Ox-Head Village review.
Takashi Shimizu is no stranger to the cursed horror subsect of horror. Of course, cursed horror and investigative horror go hand in hand. See Ringu, Smile and Shimizu’s own Ju-On: The Grudge. With Ox-Head Village he shifts his focus firmly towards the investigative aspects…with family drama taking largely replacing the usual scares and carnage.
Ox-Head Village streams exclusively on Screambox February 14, 2023.
New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
Ox-Head Village
Directed by Takashi Shimizu
Written by Daisuke Hosaka and Takashi Shimizu
Starring Kôki, Riku Hagiwara and Keiko Horiuchi
Ox-Head Village Review
There is a tried-and-true formula to the cursed horror genre. A character becomes afflicted with said curse and tries to track down its origin in hopes of finding a way to lift it. Smile was a huge hit last year following this basic premise. Ringu popularized it a quarter of a century ago. Throw in some spooky imagery and a ticking clock and you’ve got the framework for a hit movie…if not an original one.
Flash forward to the present and Ox-Head Village changes the story a bit. Our main character is not afflicted by a curse. Instead, she is tracking down an urban legend that has claimed a girl who looks exactly like her. A girl she seems to have a psychological and physical connection to.
More importantly, it puts a deeper focus on building out the investigation aspect of the genre. Instead of tracking down a history of reports connected to the legend Ox-Head Village aims for a more personal connection. Revelations here are not just trying to bring us closer to understanding what the curse is. They bring us deeper into a familial story of secrets and shame.
Kanon (Kôki) is our lead for this adventure. Along with her friend Ren (Riku Hagiwara), she embarks on a trip to the location of a viral video to investigate what happened to her doppelganger. Kanon finds her connection to the missing girl and the curse itself to be far more personal than she could have imagined.
The curse here is…well…it’s silly. Until it isn’t. The backstory and meaning of the Ox-Head is tragic and well done. The imagery of a person wearing an Ox-Head does not work as intended. Instead of creating scary images…it takes you out of atmospheric moments. That’s not to say that Ox-Head Village is lacking in those moments. There are some well done images created in reflections that can unnerve. Director Takashi Shimizu is simply making a different movie this time around.
There are also a few scenes of the curse catching up with side characters for horror fans to enjoy. The best one involves an elevator sequence. Shimizu uses these elements to provide stakes and move the story forward…but the story is always the focus over thrills in Ox-Head Village.
The good news is that the story is also the best part of Ox-Head Village. With light, but well done, scares and gore…and that unfortunate Ox-Head mask…a story lacking in interest would have sank the movie. Instead, Ox-Head Village’s story elevates it. For spoiler purposes we won’t get into the details here, but it’s a well thought out, surprising and well executed tale of tragedy and vengeance. Kanon’s personal ties to the history of the Ox-Head are what fuels the movie.
Ox-Head Village is a good movie that might not deliver what you expect from a Takashi Shimizu cursed horror entry. A focus on narrative over atmosphere is an interesting choice that will divide viewers. Those looking for something a little deeper than usual will find plenty to enjoy on Kanon’s journey of personal and grander scale discovery.
Scare Value
Ox-Head Village is the kind of movie you can only get from a filmmaker who has steeped themselves in the cursed/investigative horror realm. What interests him this time around is not what normally attracts people to this type of film. It’s a bit more interesting and quite a bit less thrilling than you’d expect. Unfortunately, the Ox-Head visuals themselves don’t really work…and create an unintended silliness. Still, cursed/investigative horror veterans may find themselves in the exact mind set to see what Shimizu is up to here.
3/5
Ox-Head Village Link
Streaming on Screambox
Ox-Head Village Trailer
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