For this year's Split Picks horror series, we look at some of the finest horror films and director's that Japan has to offer.

Each year for October Horror, Split Picks takes a virtual field trip to a different country to find some of the best horror films and directors from around the world. In 2021 we started at home and looked at what we determined to be the Mt. Rushmore of American horror with Tobe Hooper, John Carpenter, Wes Craven, and George A. Romero. Last year we put on our black gloves and fell in with the Italian greats — Dario Argento, Sergio Martino, Lucio Fulci — to talk all things giallo.

This year we are talking about Japan and some of their famous ghosts, grudges, and gothic imagery. Obviously, Japan has a huge cultural history with horror films that dates back to the dawn of the medium. We are not covering the history of Japanese horror in this series, and will instead focus on a few signature works from select directors.

For this series we are going to be looking at a mix of classic and lesser-heralded films from some of Japan’s greatest horror filmmakers. This is only a quick survey of what Japan has to offer, and we picked three filmmakers for a combination of styles that complement each other, hint at the country’s vast film history, and also how their particular styles of horror compare to the rest of the world. With that in mind, we decided to kick off this series with Takashi Shimizu and his world-famous series 'The Grudge.' In this first episode we will be looking at his first theatrical version of 'Ju-On: The Grudge.'  Then we will discuss the 2004 American remake, which he also directed, and contrast it with the 2020 US sequel, also simply called 'The Grudge,' and directed by Nicholas Pesce.

Featuring Split Picks regulars Bennett Glace, Jim Hickcox, and Frankie Vanaria, the series begins here and will run through most of the month! Listen to hear all about The Grudge and how it developed from two initial short films into an international sensation.

Split Picks: Japanese Horror

Split Picks: 'Ju-On: The Grudge' (Takashi Shimizu, 2002)

What happens when a US studio remakes a Japanese film with the original director still behind the camera?

After an extended talk about Takashi Shimizu's 2002 breakout film, Ju-On: The Grudge, the Split Picks crew — Bennett Glace, Jim Hickcox, Frankie Vanaria and host Craig Wright — picks up with The Grudge franchise making its way to the US. After the US remake of Ringu (as The Ring) became a global sensation, The Grudge was tapped as the next film up and confirmed that J-horror was ready for primetime.

Shimizu was asked to direct the remake, and he said he would do so only if he could bring his ghosts with him in Kayako (Takako Fuji) and Toshio (Yuya Ozeki). But with Sarah Michelle Gellar in the lead role and a brief Bill Pullman appearance as Americans abroad, the film is fundamentally different from the suburban Japanese original. Through the episode they debate whether the remake is stronger than the original Ju-On: The Grudge — or if the trailer is stronger than the film itself. Namely, they talk about how the US remake softens most of the previous version's best scares, and wonder if Americans are truly as unintelligent as studios would like to believe.

In 2020 director Nicolas Pesce revived the franchise with The Grudge, a film set in the same universe that is not a direct sequel or remake. It is also an American work produced by Sam Raimi, and it asks what happens if the curse could spread to a different location. The discussion follows what happens when the original creator loses control of a franchise, and whether the films were too slow to evolve their brand of horror.

Also in the episode: Jim hypothesizes what it might be like to take his short horror film Slow Creep from a short to an international big-budget adaptation; Bennett swears the 2020 Grudge is the finest offering of the series. Frankie enjoys none of the Grudges. Craig reveals which film put him to sleep. Who tests ramen packaging that way? And how exactly does the WWE predict the state of horror and culture at large? Tune in to find out!

Split Picks: 'The Grudge' Goes America (2004 Vs. 2020)

Split Picks looks at an absolute masterwork of horror and a later haunted romance from Kiyoshi Kurosawa.

Split Picks continues its special October series on Japanese Horror with a look at two films from Kiyoshi Kurosawa. After a string of seemingly unrelated murders with undeniable similarities, Detective Takabe begins to link the odd details of the killings together. It leads him to Mamiya, a man who claims to have no memory, no idea who he is, or even what he looks like. He speaks almost exclusively in question, and his nonchalance proves to be the entrance to his unique form of hypnosis.

In 2016's Daguerrotype, Jean is hired to help Stephane operate a daguerreotype, an obsolete form of photography that requires subjects to remain motionless for hours to capture the image. Jean falls in love with Stephane's daughter, Marie, but their romance raises questions of whether Marie is actually alive.

Together, we get a look at what many deem to be Kurosawa's masterpiece, and a later film that features many of the hallmarks of his style. Bennett, Craig, and Lucille also weigh in on if they believe in ghosts, what it means to ask questions, and whether great art truly does equate to immortality.

Japanese Horror

Split Picks: Kiyoshi Kurosawa's 'Cure' (1997) Vs. 'Daguerrotype' (2016)

To close out the series on Japanese Horror, Spit Picks looks at a director known for testing the limits of violence on film.Takashi Miike is best known for three things: He is prolific, versatile, and is no stranger to using extreme gore. With 115 directorial credits listed on his IMDb page (at time of publishing), he has made films in just about every genre imaginable. But from blood-soaked epics like Ichi The Killer and 13 Assassins to a glut of Yakuza films, and even a death-centric musical comedy in The Happiness of the Katakuris, Miike's films are never shy to show off fountains of gore with no sense of shyness. But through them all, Miike always injects his unique style, no matter the genre.

