Some years back, the hot trend in horror was J-horror, meaning scary films that originated from Japan like The Ring and The Grudge.
Japanese horror had its own unique styles, although both the American remakes of The Ring and The Grudge did very well in the States.
As a trend, J-horror had its moment in the sun, but the influence of one Japanese horror director, Takashi Miike, who gave us Audition and Ichi the Killer, still proves strong in American cinema.
In The Dark Knight, the Joker cutting the sides of his mouth into a bigger smile was influenced by Mike’s film Ichi the Killer, and the Mike influence on Tarantino’s Kill Bill is also very clear. Now a report has hit Cinema Blend that Mike’s next film, Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai, will be in 3D.
Of course, real blood won’t be flying off the screen, but considering how much blood will probably be shed, you can imagine people fleeing under the seats or wearing raincoats when the gore starts flying. As Blend tells us, this is a remake of Harakiri, which was directed by Masaki Kobayashi, and the site calls it “a respectful remake.”
Hara-Kiri premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, and now it’s finally working its way over to America, first going to video on demand on July 18, and it will be hitting theaters in a limited 3D release on July 20.
This is the same day The Dark Knight Rises comes out, and clearly it’s not going to be any competition for Batman, but if you love Takashi Miike, and are ready to see his work take on a whole new dimension, you’ll definitely make room for it Batman weekend or shortly beyond.
