J Horror Rising (Limited Edition) [Blu-ray] [UK]

Release Date: 28/10/2024

Vengeful ghosts returning from beyond the grave, young women with supernatural abilities, investigative narratives, a terror of technology, and an ominous aura of urban alienation and isolation mark the wave of horror and mystery films that emerged in Japan at the turn of the millennium, collectively labeled as "J-Horror". Remastered from the best available elements and packed with a host of new and archival extras, J-Horror Rising presents seven of the genre's most distinctive titles.

In the ghostly pastoral horror of Shikoku, a young woman returns after many years to her rural birthplace, only to find her best friend from childhood has died by drowning when just sixteen. The dead girl's mother, the local Shintoist priestess, has embarked on the region's famous pilgrimage - but why is she walking backwards? The aftermath of the devasting Kobe Earthquake of 1995 creates fissures in the already fractured mind of a high-school girl in Isola: Multiple Personality Girl, allowing an unwelcome intruder to set up home in her head and leaving a volunteer worker with psychic powers to determine which of her personas is the fake one. Shikoku also provides the mystical backdrop to Inugami, as a teacher from Tokyo finds himself drawn to a local papermaker, only to find himself the subject of some hostility from her extended family, who have long ties to the region and are rumored to be the descendants of the guardians of ancient evil canine spirits.

Megumi Okina (Ju-On: The Grudge) plays the art designer for a horror-themed videogame in the innovative St. John's Wort, who is forced to confront her childhood traumas when her colleagues ask her to gather visual materials from the creepy gothic mansion she has inherited from her estranged artist father. Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman features the titular predatory murderess drawn from urban legend, where it turns out home isn't the safest place for her potential child victims in this disturbing supernatural horror. A new craze for wearing ceramic masks sweeps the students of a high school, unleashing a wave of anonymous juvenile delinquency amongst the literal fashion-victims of Persona, which boasts early appearances from Battle Royale stars Tatsuya Fujiwara and Chiaki Kuriyama. Last but not least, the chilling Noroi: The Curse adopts a pseudo-documentary format as an investigative reporter into paranormal phenomena is forced to confront horrors beyond his wildest imagination after learning about an ancient folkloric demon.

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations of all seven films
• Original lossless 5.1 and lossless stereo sound options for Shikoku, Isola: Multiple Personality Girl, Inugami, St. John's Wort, Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman and Noroi: The Curse, and original lossless stereo audio for Persona
• Optional English subtitles for each film
• Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing by Eugene Thacker, Jasper Sharp, Anton Bitel, Amber T., Mark Player, Jim Harper and Sarah Appleton
• Double-sided foldout poster featuring newly commissioned artwork by John Conlon
• Limited Edition packaging featuring newly commissioned artwork by John Conlon

DISC ONE: SHIKOKU / ISOLA: MULTIPLE PERSONALITY GIRL

• Brand new audio commentary on Shikoku by Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes
• Brand new audio commentary on Isola: Multiple Personality Girl by critics and Japanese cinema experts Jasper Sharp and Amber T.
• The Aftermath, Tom Mes discusses J-Horror at the turn of the millennium
• Something in the Water, a brand new interview with Shikoku director Shunichi Nagasaki
• Archive interviews with director Shunichi Nagasaki and actors Chiaki Kuriyama and Yui Natsukawa on Shikoku
• Archive interview with actors Yoshino Kimura and Yu Kurosawa on Isola: Multiple Personality Girl
• On-set footage of the filming of Shikoku
• Original trailers and TV spots for both films
• Image galleries

DISC TWO: INUGAMI / ST. JOHN'S WORT

• Brand new audio commentary on Inugami by Japanese cinema expert Jonathan Clements
• Brand new audio commentary on St. John's Wort by Japanese cinema expert Amber T.
• Dog Days, brand new video interview with Inugami director Masato Harada
• The Making of St. John's Wort, archival featurette
• Archive interviews with St. John's Wort actors Megumi Okina, Koichiro Saito, Reiko Matsuo and Koji Okura
• On-set behind-the-scenes footage of the filming of St. John's Wort
• Original trailers and TV spots for St. John's Wort
• Image galleries for both films

DISC THREE: CARVED: THE SLIT-MOUTHED WOMAN / PERSONA

• Brand new audio commentary on Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman by Japanese folklore expert Zack Davisson
• Why So Serious?, a brand new interview with Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman director Koji Shiraishi
• Weapon of Choice, a brand new video essay on Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman by Japanese horror specialist Lindsay Nelson
• Confessions of a Mask, a brand new interview with Persona director Takashi Komatsu
• Image galleries for both films

DISC FOUR: NOROI: THE CURSE

• Brand new audio commentary by film critic Julian Singleton
• Director's POV, a brand new video interview with Noroi: The Curse director Koji Shiraishi
• The Man in the Shadows, a brand new interview with Noroi: The Curse producer Taka Ichise
• Changing Perspective, a brand new video essay on Noroi: The Curse by Japanese horror specialist Lindsay Nelson
• Ectoplasmic Worms, a brand new video essay on Noroi: The Curse and Japanese cosmic horror by Japanese cinema expert Amber T.
• How to Protect Yourself Against Curses
• Urgent report! Pursuing the Truth about Kagutaba!! TV Special
• Over half an hour of deleted scenes
• Trailers and TV spots
• Image gallery