Review: From the Director of GUNHED and KAMIKAZE TAXI, Masato Harada takes a step in a different direction to try his hand at dramatic horror in the sickest way possible with INUGAMI. Similar to Shunichi Nagasaki’s SHIKOKU, we have a horrific tale that unfolds in a quiet village far away from the lights of the city. Luckily the similarities end there and because it is important to know (since the comparison was made between the two movies), INUGAMI is far superior to that piece of crap. With that said lets get into it…

It is very difficult to discuss much without giving away some of the plot but the story is eerie to say the least. The relationship between each character creates constant feelings of uncertainty and horror. There is so much that initially goes unnoticed, but becomes very important… Just know that this is not your average story and is a film strictly for adults.

The cast did a terrific job portraying these intense characters. Particularly, Yuki Amami (BLACK ANGEL 2) was astonishing as the seemingly simple, Miki, who is full of dark secrets. Atsuro Watabe (HEAT AFTER DARK) was successful as the male love interest, despite that fact that he looked a little too much like Gackt. The characters these two played were very deep and close, so it was even more important than usual to have the proper chemistry between them.

But wait, there is one more thing to add to SHIKOKU comparison! Both films were based on novels written by Masako Bando. He has a theme of isolation that seems to reign in his work. Surely he must be proud of Harada’s execution with INUGAMI, especially compared to Nagasaki’s god-awful mess. Ok, no more about that.

While expectations of cheesy dialogue and weak special effects are overwhelming, be aware that you may actually be pleasantly surprised with the overall feel of the film. It didn’t solely rely on gore, which is a nice change of pace. While the blood was minimal, there was plenty of sex throughout to keep your eyes somewhat glued to the screen. Sure it’s not award winning material, but worthwhile nonetheless. We have all seen much worse.

One thing that did get on my nerves was the endless amounts of quick edits, foreshadowing things to come. I understand the reason for this, but it gets old after a while. Not a big deal, but still irritating.

Japanese horror films have been quite abundant since RINGU started a new horror trend, similar to that which began with SCREAM in America. This means that the ratio of actual quality films compared to complete junk declines massively with each and every new entry. Thankfully INUGAMI wasn’t a cheap rip off film about a girl with long, dark hair, and thankfully it was above average.