Suicide Club

Sion Sono
Second Viewing

This may have been the very first J-horror film I'd seen before the glut, and I always remembered it as being excellent. A return proves the picture to be just as good as memory serves, making it easily the best non-Kiyoshi Kurosawa J-horror picture I've seen. All the genre hallmarks are here: tone and atmosphere over outright scares, the dehumanizing and alienating effects of modern technology, and the sense that no character is safe or in control. However, the opening mass suicide via oncoming train adds plenty of splatter, and the rolled up skin wheels left at the crime scenes lend a bit of traditional gross-out as well. I had no recollection of the masterfully strange and eerie ending, or the wacky musical number by the flamboyant ne'er do well receiving credit for the so called "Suicide Club." Ryo Ishibashi (as detective Kuroda here) puts in a performance that is remarkably deep and nuanced for a genre role, lending credibility and real tragedy to the fantastic events. This one comes highly recommended.