New Group + The Curse

New Group (2025). Japan. 82 min

• Direction: Yuta Shimotsu.
• Cast: Anna Yamada, Yuzu Aoki, Pierre Taki.

At many times visually grotesque, psychologically terrifying, socially devastating and politically advanced, which shouldn't surprise those have us who never let our guard down when it comes to Japanese films featuring uniformed schoolkids. In 99% of cases something is going to happen. Something strange. Something with a horrific and pleasing incongruence. Something surreal. Or hyperreal. Or suprareal. But something. In this case, in a high school where the rules are what they are, and you either follow and accept them or they come crashing down on you, the students begin to form a pyramid in the sports ground. Quite calmly. An impassive look on their faces. But as soon the film starts we have already seen a couple of "odd" scenes, there is talk on the TV of extraterrestrials, and some rich guy throwing banknotes around in the street. Watch out.

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The Curse (2025). Japan-Taiwan. 94 min

• Direction: Kenichi Ugana.
• Cast: Yukino Kaizu, Yu, Mimi Shao, Shiho, Ray Fan, Lin Tammy.

We know about Japanese horror, but not Taiwanese witchcraft, however much we may revere Nie Yinniang, the imposing death-dealer of The Assassin (2015), Hou Hsiao-hsien's wuxia masterpiece. The Curse will help dispel our ignorance a little, as here the two Japanese protagonists and their dead friend, who continues uploading stories to social media, become the victims of a Taiwanese sorceress, offering a fine demonstration of the malicious arts of the island witch. The film's brutal opening features a girl running desperately along a highway, before being run over by a huge truck, and her abandoned corpse devoured by a dog. The Curse is an update of the technologies used in the immortal Ringu (1998). While there they were videotapes, here mobiles become the transmitters of Evil. And yes, Airi's eyes bleed.