Kyua.
Before Juon, before Chakushin ari, before Honogurai mizu no soko kara—and yes, even before Ringu!—there was Kyua. This largely overlooked psychological thriller is the true pioneer of J-horror as we know it today.
Kenichi Takabe is an overworked police detective who struggles to manage his high pressure job and his sweet but mentally unstable wife, who suffers frequent episodes of amnesia and psychosis.
Takabe investigates a strange murder in which the killer has no motive but freely confesses the crime and surrenders willingly to police. It quickly becomes clear that this is just the first of several such murders, all following the same pattern.
Enquiring further, Takabe finds the common link between each killing: a mysterious man called Kunio Mamiya, who came into contact with every murderer shortly before they committed their crime. Mamiya appears to have short term memory loss, and claims to know nothing about himself but takes curious pleasure in questioning others about themselves.
Takabe is convinced that Mamiya is somehow responsible for the killings, but cannot explain the motive or method. The murders continue even after Mamiya's arrest, and Takabe's own mental state begins to break down.
Kyua starts off as a standard police procedural, but veers swiftly into the bizarre. Its long takes and near total absence of music (used very briefly, in just three scenes) maintain a powerful sense of tension and psychological claustrophobia. This truly is a masterpiece of the genre.
I rate Kyua at 26.64 on the Haglee Scale, which works out as a gripping 8/10 on IMDB.
Before Juon, before Chakushin ari, before Honogurai mizu no soko kara—and yes, even before Ringu!—there was Kyua. This largely overlooked psychological thriller is the true pioneer of J-horror as we know it today.
Kenichi Takabe is an overworked police detective who struggles to manage his high pressure job and his sweet but mentally unstable wife, who suffers frequent episodes of amnesia and psychosis.
Takabe investigates a strange murder in which the killer has no motive but freely confesses the crime and surrenders willingly to police. It quickly becomes clear that this is just the first of several such murders, all following the same pattern.
Enquiring further, Takabe finds the common link between each killing: a mysterious man called Kunio Mamiya, who came into contact with every murderer shortly before they committed their crime. Mamiya appears to have short term memory loss, and claims to know nothing about himself but takes curious pleasure in questioning others about themselves.
Takabe is convinced that Mamiya is somehow responsible for the killings, but cannot explain the motive or method. The murders continue even after Mamiya's arrest, and Takabe's own mental state begins to break down.
Kyua starts off as a standard police procedural, but veers swiftly into the bizarre. Its long takes and near total absence of music (used very briefly, in just three scenes) maintain a powerful sense of tension and psychological claustrophobia. This truly is a masterpiece of the genre.
I rate Kyua at 26.64 on the Haglee Scale, which works out as a gripping 8/10 on IMDB.
