OVID.tv Presents CREEPY Film Review — The Mystery Next-Door

     Yasuko holds a large heavy bowl of stew, and cautiously enters the home of next-door neighbor Mr. Nishino. The narrow walls and ceiling are off-putting—she hesitates.  When Mio, Nishino’s daughter, enters the room and learns that Yasuko is here to meet Nishino’s often- mentioned- but- until- now- unseen wife, she  swiftly gives Yasuko a frightened, deterring shake of the head. Yasuko quickly heads home, despite Mr. Nishino’s attempts to urge her inside.

     This is not the first unsettling encounter we see in Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s 2016 film Creepy, and it is not the last. 

     We are in urban Japan, where the camera frames characters in claustrophobically narrow streets, with harsh vertical lines of buildings and walls and slicing horizontal window shutters and furniture. The deep green foliage of trees and other natural intrusions in the concrete complete the urban landscape. Characters often feel like they’re framed by the camera standing just too closely together when speaking as though to make every conversation feel uncomfortable.

     The Takakura’s are Yasuko and her husband Koichi, who’ve just moved into their new home. A workplace injury caused by a tense hostage situation during the opening of the film has left former detective and serial killer psychology expert Koichi feeling no longer up to the task of his former profession. The couple hope to find peace in their new home, as Koichi begins a new job as a professor at the local university. However, Koichi soon becomes interested in a cold case involving a missing family that disappeared without a trace, leaving only a young daughter, Saki, whose faulty recollection of the events proved to be less than useful for investigators. Yasuko’s days  in the meantime are characterized by her unsettling encounters with the Nishino family next door.

     Musical additions of sinister and foreboding strings enhance already tense encounters between characters. There is a constant sense of dread and tension, leaving us longing for a breaking point and relief.

     This is a film that finds many ways to get under our skin.  In this writer’s view, the nuanced performances go a long way to create unease and drama. Mr. Nishino is an especially unpredictable character-- unsettling both Yasuko and us at the same time. At times, he is very antisocial, avoiding eye-contact with Yasuko while she offers a gift of homemade chocolates. Without warning he becomes angry when she asks to meet his wife. Yet just as quickly, Mr. Nishino smiles--friendly and open. 

     Every character’s odd behavior leads us to feel a sense of unpredictability and suspense, but at times it left this viewer feeling confused and unsure of the characters’ actual motivations. You should also get ready to be shocked by how many twists are in the final act. Overall, the performances, cinematography and music create a film that truly leaves us constantly guessing.