Kazuo Umezu's Horror Theater (Japanese: 楳図かずお恐怖劇場, Hepburn: Umezu Kazuo: Kyōfu gekijō), also known as Kazuo Umezz's Horror Theater, is a Japanese six-part anthology horror film series based on manga works by Kazuo Umezu. It was released in 2005 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the start of Umezu's career as a manga artist.[1][2] The series was distributed by Shochiku,[3] and features music composed by singer-songwriter Rurutia.[4]
| Kazuo Umezu's Horror Theater | |
|---|---|
_film_series_poster.jpg) Promotional release poster | |
| Created by | Kazuo Umezu |
| Years | 2005 |
| Films and television | |
| Film(s) |
|
Films
House of Bugs
Kazuo Umezu's Horror Theater: House of Bugs (楳図かずお恐怖劇場蟲たちの家, Umezu Kazuo: Kyōfu gekijō - Mushi-tachi no ie, a.k.a. Bug's House) is directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa.[5][6][7] Its plot centers around a husband and wife, the former of whom suspects the latter of not only being unfaithful to him, but possibly mutating into a large insect.[8]
Ambrosia
Kazuo Umezu's Horror Theater: Ambrosia (楳図かずお恐怖劇場絶食, Umezu Kazuo: Kyōfu gekijō - Zesshoku, a.k.a. Diet), is directed by Itō Tadafumi and written by Hiroshi Takahashi.[9] It follows a schoolgirl who goes on an extreme diet in order to win the affections of a boy.
Snake Girl
Kazuo Umezu's Horror Theater: Snake Girl (楳図かずお恐怖劇場まだらの少女, Umezu Kazuo: Kyōfu gekijō - Madara no shōjo, a.k.a. The Harlequin Girl), directed by Noboru Iguchi,[2] is an adaptation of The Spotted Girl, an installment in Umezu's 1965–66 manga trilogy Reptilia.[10] The film stars Arisa Nakamura as Yumiko, a girl who is invited by her cousin to spend her summer vacation in a rural village, where she finds herself terrorized by a half-human, half-snake witch.[11]
The Wish
Kazuo Umezu's Horror Theater: The Wish (楳図かずお恐怖劇場, Umezu Kazuo: Kyōfu gekijō - Negai) is directed by Atsushi Shimizu.[2] It follows a lonely schoolboy who carves a companion for himself in the form of a wooden doll shaped like a human head.[11]
Present
Kazuo Umezu's Horror Theater: Present (楳図かずお恐怖劇場プレゼント, Umezu Kazuo: Kyōfu gekijō - Purezento), directed by Yūdai Yamaguchi,[2] sees a group of students' Christmas festivities interrupted by a murderous Santa Claus[12][13] and his band of flesh-eating reindeer.[11]
Death Make
Kazuo Umezu's Horror Theater: Death Make (楳図かずおの恐怖劇場 デスメイク, Umezu Kazuo: Kyōfu gekijō - Death Make) is directed by Taichi Itō.[2] It follows a group of supposed psychics who, as part of a reality television program, are challenged to spend 24 hours in an abandoned office building[11] where, ten years prior, a group of girls disappeared after attempting to summon ghosts.
Release
The six films were screened at the Eurospace theater in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, on 18 June 2005.[4]
References
Bibliography
- "New Cinema Rush". Kinema Junpo (in Japanese). No. 1431 (6月下旬号). June 2005. p. 92. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
- Harper, Jim (2009). Flowers from Hell: The Modern Japanese Horror Film. Noir Publishing. ISBN 978-0953656479.
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