On Episode 21, we had Scriptophobic writer Rachel Bolton on to speak about the found footage masterpiece Noroi: The Curse (2005). We mentioned quite a few films in that episode, especially the work of Kōji Shiraishi.
Shiraishi’s work, as far as me and Kelly have explored it, falls into three categories. There are his boring, torture-porn gore flicks like 2009’s Grotesque. Then there is his paranormal side, much more in-line with the famous glut of releases in the early 2000s. These include Ju-Rei: The Uncanny (2004), Teketeke (2009) and Carved (2007).
Lastly there is his found footage work. As far as the genre in Japan is concerned, he pretty much invented it. I say pretty much because while he is the clear reigning king of the genre, he wasn’t actually the first. Before researching for this article I had believed that Noroi was Japan’s first. There are clear examples in films like Evil Dead Trap (1988) and even Ring (1999) that the fusion of video technology and horror were clear and these films point towards a pre-genre history of found footage the same way that Cannibal Holocaust (1980), Ghostwatch (1992) and Man Bites Dog (1992) do for the West. As far as first concrete example, like we have with The Last Broadcast (1998) and The Blair Witch Project (1999), Noroi was the first.
But then I found this video. The title of the YouTube video is a description of the content rather than the film’s title. It’s actual title is, and I shit you not, Actually Happened! Most Terrifying Psychic Phenomena. Psychic Research Team Report. Relived. It was made in 2004, a year before Noroi, and it was directed by Jun Tsugita. As far as directing goes, Tsugita has a couple early credits that devolve into softcore pornography. His real talent is his writing with credits on Tomie: Unlimited (2011), Mutant Girls Squad (2010), and Zombie Ass: Toilet of the Dead (2011); while I’m not a fan of his comedic chomps, I do enjoy his work on the Tomie series and thus it is doubly shocking to find that he actually beat Shiraishi to the genre.
One of the bigger Japanese found footage films comes from the Paranormal Activity series, Paranormal Activity 2: Tokyo Night (2010). I am not well-versed on the series but it is my understanding that the film is canon, despite there also being a Western sequel.
Shiraishi returned to found footage with Occult (2009). Occult is a wonderfully twisted tale that begins by trying to understand a normal, though idiosyncratic, event which then spirals into the world of the supernatural. It has some compelling performances and some deeply shocking twists and turns but it is hindered by a laughable climax.
Occult was followed in 2010 by Shirome. This is a weird film. Shiraishi plays a director who is making a TV special for the idol group Momoiro Clover Z. 
The special will see them go to a haunted location, perform a song and then make a wish. If their intentions aren’t pure then there will be hell to pay. The film is mostly an excuse to watch adolescent girls scream in fear. From what I’ve gathered it seems that Shiraishi got the idea of doing a horror movie with the idols after they started to get big and so the girl’s had no idea they were in a horror film, they truly thought the TV special was what they were making. Not particularly interesting, doesn’t really have any momentum or compelling characters or growth.
POV – A Cursed Film (2012) is one of the few Japanese found footage films that wasn’t directed by Shiraishi. Instead, this one is helmed by Norio Tsuruta, whose work we’ve seen on One Missed Pod before when discussing Ring 0: Birthday (2000). POV is an intriguing film. Two hosts filming a segment about ghost videos for TV experience supernatural happenings and so they delve deeper into the origin of the video. It uses subtly quite well and builds a lot of tension throughout. The ending goes off the rails as the girls screen their documentary before an audience for the first time…
Another Shiraishi directed picture is Cult (2013). With one found footage film named Occult and another named Cult, it doesn’t get confusing in the least. This is the lesser of the two films but it shares similarities with the rest of his work. There are supernatural happenings and the inclusion of shamanism, much like the folk rituals in Noroi. The cast is made up of real idols playing themselves, giving us shades of Shirome. Plus the ending goes off the rails almost has hard as Occult, though it manages to get creepy enough to likely be compared to Noroi‘s ending more often.
Following Cult, Shiraishi directed A Record of Sweet Murder (2014) but I haven’t seen this particular film. It was going to be one of Kelly’s picks for an early episode but she decided against it and so I never checked it out. It was made as co-production with South Korea and follows a serial killer, his final victims, psychological, physical, and sexual torture, and, from what I’ve gathered, a heady, twisty ending. (note from Kelly: the ending rules. The rest of the movie, not so much.)
Unfortunately, with Shiraishi stepping away from the found footage genre it has seemingly dried up. Much like there is here, I imagine that there are plenty of low-budget, bargain bin destined releases that go unnoticed and thus never make their way off the island. Hopefully there will be some new voices to reinvigorate the genre. It’s cheap as hell to make a found footage film and yet, especially in the hands of the Japanese, it can be a truly effective medium through which to spook, chill and horrify.
