J-Horror Rising Collection Arrow Video Blu-Ray Review – You Best Start Believing In Ghost Stories

Remastered from the best available elements and packed with a host of new and archival extras, J-Horror Rising presents seven of the genre’s most distinctive titles.

In the ghostly pastoral horror of Shikoku, a young woman returns after many years to her rural birthplace, only to find her best friend from childhood has died by drowning when just sixteen. The dead girl’s mother, the local Shintoist priestess, has embarked on the region’s famous pilgrimage – but why is she walking backwards? The aftermath of the devasting Kobe Earthquake of 1995 creates fissures in the already fractured mind of a high-school girl in Isola: Multiple Personality Girl, allowing an unwelcome intruder to set up home in her head and leaving a volunteer worker with psychic powers to determine which of her personas is the fake one. In Inugami, a teacher finds himself drawn to a local papermaker, only to find himself the subject of some hostility from her extended family, who are rumored to be the descendants of the guardians of ancient evil canine spirits.

Megumi Okina (Ju-On: The Grudge) plays the art designer for a horror-themed videogame in the innovative St. John’s Wort, who is forced to confront her childhood traumas when her colleagues ask her to gather visual materials from the creepy gothic mansion she has inherited from her estranged artist father. Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman features the titular predatory murderess drawn from urban legend, where it turns out home isn’t the safest place for her potential child victims in this disturbing supernatural horror. A new craze for wearing ceramic masks sweeps the students of a high school, unleashing a wave of anonymous juvenile delinquency amongst the literal fashion-victims of Persona. Last but not least, the chilling Noroi: The Curse adopts a pseudo-documentary format as an investigative reporter into paranormal phenomena is forced to confront horrors beyond his wildest imagination after learning about an ancient folkloric demon.

For thoughts on J-Horror Rising, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required: 

Video Quality

J-Horror Rising comes to Blu-Ray with seven films spread over four discs. These films share a lot of the same qualities, so I will mostly be judging them in groups while pointing out noticeable differences when necessary. Masters prepared and remastered by the Kadokawa Corporation were provided to Arrow Video with additional remastering completed in London. The exact source of each film is unspecified, but it is noted that they were remastered from the best available elements. Overall, these transfers represent something of a mixed bag in terms of quality. No one presentation in this set represents a 5-star effort, but the quality ranges from passable to very good depending on the source. Despite being less than 30 years old, every film struggles to achieve a consistently detailed and clear presentation, but some of this stems from whether they were shot on film or video.  

St. John’s Wort and Noroi: The Curse will likely be considered the weakest films from a visual quality perspective. Noroi actually looks great for large stretches of the presentation when the “normal” footage is giving context to the story, but it is a found footage film, and you have to contend with all the limitations that entails. St. John’s Wort is the worst looking by default given it was captured on an early digital DV camera, as you have an artificial sheen over the entire outing. These two films handle the basics fairly well such as color saturation, but not all moments are as vibrant as you might hope. Fine detail should be chalked up to middling with numerous scenes presenting as soft or even a bit unfocused in some shots. The source holds up as well as can be expected, but there are some chunky compression artifacts baked into the source. 

The next tier up on the quality ladder holds Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman and Persona. Both of these features were shot on film, but Carved appears to have been finished to a 2K Digital Intermediate. This could explain why the transfer appears a bit softer with less appreciable texture on the clothing and production design, but we are less clear as to why Persona does not look closer to the next batch of titles. These films occasionally suffer from instances of black crush or lack of detail in the darkest scenes. Overall these two films are generally pleasing, they just do not really stand out as exceptional. 

Shikoku, Isola: Multiple Personality Girl, and Inugami are the strongest efforts in terms of quality outside of a few small shortcomings. These three films were shot on 35mm and look quite detailed despite some general softness at points. The presentations do not struggle with issues of brightness or contrast as all the gorgeous, natural colors come through nicely. This transfer exhibits fine details and textures are rendered quite pleasingly. The CGI in these films can appear a bit dated by modern standards, but the transfers display it how it was originally intended. Every presentation is a welcome step up from DVD, but they are unlikely to be the best looking discs in your collection. With this said, it is still an easy recommendation for those who love these types of movies. Arrow Video has done a tremendous job with this collection. 

