Blood Sucking Bore--Marebito

Reading the description of Marebito found me tremendously excited. All my needs for horror, gore and deviant sexuality (in film, in film) appeared to have been met: An alienated Harry Caul-like loner swimming in video and surveillance equipment is obsessed with the concept and epiphany of fear. A naked girl with weird skin is found after a subway ride provides a secret door to a bizarre fantasy underworld. She’s chained to a rock. The obsessed guy takes her to his apartment and attempts to acclimate her to “regular” Tokyo society. She spends most of her time not speaking. Instead, she sleeps and drinks blood.

Limitless possibilities, right? Wrong.

No masterpiece, fine, but I hoped at the very least, an anxious creep-out would emerge from this ghoulish subterranean. Another terrifying panic attack a la Pulse or an abnormal reverie akin to a Takashi Miike shocker. But sadly, Marebito doesn’t fly its freak (premise) flag as high or as powerfully or cogently as it should have. A major shame because, obviously, there’s a lot here to work with—something like Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation meets Michael Powell’s still controversial Peeping Tom in Japan. Or, shooting for the less than lofty, William Castle’s pulpy, shock-in-your-seats The Tingler. No such luck.

Directed by Takashi Shimizu, the man responsible for Ju-On and its American version, the entertaining and successful The Grudge, Marebito proves that though he may be one of the more popular J-horror (sick of that term) filmmakers, he’s certainly not one the best.

The film stars Tetsuo: Iron Man director Shinya Tsukamoto as a freelance news photographer who becomes utterly fascinated with terror. After a man’s horrifying suicide, he’s certain that these unfortunate souls see something at the direct moment of total fear (again, I thought of the creepy father in Peeping Tom and hoped this would prove fascinating). Following up on his theory he begins haunting the tunnels beneath Tokyo where he learns the humanoid, blood sucking creatures, the Deros (“detrimental robots”) reside among the homeless. Hmmm… Instead of dealing with the Deros (we think), he finds a nude waif with fierce teeth (Tomomi Miyashita) chained to a rock. As you probably gather, he takes her to his pad and attempts to figure the girl out.

As did I—to no avail. The confusion would be perfectly acceptable had the picture crafted a more compelling portrait of its patent themes—modern alienation, voyeurism and the tricky process of connection—but instead, it’s so bogged down with lame narration cliché and murky scare tactics, that it dragged on to tedium.

Shot in less than ten days and on DV, the picture does display an interesting mixture of hacky looking set design with effectively grungy settings and video camerawork. The look of the film, and the gore, meld into the real and unreal of this hero’s supposed journey. But what journey? And, who cares? Muddled and at times unintentionally funny, Marebito is disappointing for what it could have been. Fear, particularly blood sucking fear, should never be so wearisome.

Comments

[Bobo]

Cool review.I liked your comment about how it didn't satisfy your need for horror,gore,or deviant sexuality(in film!).That was some funny stuff!That's what I call some good old-fashioned,american fun(regarding film!!!)!

[Harv]

I feel like a dolphin who's never tasted melted snow. What does the color blue taste like? Bobo knows!

Anyway, that's disappointing news. I read a positive review and could not wait to see it. Now... I'm conflicted, utterly conflicted. It certainly sounds good. But what if it's bad? Hmm.

[Bobo]

I know nothing,Harv,believe you me(that is what you may have been eluding to?)!I'm a novice on this site!!The regulars who visit this site seem to have crazy knowledge on the movies!I just check it out for Kim's really good reviews,and to get more educated on movies because I like them so much and I have a boring life!! I know I am the master of saying a lot,and saying very little at the same time!!I'll take a stab though:I guess blue tastes like windex,which tastes like burning!!Happy holidays everyone!!!

[Harv]

Nah. Actually, it's just a line from "Hudson Hawk" that seemed appropriate.

[Bobo]

Very,good,then!I can appreciate a good movie line,except I'm usually the person that throws out a movie line,and people don't know what I'm talking about!!You got me!!You'll notice I threw in the little Ralphy reference in there,too.I swear,I feel like Martin Tupper,from HBO's Dream On,sometimes!I have a lot of nonsense in my head,things that will never be useful for anything...