Psychic Vision: Jaganrei & Celluloid Nightmares

Double Feature: Screening of Jaganrei together with Celluloid Nightmares

Jaganrei:
Emi Kato is set to become the new pop idol. A team of reporters accompanies her on the arduous road to fame and discovers that the author of her new song died years ago. As strange occurrences pile up, the question arises as to whether her ghost is seeking revenge. Teruyoshi Ishii's thoroughly eccentric horror miniature culminates in an insane finale and is a pioneering work in two respects: in terms of motifs, it anticipates the ghost stories from the J-Horror craze that began a decade later. In formal terms, Psychic Vision: Jaganrei is probably the first found footage horror entry in the vast lexicon of Japanese genre cinema. Still a rarity worth seeing! (mk)

Celluloid Nightmares:
After a porn actress disappears without a trace and a snuff video of her killing allegedly circulates, a resolute journalist investigates the bizarre case. The original title of the film refers to Muzan-e, Japanese woodcut prints with extreme forms of violence from the 19th century, which are also considered the precursor of eroguro artworks. The general thrust of this behavioural-creative genre crossover is thus predetermined: In addition to drastic moments of violence, Celluloid Nightmares also delves deep into the world of Japanese fetish porn. (mk)