There is never a point while watching Marebito where I know what is going on. At every moment that the film appears to be revealing answers, even more questions are spawned. The audience is not just taken into the mind of a madman, but a sane man trying (successfully) to lose his mind. Some of what happens must be real, but then other parts seem completely impossible. But the point of Marebito is not to be understood, it is an exercise in terror, in its most stripped down form.
I first came across Marebito while browsing the DVD selection at my local video game store when I was in high school. I'm not sure why I decided to buy it. Perhaps it was because its directed by the same fellow who made The Grudge (2004), or perhaps I was attracted to the fact that the DVD stated that the film is part of the 'Tartan Asian Extreme Collection." Seeing the word, "Extreme" is always enticing. Regardless of why I picked up this seemingly random movie, I watched soon after, and it freaked me out. I didn't watch it again until last night, and low and behold, it had the same effect on me.
Marebito follows a videographer, named Masuoka, who records a man killing himself with a knife, and then goes on a search to find what caused this guy to stab himself. What he finds is a load of really, really weird stuff. To say anymore would ruin the fun of watching the film, so I won't give any more details.
The film is more about tone than plot, anyway. The story makes little sense, but that doesn't matter because Shimizu's own ambitions in making the film mirrors that of Masuoka. Masuoka, played by famed Japanese horror director, Shin'ya Tsukamoto, is searching for the source of terror in the eyes of the man as he took his own life. He is on a quest to discover this pure terror, and the secrets behind it. Shimizu, too, seems to be searching for how to terrify an audience on a most raw and basic level. The film only focuses on how to create this tension and atmosphere to truly terrify the viewer.
Is he successful?
As I have repeatedly stated, this is a difficult film to comprehend, which is what makes it scary. By constantly keeping the audience at arms length, unable to understand the world of the film, there is nothing specific that is the focus of horror in the film. Like Cure (1997), there is no Bogey Man. When a film has no Bogey Man, then one can't say after watching it, "there is no such thing as the Bogey Man." Instead, one is left with their imagination to create in their mind something menacing in the bump of the night. Since Marebito is not grounded in reality, there is no way to excuse it as not being possible or real, for there is not attempt at that within the film itself. The film goes straight for the viewer's instincts in order to conjure fear.
Much of Marebito's effect comes from its use of sound. Infrasound is used often, as is eerie, atmospheric music. Most unsettling, though, is the use of blood sound effects. Specifically, blood dripping and being sucked... These scenes are the ones that got to me the most. It was the sound that was bothering me, and yet I still had trouble looking at the screen during these moments.
Marebito has an extremely slow first half, and an averagely slow second half. It's certainly not a horror film for everyone, especially those who are impatient and are uninterested in exploring something strange and different. The film was shot in only eight days, between Shimizu making Ju-on (2002) and The Grudge. The freedom he shows here in experimentation is evident, and may have only been possible in such a rushed production. It's a good demonstration of ignoring pretty effects and colorful cinematography to instead opt for something that goes for a direct effect on its audience. I think it succeeds at doing so.
Not watching this one either, your review scares me.
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