is a 2005

Japanese horror Japanese horror, also known as J-horror, is horror fiction derived from popular culture in Japan, generally noted for its unique thematic and conventional treatment of the horror genre differing from the traditional Western representation of horr ...

film, directed by

Takashi Shimizu Takashi Shimizu (清水崇 ''Shimizu Takashi'', born 27 July 1972) is a Japanese people, Japanese filmmaker. He is best known for being the creator of the Ju-On, ''Ju-On'' franchise, and directing four of its films, internationally, in both Jap ...

. It centers on a hopeful actress who won a role in a film that takes her, the cast, and the crew to a hotel where the present soon collides with the past. It was released as a part of the six-volume

J-Horror Theater J-Horror Theater ( Jホラーシアター, ''J horā shiatā)'' (2004–2010) is an anthology of 6 Japanese horror films produced by Takashige Ichise ( 一瀬隆重, ''ichise takashige''). Spurred by the overwhelming success of '' Ringu リング ...

Plot

In 1970, Professor Norihasa Omori visits a local hotel and films himself killing eleven of the hotel guests, employees and his own children before committing suicide, all as part of his wish to understand

reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the Philosophy, philosophical or Religion, religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new lifespan (disambiguation), lifespan in a different physical ...

. The footage of the murders disappears. Thirty-five years later, horror movie director Ikuo Matsumura decides to make a film about the massacre. As the shoot draws near, Nagisa Sugiura, the actress set to star as Omori's daughter Chisato, is haunted by the ghosts of the victims. She begins hallucinating and is plagued by nightmares of the killings. She discovers an old film camera similar to the type used by Omori. College student Yayoi Kinoshita meets Yuka Morita, an actress who had auditioned for Ikuo's movie. Yuka says she remembers things from a "past life" and shows Yayoi a

birthmark A birthmark is a congenital, benign irregularity on the skin which is present at birth or appears shortly after birth—usually in the first month. Birthmarks can occur anywhere on the skin. They are caused by overgrowth of blood vessels, melanocy ...

that looks like evidence of strangulation. Ghosts later drag Yuka away. Yayoi's research takes her to the only survivor of the massacre: Omori's wife, Ayumi. She explains that Omori had become obsessed with the idea that the body is just a vessel. During filming, Nagisa starts hallucinating. Her agent reviews the camera, which consists of the film Omori took as he committed the murders. As this film plays, Nagisa reenacts the events in her hallucination. She witnesses the actors, including Yayoi and Ikuo, and the two men in the movie's start, transform into the people they portray. With the victims walking toward her, she escapes and runs into town. Simultaneously, her agent watches the film of this escape from Omori's POV. Nagisa finds herself cornered in a store and grabs a piece of glass to kill herself. She looks at her reflection and sees the face of Omori. Her agent watches Omori in his film reveal Nagisa's reflection instead of his own in the glass before he cuts his own throat. Nagisa starts to reenact Omori's suicide, but the doll stops her to tell her they will be together forever. A group of executives watch Nagisa's take. Among them is Ayumi. Near the end, Nagisa collapses, shaking and screaming as crew members come to her aid. By the professor's wife is her two children and the wife smiles. Sometime later, in a mental ward, Nagisa is bound in a full-body wrap and still haunted by the souls of Omori's children. Ayumi looks at her through the door window, then passes her children's favorite toys to Nagisa: a red ball and a doll. Nagisa screams but eventually calms down with a sinister smile as the ghosts of the children close in on her.

Cast

Release

The film was released as part of producer Takashige Ichise's

series along with ''

Infection An infection is the invasion of tissue (biology), tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host (biology), host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmis ...

'', '' Premonition'', and '' Retribution'', among others. ''Reincarnation'' premiered at the 18th

Tokyo International Film Festival The is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biennially from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter. According to the FIAPF, it is one of Asia's competitive film festivals and the second largest film festival in Asia behind the ...

in October 2005. ''Reincarnation'' was distributed theatrically by Toho on January 7, 2006. The film was released by Lions Gate Films on November 18, 2006 in the United States. It was theatrically released in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

as one of the eight films in the nationwide

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theater, cinemas or screening venues, usually annually and in a single city or region. Some film festivals show films outdoors or online. Films may be of recent ...

After Dark Horrorfest After Dark Horrorfest (also known as "8 Films to Die For") was an annual horror film festival featuring eight independent horror movies, sometimes with "secret" bonus films, all distributed by After Dark Films in the USA. The first HorrorFes ...

, which ran November 17 through 21, 2006.

Notes

References

External links