Movie Digest
A young psychologist named Kanae goes to her missing brother’s last known location, the infamously haunted and cursed “Howling Village,” to look into the case. As a result of her research, she learns that her family’s dark past is related to the village’s mysteries. She then sets out to unravel these connections.
The Feel-Good Part
The beginning of the film is set nicely by Akina and Yuma’s hand-held camera exploration of the village, which sets the film’s mood beautifully. Later encounters showing the ghosts killing Kanae’s accomplices during the investigation are somewhat shocking, and they try to stop the curse. The whole thing makes for an exciting conclusion and puts things on a high note.
The Disappointing Factor
The last third of the film saw a sharp turn from being creepy and frightening to foolish and nonsensical, which completely undid all the build-up the film had managed to achieve and resulted in an incredibly lame and disappointing conclusion.
In-Depth Analysis
The director of the film Shimizu Takashi is very famous for his movie The Grudge. In Howling Village, his style is constantly evident, whether through ghosts that appear out of nowhere under bedclothes or walk in a stiff, inhuman manner. The film’s inspiration is from the famous Japanese urban legend Inunaki Tunnel. The scares in the movie are of good quality, but they are far too infrequent and heavily biased toward the first half. The story is this film’s other major strength in addition to the scares. You will be left in suspense the entire time as you try to figure out what Howling Village is about, to be more specific. At first glance, it may appear to be just another haunted town, but there is much more to it. The location has a terrifying past, and the film unravels its mysteries at an almost ideal pace. It never reveals the truth too slowly that you grow impatient with it, but it also never does so quickly that the mystery loses its allure. Howling Village has a solid foundation of lore, tragedy, and terror. But the storyline keeps expanding and has unresolved plot points, which may overwhelm viewers and make them fail to recognize the intriguing concept.
Star Power
Ayaka Miyoshi portrays Kanae admirably, giving a performance brimming with grit, determination, and vulnerability. The impressive acting skills of the entire cast complement the script.
Overall Opinion
This film might not be the best horror film, but it is a thrilling experience. Every horror buff should watch it must. Highly recommend it!
