Class 3 had a problem. People had the nasty habit of dying. Of course, exchange student Koichi Sakakibara had little idea of this little problem when he joined the middle school class. It seemed strange how a girl with an eye patch was ignored by everyone. It was as if she did not exist. Once…
Tag: Japanese Horror
Kimono in a Mono Cultural World
The kimono is Japan. At least it is one part of Japan the West instantly recognizes. The kimono is mostly relegated to special occasions like weddings, funerals, coming-of-age days, and tea ceremonies. Kimono provides a contrast to the sharply westernized modern lifestyle of women and men. Originally the word kimono meant “a thing to wear.”…
Meatball Machine
I have a guilty pleasure: I like to watch B flicks. It is a side effect from growing up watching Mystery Science Theater. Meatball Machine caught my eye one day when I browsed Netflix. It sounded terrible. Boy, I was right! It wasn’t even terrible in a good way. Meatball Machine is a Japanese B…
Kesagake the Man Eater
Sometimes humans get a bit cocky. After all, our big brains and ability to produce advanced technology put us head and shoulders above other animals, especially when it comes to killing power. Nobody can contest the fact that humans are the apex predator on planet Earth, but now and then nature reminds us that, when…
Jorogumo–‘The Whore Spider’
One day a logger was going about his work. Since logging is an exhausting business, seeing as how this was Edo period Japan and the chainsaw hadn’t been invented yet, the man decides to take a short break. He hears the crash of a waterfall nearby, and decides that sitting on the stream bank and…
The Curse of the Kleenex Commercial
America has a whole host of urban legends surrounding television shows and movies. Probably the most famous is the legend of the cursed movie set, which claims that for years after the movie Poltergeist was filmed, actors and producers all met terrible fates. Similar claims were made for the cast of The Exorcist, and probably…