Those left unsatisfied with Kiyoshi Kurosawa‘s more distant, ethereal Journey to the Shore — those few who saw it on the festival circuit before it disappeared, at least — should be elated by the advance word on Creepy, his full-blooded return to horror. The fact that it received very fine notices upon premiering at Berlin doesn’t guarantee we in the U.S. can see it soon, however, so perhaps a longer preview will sate some desires for now.
The good news is that, if our review was on-point, not too much is conceded herein. As we said at the time, “With the threat to the protagonists unequivocally established, the ensuing narrative is essentially a smokescreen that allows Kurosawa to raise tension in the lead-up to a grand finale. Again working with Akiko Ashizawa, his regular cinematographer over the last decade, he constructs elaborate compositions that almost always contain elements furtively moving in the periphery. Together with the camera’s constantly creeping pans and dollies — as well as the bilious green tinge that permeates each frame — the film thus generates a sense of unease that intensifies very gradually and unremittingly, reaching an extreme pitch by the time of its denouement.”
Watch the preview below (via Twitch):
Synopsis:
After having narrowly escaped an attempt on his life at the hands of a psychopath, detective inspector Takakura quits active service in the police force and takes up a position as a university lecturer in criminal psychology. But his desire to get to the bottom of criminals’ motives remains, and he does not hesitate long when former colleague Nogami asks him to reopen an old case. Six years ago, a family disappeared under mysterious circumstances and to this day no body has been found. While Takakura immerses himself in the old files, his wife introduces herself to their new next door neighbours with little gifts. In the process, she meets the mysterious Mr Nishino who attempts to shield himself and his family from everyone else. One day Nishino’s daughter Mio appears at the door and confronts Takakura with a shocking claim. Past and present suddenly become entangled and unravelling them becomes a life-threatening task for Takakura which is full of surprising twists and turns. Creepy is Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s adaptation of an award-winning mystery novel by Japanese master of suspense Yutaka Maekawa.
Creepy is currently without U.S. distribution.