Kyôfu Ningyô (Japan, 2019) (AKA "The Japanese Doll", "Japanese Doll of Terror")
Rating: ***
Starring: Nao Kosaka, Riku Hagiwara, Makoto Awane
After the both of them received an invitation to hang out at a camp with the promise of a hundred thousand Yen each just for attending, childhood friends Masato and Yuri decided to go seeing Masato could use the money for his college fund, though Yuri is a tad put off by the odd nature of the invite. There they meet six other people who got the same invitations, as well as a suspiciously distant woman who's tasked to cater to their needs by their mysterious host.
It isn't long before the whole gang realize that they all knew one another at some point and that they all used to go to the very same camp they're at ten years ago. This is also when they remember that there was another girl who attended the camp, Yoshiko, but she, much to their horror, recently passed away and it appears that the girl's beloved doll is now haunting them, following them wherever they go and slowly growing in size. Soon, the doll is big enough to tower them proper and, with a disposal of weapons to cut and carve, it's hellbent to punish everyone responsible for its beloved owner's passing!
For a good deal of its story,
Kyôfu Ningyô (2019) strides the familiar footings of a classic backwoods slasher plot of teens going to the woods for fun, only to end up dead in the hands of a powertool-inclined villain, though what sets this film slightly apart from the rest of its kin is that it dabbles with traditional Japanese superstitions to toy with the possibility of our villain being supernatural, mainly the idea of dolls as vessels for curses and grudges. With this, a fair share of the scares and creep factor stem from the toy's otherworldly ability to appear and disappear in places, seemingly observing the group while they remain mostly unaware of its presence until it is too late, as well as a few unexplained moments wherein the doll shed tears and responded in pain while being tortured by this movie's own
Ahab, a professor of cursed dolls who arrived at the camp out of nowhere and maybe a little nutso himself.
After dancing around the concept of the occult,
Kyôfu Ningyô (2019) would eventually set itself within bodycount territories, paving way to the movie's most memorable peculiarity in which we now follow the doll, grown life-sized but still sporting a humongous bobble-head, as it goes on a killing spree with knives, barbecue forks and, heck, even a chainsaw! It's as standard of an affair as a slasher flick would get (overlooking the giant-headed killer, of course), with groups splitting up for one reason to another, making them easy picking for the vengeful doll. However, may it be due of its low budget or the fact that the film's aimed for a wider audience with its PG-12 rating upon release, the exploitation elements of these killings isn't as extreme as one would expect, with the camera more often than not cutting away before any metal edge would touch bear skin, though this isn't to say it's not without its bloody moments, entertaining chase scenes and a few creative set-pieces.
There's also a neat little reveal at its climax that channels the backwoods slasher classic
Friday The 13th (1980), done in a familiar backdrop borrowed from
Happy Birthday to Me (1981) which have dead victims aligned and propped up as guests in a macabre party while the lead characters gawk in horror. Admittedly, it does get a tad emotional, heartbreaking even once the culprit starts to reminisce about precious memories in-between sobs, though the hokeyness of the horror isn't completely lost, especially when the killer entitled themselves to one more attempt to end their victims, giant head still bobbing and chainsaw roaring as down-beaten survivors cower away.
As far as entertainment goes, this is one weird ride of a horror flick that certainly delivers the good even if, plot-wise, the movie didn't tread on new grounds concerning the sub-genre. From its fun little mystery and bizarre visuals, to the bloody kills and insane-looking killer, Kyôfu Ningyô (2019) is a genuine slasher treat from our friends back at the Land of The Rising Sun and I sincerely recommend this little number for a strange yet oddly satisfying watch!
Bodycount:
1 female found dead with a head wound
1 female hacked with an axe
1 male garroted to death with a length of barbwire
1 male found dead with a head wound
1 female caught on an animal trap, stabbed to death with a barbecue fork
1 male gets a chainsaw through the gut
1 female corpse seen
1 male brained with a sledgehammer
1 male shot to death with a hunting rifle
Total: 9
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