unable to bring her character to life. Shibasaki Kou is terrific, but she doesn't get much in the way of screen time. Chinese cutie Grace Ip guests for some reason, which is very welcome, but her inclusion seems tacked on and unnecessary.

That said, there are some genuinely eerie moments during the film's opening hour or so, which put me in mind of the Wicker Man a few times. It's not a waste of time, by any means, but Kakashi could have been a whole lot better.

I bought this movie 2 months ago because I like Japanese cinema plus it was cheap(and from the director of Ring 0: Birthday. Yes the Japanese series is superior to the American remake. Even Rasen is more interesting than 'The Ring'.). However I didn't watch it until tonight mainly because it didn't get too many favorable reviews on IMDB. That sad I was bored and decided to watch it. And from the first scene I was drawn in... This movie has a rather creepy but melancholy tension thoughout. It's a slow movie yes but boring? Definatly not. The pacing is just right. It amplifies the mystery of the story. Most people who watch scary movies nowadays just expect cheap scares instead of a truly eery atmosphere thoughout. So I think that is what makes a lot of people dislike this movie. This movie isn't big on the scares, it has some but not many, but what it does is make the viewer wonder.

The movie basically is about Kaoru(she's a very pretty girl btw) whose brother is missing. He seems to have gone to visit his girlfriend in a little rural village in the middle of nowhere. That's the last he's heard from. As Koaru goes off to search for him there she finds that things are odd in the village... Everyone seems to be obsessed with a festival(Japan has a lot of festivals for many spiritual things) about scarecrows. And everyone seems to want her to leave and is unwilling to help her...

The ending I found wasn't a dud like someone mentioned but more like a very sad one. More I will not say about this movie. You have to watch it for yourself.

This isn't a movie for people who like cheap scares. But someone who likes mystery and eery things happening will probably like this movie. very reccomended.

Kakashi is considered as a Horror Movie, but it isn't at all. The story takes place in Kozukata village where the heroine brother was last seen. In this village loads of unexplained things happens..(eg. Why Kakashi is kinda worshiped by the village citizens?). Our heroine Kaoru has to face mysterious things, strange people that think about one special day .. The Kakashi Festival ..

The director tried to produce a Horror climate , but it wasn't enough and can't be noticed as well. The music was one of highlights of the film, really scary sometimes and dramatic on other points ( Thumps Up). By the way, Shinichro Ogata is the one who composed the music.

Another highlight of the movie is the stars act.. all of them acted very good and nicely. Maho Nonami who played Kaoru, the one who is searching for her missing brother.. is a good actress, but she needs more efforts to express her feelings .. The scary part is the role of Izume done by the well known actress Kou Sibasaki, she acted really good that you would feel that she is a Devil ( Thumps Up ), Grace Ip the well known HK star was good in the movie , although she was over reacting in some scenes. Shunsuke Matsuoka who played the missing brother was OK , the role was not that hard, he tried to put some efforts but the problem is that the his role is so limited and even the script writer didn't include any information as why did he went to the village and stayed for a week ?? Maybe , more explanation , would help Shunsuke to understand his role..

Overall, the movie is an average Dramatic Movie not a Horror , I advice you to rent it as in the end, loads of unexplained things would make a disappointment conclusion as 1 Hour and half should be enough to explain the concept of the story , but the movie failed to do that..

Rating: **/*****

" In Kazukata village .. Humans co-exist with Death "