With Bennett Glace and Jim Hickcox, Split Picks finishes its special series on Japanese Horror by comparing Miike's masterwork to one of his most extreme depictions of violence — an almost hour-long school shooting. With Audition, Miike follows a widowed man, Shigeharu (Ryo Ishibashi), after his friend suggests they set up a film audition to help him find a new wife. When he meets Asami (Eihi Shiina), they quickly fall in love, but everyone around Shigeharu tells him to notice the red flags, which he gleefully overlooks, until he finds himself in a scenario that ranks among the most infamous torture scenes on film. It's a testament to Audition that, in an era when most successful Asian films were remade by Americans, still no one has remade this tale of revenge.

Lesson of the Evil finds a popular and handsome teacher on a path to violence against his own students. With a code of morals that makes sense to only him, he tries to stop his students from cheating on tests and uncovers various scandals in the school. As his background comes into focus, he doubles down on what he learned during his time in the United States and. with the assistance of a talking shotgun, he decides to solve his problems in the worst way possible.

The pairing of films provides some fascinating contrasts in tone, and some striking similarities in their overall structure. In this episode, the gang discusses how Audition bends time, if Lesson of the Evil crosses the limits of acceptable violence on film, and how As The Gods Will might be the spiritual sequel to Lesson of the Evil that makes black humor work in a similarly morbid scenario.

Split Picks: Takashi Miike's 'Audition' Vs. 'Lesson of the Evil'

Tripping through the witching hour, stumbling out of the pre-dawn aura, Jim and Jason wandered into the yard at Split Tooth headquarters. Chocolate smeared across their faces, staring into the middle distance, they started talking. And they wouldn't stop. They said something about aging and death, desire and pain. And Cronenberg. They chewed through our landline and they sealed our cell phones inside rotting pumpkins. Please, call animal control. Tell them it's Cinesthesia. They'll know what to do.

Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: *m*o*v*i*e*s*. Come hear what we see.

CINESTHESIA

THE CINESTHESIA 2023 HALLOWEEN HANGOVER

Snow Lietta's special creepy Christmas podcast continues with Roberta Findlay's 1988 cult favorite 'Prime Evil.'

Catholic satanists? Undercover nuns? A female director in the '80s?! Siblings Jason Michelitch & Snow Lietta discuss Roberta Findlay’s Prime Evil (1988) in this creepy Christmas podcast.

Snow's Season's Bleedings: 'Prime Evil' (1988)

To ring in the holidays, Snow Lietta hosts a special new series on Christmas horror films. Up first is a look at two contemporary films about demon Santas. 

An old-world Santa emerging from an ancient mountain grave. An Americanized Krampus summoned by lost hope. Who will win in this Christmas monster match-up? Snow Lietta is joined by filmmaker and Cinesthesia host Jim Hickcox to discuss 'Krampus' (2015) and 'Rare Exports' (2010) in this creepy Christmas podcast. Season’s Bleedings!

With Adam Scott, Toni Collette, and David Koechner, 'Krampus' follows a young boy (Emjay Anthony) who has lost his faith in Christmas. In doing so, he summons the evil Krampus, his minions, and a blizzard like no other. With an awkward dynamic between in-laws, the family has to find a way to keep Krampus away or suffer his consequences.

In 'Rare Exports,' a mining project in Finland uncovers a Christmas miracle — a creature appearing to be the real Santa Claus. But soon, a young farm boy, Pietari (Omni Tommila), and his father (Jorma Tommila) face off against an army of elves aiming to revive Santa to his full-powered glory.

'Krampus' Vs 'Rare Exports': Snow's Season's Bleedings

Split Picks finds the holiday spirit with a look at two episodes from the BBC's A Ghost Story For Christmas tradition.

No one would actually take something from a grave with an ominous warning written on it and then proceed to put said item in their mouth, right? Split Picks is back to give a definitive answer: no. But as author M.R. James and the BBC would have you believe, there is at least one person who would risk it all in the name of disbelieving superstition. Though ghosts and Christmas time may conjure images of A Christmas Carol, in the 1960s and 1970s, the BBC aired a yearly ghost story, often adapted from James stories at the holidays. With Bennett Glace and special guest, director of Mickey Dogface, Zach Fleming, they discuss the classic A Ghost Story For Christmas entires Whistle And I'll Come To You (1968) and The Treasure of Abbot Thomas (1974).

In Whistle, a growling professor on holiday finds some souvenirs come with risks. It also proves that horror is sometimes at its most effective when at its simplest and most elemental. In Abbot Thomas, a clergyman and his student seek the hidden treasure from an alchemist who left behind clues about his alleged fortune. Once discovered, the clergyman meets the goopiest entity in the BBC ghost canon.

Are the M.R. James original stories superior to their adaptations? Did the series reboot in the 2010s live up to the originals? Will Bennett's streak of saying "Lynchian" in every episode finally come to an end?

Split Picks

Split Picks: 'Whistle And I'll Come To You' Vs. 'The Treasure of Abbot Thomas'

Time travel, mouths covered in plastic, fish-based revenge and another drive-by Cronenberg mention. Join the Cinesthesia Boys, Jim Cine and Jason Sthesia, as they get more talking done about bad movies, ironic appreciation, which Nolan brother is Mama Nolan’s favorite and the ideal iteration of Jaws V: Sharks Hold a Grudge. It’s another certified classic fresh from the presses (we call our mouths “presses” because we press them against each other, when we kiss!)!!

CHAPTER TWO: KILL ME WITH YOUR FISH

Cinesthesia

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