Horror Extreme Movie Catalog

if you like dark asian horror then this is for you this starts out with and ends with the darkness of the asian filmakers
and the end is a shocker
think you know the woman who are putting the star in pain
you dont

When most people think of Japanese horror films, they tend to think of supernatural tales such as "Ring" and "Ju-on" rather than slasher fare. "Living Hell" may be an illustration of why. I received this movie as a Christmas gift after reading several (inexplicably) favorable reviews of it on various horror websites. The premise of the film, that a young man in a wheelchair is a prisoner in his own home and is subject to the cruel tortures of a mysterious old woman and her eerie young caregiver, is quite intriguing on paper.

Indeed, for an all-too-brief while the film looks as if it may live up to the hype as the opening moments transition smoothly from grisly gorehound fare to a somewhat more brooding atmosphere. That being said, this film is nothing if not unsubtle. The foreboding mood lasts only a few minutes before being cast aside. The potential for psychological terror is there, but seems to be ignored in favor of one (supposedly) shocking scene after the next. This all reaches a crescendo in the final 20 minutes or so of the film, with a couple of "twists" so obvious that I actually thought the film was building up for a "swerve" that would suddenly take it in another direction and leave me wowed. Alas, the obvious plot twists take place exactly as expected with nothing but a couple of gross-out scenes at the end to keep even a modicum of your attention.

For all I've said, "Living Hell" comes dangerously close to being a watchable movie (hence 2 stars instead of 1), but the howler of an ending will leave most viewers in the cold.