Otogiriso, internationally known as St. John's Wort is an independent Japanese mystery horror movie that walks off the beaten path. Some viewers might hate everything about it, others are going to appreciate what they are watching. I certainly belong to the second category and will explain to you why this movie is much better than its dreadful reputation in my opinion.
Let's start by describing the simple story that follows several horror movie tropes. A young woman inherits the mansion of her seclusive father who achieved fame as a deranged painter. Along with her ex-boyfriend who wants to discover the location for the development of a video game, she decides to visit the isolated house. Soon enough, a heavy storm comes up and a tree falls on the car. The two young adults have to spend the night in the sinister mansion and soon have to deal with seemingly supernatural phenomenons leading to shocking discoveries.
Among the positive elements, I have to point out the film's cinematography. Director Shimoyama Ten works with hand-held cameras, security camera perspectives and webcams to only mention a few examples. Each camera is used to support atmosphere, plot and settings cleverly throughout the movie.
Another element that deserves praise are the creative light techniques. Sinister colours turn trees into a dark purple, the mansion into a sinister green and old dolls into a bloody red. The use of colours gives the film a surreal vibe that serves as guideline from start to finish.
This horror movie doesn't rely on cheap jump scares or supernatural phenomena. It's actually much more like being in an escape room, except that the film was released decades before said phenomenon became popular around the world. The two lead characters are caught in a creepy mansion, have to find different sets of keys to advance from one room to another and must even find rooms hidden under staircases, behind shelves or in the attic. This film isn't particularly scary but it has an eerie, mysterious and surreal vibe that sets it apart.
As you can read, Otogiriso, also known as St. John's Wort, has more benefits to be watched than downsides to be criticized. The story might not be creative, the pace is indeed rather slow and the acting performances remain average throughout even though Matsuo Reiko convinces as energetic, extroverted and stylish side character Koseki Toko. However, the film's creative camera angles, excellent use of colours and shades and the eerie escape room atmosphere certainly set this movie apart. I'm glad that I have picked this movie up for a reasonable price, would recommend it to close friends and certainly watch it again.
Let's start by describing the simple story that follows several horror movie tropes. A young woman inherits the mansion of her seclusive father who achieved fame as a deranged painter. Along with her ex-boyfriend who wants to discover the location for the development of a video game, she decides to visit the isolated house. Soon enough, a heavy storm comes up and a tree falls on the car. The two young adults have to spend the night in the sinister mansion and soon have to deal with seemingly supernatural phenomenons leading to shocking discoveries.
Among the positive elements, I have to point out the film's cinematography. Director Shimoyama Ten works with hand-held cameras, security camera perspectives and webcams to only mention a few examples. Each camera is used to support atmosphere, plot and settings cleverly throughout the movie.
Another element that deserves praise are the creative light techniques. Sinister colours turn trees into a dark purple, the mansion into a sinister green and old dolls into a bloody red. The use of colours gives the film a surreal vibe that serves as guideline from start to finish.
This horror movie doesn't rely on cheap jump scares or supernatural phenomena. It's actually much more like being in an escape room, except that the film was released decades before said phenomenon became popular around the world. The two lead characters are caught in a creepy mansion, have to find different sets of keys to advance from one room to another and must even find rooms hidden under staircases, behind shelves or in the attic. This film isn't particularly scary but it has an eerie, mysterious and surreal vibe that sets it apart.
As you can read, Otogiriso, also known as St. John's Wort, has more benefits to be watched than downsides to be criticized. The story might not be creative, the pace is indeed rather slow and the acting performances remain average throughout even though Matsuo Reiko convinces as energetic, extroverted and stylish side character Koseki Toko. However, the film's creative camera angles, excellent use of colours and shades and the eerie escape room atmosphere certainly set this movie apart. I'm glad that I have picked this movie up for a reasonable price, would recommend it to close friends and certainly watch it again.
