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Trailer

HORROR THEATER

原題
楳図かずお恐怖劇場
Original Title
Umezu Kazuo Kyofu Gekijyo
Production Year
2005
Running Time
45-50min×6episodes
Genre
Color
Color
Director
Cast
Hidetoshi Nishijima, Tamaki Ogawa

Introduction
Kiyoshi Kurosawa has created a movie from the 6 comics written by renowned manga artist Kazuo Umezu. The film "Mushi-tachi no ie" (HOUSE OF BUGS) was on sale in May 2005 at the Cannes Film Festival. With the recent successes of Japanese films such as Juon (remade in Hollywood as "The Grudge") and the Ring series, this film by Kurosawa is also expected to attract a great deal of attention.

The works adapted to film are from a collection of six short stories contained in the "Kyoufu Gekijou" (HORROR THEATER) released by well-known publisher Shogakukan to celebrate the 50th year of Umezu's writing career. The storyline of HOUSE OF BUGS follows the main character, played by actor Hidetoshi Nishijima, as he reveals to his work colleague, portrayed by actress Tamaki Oda, that his wife is "no longer human" and asks her help in discovering why. Kurosawa's previous horror film "Kairo" won the International Film Critics Award at the 54th Cannes Film Festival held in 2001, and received great praise in France. Umezu has said that he wants the world to appreciate how fear can create the ultimate psycho-drama.

In addition to this, there is also "Zesshoku" (THE DIET), the tragic tale of the end to an extreme diet by Hiroshi Takahashi, the scriptwriter of the Ring series, and a comedy called "Jigoku Koshien" (Battlefield Baseball) by new and upcoming director, Yudai Yamaguchi, as well as a revenge tragedy involving Santa Claus called "the Present." Each of these 50 minute movies will go under the title of Kazuo Umezu Fear Theater(Horror Thater), and opened in Tokyo on June 2005.
Synopsis
Tale 1 HOUSE OF BUGS / Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Cure, Circuit)/ Writer: Sadayuki Murai (Steamboy, Millennium Actress)
Koji confesses to his lover, that his wife who has been cheating on him is not a human being anymore. He asks her to visit his home to check if he is seeing an illusion or not. Is the bug in your head, or is it in my head? What is real and what is not? Who is the one who has lost their mind?

Tale 2 THE WISH / Director: Atsushi Shimizu (The Messaiah from the Future) / Writer: Sadayuki Murai (Steamboy, Millennium Actress)
A lonely elementary-school boy finds a block of wood at a garbage dump that seems to be in the shape of a human head, and makes a puppet. He names it "Mokume" and starts playing with the puppet and become friends. Things do not turn out to be so innocent when the puppet starts to become haunting...

Tale 3 DEATH MAKE / Director: Taichi / Writer: Chikazu Konaka (School Ghost Story 3)
A teenager Kuroe and a TV director Satomi visit an abandoned warehouse to shoot a horror TV program. They find a mysterious mask at the warehouse. Suddenly...

Tale 4 THE PRESENT / Director: Yudai Yamaguchi (Battlefield Baseball, writer for Versus, Alive)/ Writer: Tamio Hayashi
College students are enjoying themselves at a Christmas party. However, thing turn extremely bloody and gruesome once Santa Claus comes to town to punish those who are naughty. They better watch out and they better not cry!

Tale 5 DIET / Director: Tadafumi Ito / Writer: Hiroshi Takahashi (RING series)
A fat girl goes on an excessive diet to impress a guy who has dumped her. She succeeds on the diet, but just as she was able to appear in front of the guy once again, her appetite that she has suppressed for so long springs to life...

Tale 6 SNAKE GIRL / Director: Noboru Iguchi/ Writer: Chikazu Konaka (School Ghost Story 3)
Yumiko has been invited to spend the summer vacation with her cousin at a rural village. For some reason, she is not welcomed by the village people who keep on calling her as "Snake Girl"...