Lion’s Gate Bringing More J-Horror to Our Shores

Bubba’s a happy boy. I first read about Japanese producer Taka Ichise’s plans to make a six short film horror collection a while ago but figured it’d never make it to North America thanks to it’s unusual format – compilation films do well elsewhere but are generally ignored here – but it turns out I was wrong as Lion’s Gate has just acquired world wide distribution rights. Why should you care? Ichise has a frightening and frighteningly good resume. As a producer he’s been behind the original Ring films, Dark Water and Juon all of which are modern classics and all of which generated enough notice to be remade for North America. So he knows his stuff. And he knows his directors … the list of talent involved in this includes the likes of Hideo Nakata (The Ring), Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Kairo, Cure), Takashi Shimizu (Juon) and writer Hirosh Takahashi (the Ring) who will be making his directorial debut. Nakata, Kurosawa and Shimizu all in one place? I soil myself in anticipation of soiling myself in fear.