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray set presents every film with both a DTS-HD 5.1 master audio track and an LPCM 2.0 stereo track except Persona, which only has the stereo track. All of these are in the original Japanese, and dialogue emanates clearly. These films deploy some atmospheric sound effects in the mix that are respectably delineated. The score maintains a pleasing fidelity among these titles with no shortcomings with age-related wear and tear. The surround sound audio tracks make certain interactions feel as frightening as you would hope. The low end is fitfully engaged yet doesn’t bring the house down. This series is not an audio showcase, but it gets the job done without fail. All films included in this set have optional English subtitles provided. 

Special Features

The first pressing of the Arrow Video Blu-Ray of J-Horror Rising includes an 80-page booklet featuring new writing by Eugene Thacker, Jasper Sharp, Anton Bitel, Amber T., Mark Player, Jim Harper, and Sarah Appleton. These provide great insights into the films, the creatives, and the genre at large in a thoughtfully written style. The release also comes with a double-sided fold-out poster and postcard-sized art cards for each film. The on-disc special features are as follows:

Disc One – Shikoku & Isola: Multiple Personality Girl

Shikoku

• Audio Commentary: Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes

• The Aftermath: A 24-minute interview with Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes on the state of Japanese horror at the turn of the century, the importance of the video market, the appeal to younger audiences, and more.

• Something In The Water: A new 23-minute interview with director Shunichi Nagasaki in which he discusses the meaning behind the title, how he got involved in filmmaking, working in the horror genre, and more. 

• Archive Interview with Shunichi Nagasaki: A brief four-minute piece in which the director discusses the story, characters, and themes.

• Archive Interview with Chiaki Kuriyama: A two-minute interview with the performer in which she discusses her character and the excitement of performing in the film. 

• Archive Interview with Yui Natsukawa: A nearly four-minute interview with the performer in which she discusses the story, her role in the film, the themes, and more. 

• On the Set of Shikoku: A four-minute look at the production of the film. 

• Trailers & TV Spots: This disc provides the minute-and-a-half-long double-bill trailer for Ring 2 and Shikoku. It also provides TV Spot #1 (0:18) and TV Spot #2 (0:38).

• Image Gallery: A collection of stills, behind-the-scenes photos, and marketing material is provided here. 

Isola: Multiple Personality Girl

• Audio Commentary: Critics and Japanese cinema experts Jasper Sharp and Amber T.

• Archive Interview with Yoshino Kimura: A two-minute interview with the performer in which she discusses her character and performance in the film. 

• Archive Interview with Yu Kurosawa: A nearly two-minute interview with the performer in which she discusses the process of making the film, finding the emotions of her character, playing a role with multiple personalities, and more. 

• Behind The Scenes of Isola: A three-minute look at the production of the film. 

• Original Theatrical Trailer This disc provides the nearly minute-and-a-half-long trailer for the Ring 0 and Isola double-bill. 

• Image Gallery: A collection of stills, behind-the-scenes photos, and marketing material is provided here. 

Disc Two – Inugami & St. John’s Wort

Inugami

• Audio Commentary: Japanese cinema expert Jonathan Clements

• Dog Days: A new 30-minute interview with director Masato Harada in which he discusses why he does not feel he made a horror film, the influence of Hitchcock, the classic Japanese gothic tales that inspired the film, and more. 

• Image Gallery: A collection of stills, behind-the-scenes photos, and marketing material is provided here. 

St. John’s Wort

• Audio Commentary: Japanese cinema expert Amber T.

• The Making Of St. John’s Wort: A 22-minute look at the production of the film.

• Archive On-Set Introduction by Megumi Okina: A 44-second announcement from the lead actress. 

• Archive Interviews

• • Archive Interview with Megumi Okina: A nearly 18-minute interview with the performer in which she discusses her thoughts on the title, her reaction to reading the script, details about her character, and more. 

• • Archive Interview with Koichiro Saito: A 20-minute interview with the performer in which he discusses his experiences with the video game, the process of working on the film, and more. 

