This is a decent film that does suffer from some fairly serious problems. As other posters have mentioned time and time again, the ending is pretty pointless and seems like it was tagged on just to pad the movie out a little bit.
The biggest problem, however, is the complete lack of plot development. There seems to be an interesting story buried in here somewhere, but it never quite sees the light of day. Why, for instance, is the killer compelled by his "brother" to lure individuals to the factory and kill them? It's obvious that heroine acts as a mother figure, but why and to what end? This movie will leave you with a lot of unanswered questions. Here's the breakdown: Gore: Yup, lots of it here. This might be a seeing point in and of itself if you like makeup effects.
Nudity: A little bit. There is a particularly disturbing rape scene involving a character whose presence is never really explained. Who is he and what the hell was he doing there? Plot: Full of holes and pretty much stalls out after the first 20 or so minutes. Is there something supernatural happening here? Who knows.
Scary bits: There's a pretty good atmosphere, but it really dosen't deliver in the horror department. It won't make you jump, but it might make you a little sick.
Acting: Better than anything you'll find in a North American equivalent.
Check this out if you can rent it or download it. Certainly not worth owning unless you've already checked it out and are sure about adding it to your collection. In the nearly 2 decades since it was made, there have been plenty of other Japanese horror movies that score high above this film. I only gave it a seven out of ten, rather than a six, because the gore level was so high. This does, however, score well above other films made during the same period.
Bottom line: Real potential, but lacking a solid plot or direction.
The biggest problem, however, is the complete lack of plot development. There seems to be an interesting story buried in here somewhere, but it never quite sees the light of day. Why, for instance, is the killer compelled by his "brother" to lure individuals to the factory and kill them? It's obvious that heroine acts as a mother figure, but why and to what end? This movie will leave you with a lot of unanswered questions. Here's the breakdown: Gore: Yup, lots of it here. This might be a seeing point in and of itself if you like makeup effects.
Nudity: A little bit. There is a particularly disturbing rape scene involving a character whose presence is never really explained. Who is he and what the hell was he doing there? Plot: Full of holes and pretty much stalls out after the first 20 or so minutes. Is there something supernatural happening here? Who knows.
Scary bits: There's a pretty good atmosphere, but it really dosen't deliver in the horror department. It won't make you jump, but it might make you a little sick.
Acting: Better than anything you'll find in a North American equivalent.
Check this out if you can rent it or download it. Certainly not worth owning unless you've already checked it out and are sure about adding it to your collection. In the nearly 2 decades since it was made, there have been plenty of other Japanese horror movies that score high above this film. I only gave it a seven out of ten, rather than a six, because the gore level was so high. This does, however, score well above other films made during the same period.
Bottom line: Real potential, but lacking a solid plot or direction.