Screenhead

Newly released on DVD this week is a new Japanese horror movie from Tartan’s Asia Extreme label. And yes, this is extreme horror. Carved was inspired by a Japanese urban legend. The film begins with shots of elementary school children discussing aspects of the legend of the slit-mouth woman between themselves. Later, three young boys are alone in an otherwise empty park when they hear a woman’s voice asking, “Do you think I’m pretty”.

A pair of young teachers investigate the kidnapping of several students. One of them has actually seen the slit-mouth woman unmasked. What is certain is that the victims of the slit-mouth woman are children who are alone. Director and co-writer Kôji Shiraishi also examines the relationships between mothers and children. One of the teachers is the divorced mother with a young daughter who lives with the father. The other teacher is the son of a woman who physically abused him and his siblings.

If Shiraishi is attempting to create a parable about contemporary childhood I am not certain if he has succeeeded. There may be a very rough analogy to the terror of the slit-mouth woman with the horror of real life child abuse. What is missing is even the smallest sliver of motivation. Somehow, that this character exists simply to threaten children is not sufficient. Which is not too fault the rest of the film.

In terms of the actual filmmaking craft, Shiraishi knows how to create mood with his somber lighting, especially when his characters are inside a darkened house. Carved can be a very creepy film to view. With her bright yellow contact lenses and slashed mouth, Miki Mizuno in the title role could well be as upsetting to viewers, even without pulling out that long pair of scissors. There are aspects to Carved that are cliched, but the sight of Mizuno when the mouth is uncovered will probably give even the most die-hard horror movie fan pause.

Carved Official site.

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