• • Archive Interview with Reiko Matsuro: A nearly five-minute interview with the performer in which she discusses devouring the script as soon as she got it, her place in the film, and more. 

• • Archive Interview with Koji Okura: A five-minute interview with the performer in which he discusses his first impression of the story, the production of the film, and more. 

• Trailers & TV Spots: This disc provides the Inugami and St. John’s Wort TV Spot (0:22), St. John’s Wort TV Spot #1 (0:11), St. John’s Wort TV Spot #2 (0:28), and the St. John’s Wort Trailer (0:37).

• Image Gallery: A collection of stills, behind-the-scenes photos, and marketing material is provided here for each film. 

Disc Three – Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman & Persona

Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman 

• Audio Commentary: Japanese folklore expert Zack Davisson

• Why So Serious?: A new 19-minute interview with director Koji Shiraishi in which he discusses the background of the Japanese urban legend, the fear of the audience not taking the titular entity seriously, the evolution of the script, how he tried to make the film more serious and horrific, wanting to depict serious themes properly, and more. 

• Weapon Of Choice: A new 17-minute video essay by Japanese horror specialist Lindsay Nelson in which she discusses the output of director Koji Shiraishi, the background of the urban legend, adaptations of the story, the portrayal of redemption in this story, and more. 

• Image Galleries

• • Production Stills

• • Behind The Scenes 

Persona

• Confessions of a Mask: A new 17-minute interview with director Takashi Komatsu in which he discusses his background, the themes of Persona, adapting the source material, whether the film qualifies as J-Horror, how they decided on what masks to use, and more. 

• Image Gallery: A collection of stills, behind-the-scenes photos, and marketing material is provided here. 

Disc Four – Noroi: The Curse

• Audio Commentary: Film Critic Julian Singleton

• Interviews

• • Director’s POV: A new 26-minute interview with director Koji Shiraishi in which he discusses the style of the movie, his background in documentaries, the influences on his work, the marketing of the film, and more. 

• • The Man In The Shadows: A new 18-minute interview with producer Taka Ichise in which he discusses his entry into the movie business, his interest and success in horror, the impact of international cinema on him, the development of Noroi, and more. 

• • Changing Perspective: A new 22-minute video essay by Japanese horror specialist Lindsay Nelson in which she discusses the state of J-Horror at this time, the evolution of technology within the genre, the career of Koji Shiraishi, and more.

• • Ectoplasmic Worms: A new 21-minute video essay by Japanese cinema expert Amber T. in which she argues why Koji Shiraishi should be considered alongside the cosmic horror masters. 

• Bonus Footage

• • How To Protect Yourself Against Curses: A nearly 14-minute featurette in which some mediums discuss how to avoid curses. 

• • Urgent Report! Pursuing the Truth About Kagutaba!! TV Special: A 38-minute special that “investigates” the truth behind the Kagutaba. 

• • Deleted Scenes: There are 13 unused scenes totaling nearly 30 minutes provided here. 

• Trailers and TV Spots: This disc provides the Teaser Trailer (0:40) and the Original Theatrical Trailer (1:43). There is also TV Spot A (0:30), TV Spot B (0:16), and TV Spot C (0:16).

• Image Gallery: A collection of stills, behind-the-scenes photos, and marketing material is provided here. 

Final Thoughts

The J-Horror Rising Collection is a significant triumph for fans who love this subset of horror. Casual fans may know of the popular titles that were remade for American audiences in the 2000s, but the output was expansive, and it has often been difficult for American audiences to see the deeper cuts in great quality. Now, this is not a collection of masterpieces by any means, but every outing has something worth looking closer at even when they do not completely work. Noroi: The Curse is the title that will likely provide the biggest thrills for people, but we equally appreciate the more narratively enriching time spent with Shikoku, Isola: Multiple Personality Girl, and Inugami. Arrow Video has bundled these seven films together into a Blu-Ray collection featuring a fine A/V presentation and some worthwhile supplements. Japan has such a rich cinematic history that we are lucky to live in a time when labels are releasing so much in great quality. Recommended 

J-Horror Rising will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray on October 29, 2024

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Arrow Video has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.