This is, nominally, the story of four friends who go to a cursed tree and one of them disappears...
One of the best horror films at this year's Fantasia fest (and NYAFF and Japan Cuts) , this is a very deliberate spin on the old as dirt tale of a cursed location turning everyone's lives upside down. Director Takashi Shimizu knows the audience has been here before and he does what any good director would do, uses the familiarity against the audience. Yes, we get all the cliches, but but also get some wicked spins. By the end the sound of cicadas will make your skin crawl.
Much of what we see is implied. Yes, there are graphic images, but this film is a story of words and they paint the terror. Its a world of its own devising
I am not going to lie, the film has a pacing problem. It is very deliberate with a slow pace and lots of silences that highlight the sounds. I wished I was seeing this in a theater instead of at home where there were distractions. You can not watch this and not be fully focused on it or else it will not work because the spell will be broken. (This NEEDS a theatrical release)
At the same time the mood this film generates is first rate and I have to say that this is the first horror film this year that gave me goosebumps from start to finish... Trust me how the film begins and ends will kick the legs out from under you because it isn't normal for a film like this.
If you want something that isn't quite right (as in demented) and not perfect but articly chilly at times, give THE MOUTHS a shot.
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