Noroi builds up atmosphere and a sense of dread in the watcher more effectively than I have ever experienced in a film of this nature. The story is engaging; it piques your curiosity right from the beginning and keeps you engaged and hungry for all the answers to the riddle right along with the "main character".
The acting is good. So good that you don't really think about the fact that they are actors, which is exactly what you want out of a POV film. They're just people.
The special effects are a little on the corny side when they do finally come around, but it definitely does not detract from the film itself, since it is so effective at building up tension leading to the climax.
Watch this movie (alone or with a friend) with the lights out and plenty of blankets around you and I promise you will not regret it.
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Engaging narrative that ties everything together.
Slow paced storytelling that trusts the viewers are smart enough to connect the dots themselves. Noroi opens with seemingly random plot lines that do not quite fit together, but as the story progresses, you start to notice the connections and by the end of the movie, everything falls into a perfect picture. Not a scene nor a frame seemed redundant.I appreciated how Noroi: The Curse believed in my memory skills and brain power, and did not spam me with countless flashbacks that are supposed to help me connect the scenes and lore elements. It’s up to a viewer to either see the patterns and hints in the background that are dropped throughout the movie. With that, it presents itself as a perfect rewatch material - as a viewer, it’s entertaining to try to find things you might have missed on the first watch.
If you expect a lot of jump scares and a fast paced scary story - you won’t find it here. It relies on building the creepy and disturbing atmosphere framed into a realistic documentary style. It takes a while before anything truly happens, and yet the plot itself is interesting enough, so you won’t get bored waiting.
Overall, one of the best documentary-like horror movies I have seen in quite a while. The filming, editing, acting - all comes together to make it seem like a real story that truly happened. It requires you to pay attention to understand the it completely, but it’s worth it.
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A perfect beginner found footage movie
Creepy found footage movie with a well done and engaging mystery which unfolds at a perfect pace with the perfect amount of information being revealed at each opportunity.The visuals are very nice and all the actors performed well in their roles.
The last few scenes are fantastic. If you think the movie looks interesting, I recommend, but don't go in expecting something very fast and scare-heavy, it is more creepy and tense and the movie is fairly slow but I never found it boring.
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This review may contain spoilers
Kagubata
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a horror movie that feels like a true horror movie. It strikes a perfect balance between the supernatural and the gory, with a vintage feel, a chilling atmosphere, and effective jumpscares. Unlike many modern films that boast about being "horror that doesn't rely on jumpscares," I actually prefer films like this. For me, the point of watching a horror movie is to feel scared, to be startled, to be on the edge of my seat, never knowing when the "scary things" will pop out. It's a way to challenge myself, which is why I'll always appreciate horror films that can effectively create a sense of fear.The plot isn't overly cerebral, nor is it insultingly simple or predictable. It's a film that keeps you tense, wondering what will happen next, filled with bizarre actions and sudden developments. Although the core of the story is still a demon, the journey of unveiling the mystery, of searching for a way to exorcise it, only to discover that this demonic force has sunk its roots so deep into the human world that it's beyond saving—that's what needs to be constantly refreshed with new, unique, and diverse elements. And to think this film was made in 2005... it truly surpasses most of the horror I've seen recently.
I'm not a die-hard horror fan; I haven't seen that many, mainly because the pacing of the genre (especially in Western films) often doesn't click with me. The beginning is almost always a slow burn, the color palette is dark from start to finish, a ghost possesses some object, wreaks havoc, and kills people. Then, the main character finds an exorcist, uncovers some secret (usually about a restless spirit with lingering resentment or attachment), and in the end, the blame is pinned on human wrongdoing. This is a common formula in many horror films I've seen from various countries. And honestly, for me, what makes a horror film genuinely terrifying comes from things that have depth and layers—things that are unknown and ambiguous. People fear what they don't understand.
This time, the demon in Noroi is a real demon, an evil from the underworld. Although it was summoned by humans, it doesn't exist merely as a vessel to preach a moral lesson. Evil is just evil; it isn't reduced to the socially-conscious, philosophical mantra that "man is the real monster." This time, the supernatural force that humans have always feared is real: an ancient "demon worm" we know nothing about. We are completely in the dark about its origins, methods, form, and rituals. And above all, this unimaginable entity is presented as "existing" in a very real way through documentary-style footage featuring real people. This is the element that makes Noroi one of the most frightening films I've ever seen.
I've always loved this kind of old-school aesthetic. It feels like in our sleek, modern world, there's no place left for ghosts and demons. In a life that's become so mechanical, pragmatic, and reliant on science and technology, people just don't care about the supernatural anymore. Humans seem to think there's almost nothing left that they don't know or haven't figured out, so the value of a good ghost story has been reduced to a trivial joke. That's why I love the chilling sensation of watching something "outdated" in low-resolution footage that is nonetheless direct, bloody, gruesome, raw, and real. The fragmented editing, rather than making the film feel disjointed, creates the sense that the viewer is the one slowly piecing together the hidden story.
In its role as a horror film, Noroi delivers on all fronts. I believe it truly set a benchmark, a standard, and a foundation for the films that followed (from its premise and scare tactics to its ending and narrative style).
However, I have to admit that the beginning is a bit difficult to get through and it's easy to lose focus, so I can't give the film a perfect score. But if you can push through the initial part and truly immerse yourself in the movie, the ending will not disappoint you.
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