Dir - Kōji Shiraishi
Overall: MEH
Japanese genre filmmaker Kōji Shiraishi brings Hiroshi Watanabe's anime series Hell Girl, (Jigoku Shōjo), to blood/cinematic life with the serviceable if not remarkable full-length of the same name. Considering that each episode of Watanabe's source material was a stand-alone story involving the titular demon lady and her stylized cohorts, (think Clive Barker's Cenobites except not gothy S&M monstrosities), Shiraishi concocted his own narrative involving a J-metal rock star who is trying to resurrect a dead god. Two young girls are caught up in the plot, one of whom falls under Tom Fujita's malevolent spell when she successfully auditions for the job of co-vocalist. The characters are not the most fleshed-out in the world, but they are given enough motivation to behave the way that they do, even if the primary emphasis is on the supernatural rules upheld by "Hell Correspondence" website that seals the deal when people want to immediately condemn someone to an eternity of suffering, themselves suffering as well whenever they die naturally. The has always gotta be a catch with these technology-hinged J-horror grudge curses.
Dir - Graham Hughes
Overall: MEH
While comparatively superior to the plethora of found footage mockumentaries that have come out in the last two decades, (a low bar to be sure), Graham Hughes' Death of a Vlogger still falls short of overcoming the handicaps of its chosen sub-genre. What gives it an edge is that it spends as much time examining social media addiction as it does bumps in the night, looking at an unremarkable would-be influencer who gets some fresh eyeballs on his content when alleged supernatural activity is caught on one of his uploads. Hughes portrays said vlogger, (writing, directing, and producing as well), making this a typical no-budget DIY work, be it one that tries to balance its sincere subject matter with some generic scare-pandering. The derivative and uninspired horror stuff does not work at all, nor does the comic relief around Paddy Kondracki's more aggressive and unlikable ghost hunting bro who is openly self-aggrandizing. Yet at the same time, these "faults" serve a greater purpose, where talking heads, (including the movie's best character, a paranormal debunker played with eyeball-rolling conviction by Joma West), examine the dopamine-chasing need for young adults to go above and beyond for social media approval, or disapproval so long as those add revenue bucks keep piling up. The occasional, (and always moronic), scary sound effect or musical cue gets a pass considering the alleged hoax nature of the footage and the ensuing documentary format in which it is presented, but Hughes still cannot resists throwing in a hack ending that devalues his film's more enduring qualities.
Dir - Ashwin Saravanan
Overall: GOOD
A unique work in psychological horror from Indian filmmaker Ashwin Saravaan, Game Over is nebulous with many of its supernatural and/or faux-supernatural components, yet it also comes equipped with a genuinely surprising third act and an effective performance from Taapsee Pannu. In the lead, Pannu portrays a seemingly successful video game developer judging by the size of her house, her top-notch security system, and the fact that she has a committed maid at her disposal. Pannu also suffers from a debilitating fear of darkness, which is triggered by an early abduction and rape that she suffered on New Years Eve. Naturally, her protagonist is touchy about such trauma, and the majority of the film explores how it has pushed her to a near breaking point as she seems incapable of alchemizing her mental and emotional state into something empowering, let alone something that she can merely continue living with. Matters are complicated when a "game over" tattoo that she received earlier begins to cause her uncontrollable bouts of pain, not to mention when her previous stalker or stalkers seem to track her down. Pannu's final ordeal unfolds in a manner that makes sense considering her video game vocation, but it still provides a satisfactory jolt that remains ambiguous yet fits the trajectory of Pannu finally conquering her nightmare.
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