J Horror Rising Blu-Ray

Vengeful ghosts returning from the grave, young women with supernatural powers, investigative stories, techno-horror, and an ominous aura of urban alienation and isolation characterize the wave of horror and mystery films that emerged in Japan at the turn of the millennium and are collectively known as "J-Horror." J-Horror Rising has been remastered from the best available elements and is packed with a wealth of contemporary and archived bonus material, presenting seven of the genre's most notable titles.

In Shikoku's spooky pastoral horror tale, a young woman returns after many years to her rural birthplace, only to discover that her best friend from childhood died by drowning when she was just sixteen. The dead girl's mother, the local Shinto priest, has set out on the region's famous pilgrimage - but why is she walking backwards? The aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Kobe in 1995 creates cracks in the already fragmented mind of a high school girl in Isola: Multiple Personality Girl, where an unwelcome intruder takes up residence in her head and a volunteer with psychic powers must determine which of her personalities is the fake one. Shikoku also provides the mysterious backdrop for Inugami, in which a teacher from Tokyo is drawn to a local paper manufacturer, only to discover that he is the target of hostility from her family, who have long ties to the region and are rumored to be descendants of the guardians of ancient evil dog spirits.

Megumi Okina (Ju-On: The Grudge) plays the art designer for a horror-themed video gamethe innovative St John's Wort, who is forced to confront her childhood traumas when her colleagues ask her to collect visual material from the scary Gothic mansion she inherited from her artist father. Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman features the titular predatory killer taken from urban legends, where it turns out that home is not the safest place for her potential child victims in this disturbing supernatural horror. A new craze involving ceramic masks sweeps through the students at a high school, unleashing a wave of anonymous youth crime among the literal fashion victims in Persona, which features early appearances from Battle Royale stars Tatsuya Fujiwara and Chiaki Kuriyama.Tatsuya Fujiwara and Chiaki Kuriyama. Last but not least, the terrifying Noroi: The Curse takes on a pseudo-documentary format as an investigative reporter on paranormal phenomena is forced to confront horrors beyond his wildest imagination after hearing about an ancient folkloric demon.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS

High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations of all seven films

Original lossless 5.1 and lossless stereo audio 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

Reversible cases and covers with newly commissioned artwork by Dare Creative

DISC ONE - SHIKOKU / ISOLA: MULTIPLE PERSONALITY GIRL

Audio commentary on Shikoku by Tom Mes, expert on Japanese cinema

Audio commentary on Isola: Multiple Personality Girl by critics and experts on Japanese cinema Jasper Sharp and Amber T. The Aftermath, Tom Mes discusses J-Horror at the turn of the millennium Something in the Water, an interview with Shikoku director Shunichi Nagasakip>

Archive interviews with director Shunichi Nagasaki and actors Chiaki Kuriyama and Yui Natsukawa about Shikoku

Archive interview with actors Yoshino Kimura and Yu Kurosawa about Isola: Multiple Personality Girl

Footage from the filming of Shikoku

Original trailers and TV spots for both films

Photo galleries

DISC TWO - INUGAMI / ST. JOHN'S WORT

Audio commentary on Inugami by Jonathan Clements, expert on Japanese cinema

Audio commentary on St. John's Wort by Amber T., Japanese film expert

Dog Days, a video interview with Inugami director Masato Harada

The Making of St. John's Wort, archive featurette

Archive interviews with St. John's Wort cast members Megumi Okina, Koichiro Saito, Reiko Matsuo, and Koji Okura

Behind-the-scenes photos from the filming of St. John's Wort

Original trailers and TV spots for St. John's Wort

Photo galleries for both films

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

Audio commentary on Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman by Zack Davisson, expert on Japanese folklore

Why So Serious?, an interview with Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman director Koji Shiraishi

Weapon of Choice, a video essay on Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman by Japanese horror specialist Lindsay Nelson

Confessions of a Mask, an interview with Persona director Takashi Komatsu

Image galleries for both films

DISK FOUR - NOROI: THE CURSE

Audio commentary by film critic Julian Singleton

Director's POV, a video interview with Noroi: The Curse director Koji Shiraishi

The Man in the Shadows, an interview with Noroi: The Curse producer Takashige Ichise

Changing Perspective, a video essay on Noroi: The Curse by Japanese horror specialist Lindsay Nel