The Japanese horror film “Immersion” (忌怪島) promises to be a terrifying ride with a mix of traditional haunts and techno-horrors. Directed by Takashi Shimizu, the creator behind J-horror classics like Ju-On and Marebito, brings together cutting-edge technology with old superstitions or folklore in a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
The film “Immersion” (忌怪島) will be screened at the Japanese Film Festival Australia (JFF) 2023, which will take place from September 30 to November 5.
“Immersion” follows a brilliant neuroscientist Tomohiko Kataoka (Daigo Nishihata) who moves to a remote island to join the ‘Shinsekai’. The team is there to investigate the deep links between virtual reality technology and neuroscience. However, what begins as a promising scientific project soon takes a dark and sinister turn.
While creating a virtual replica of the island, the crew encounters an unsettling glitch with the appearance of a mysterious woman in red. Soon after, the island is plagued by a series of brutal drowning deaths. This prompts the team to challenge their scientific beliefs by understanding the island’s deep-rooted shamanic superstitions that involve a disturbing curse hiding beneath the ocean’s surface.
“Immersion” (忌怪島) digs into the engrossing tension between technology and tradition, a frequent theme in Japanese filmmaking. Shimizu skillfully navigates the unknown territory of virtual reality horror, mixing it with the famous Japanese motif of the vengeful female ghost.
Get ready to be engrossed in a cinematic experience that will keep you on the edge of your seat. “Immersion” promises to be a chilling trip into the otherworldly, where the lines between reality and nightmare blur and the living are haunted by the past.
Watch the trailer
Director: Takashi Shimizu
Cast: Daigo Nishihata, Mizuki Yamamoto, Rina Ikoma, Atomu Mizuishi and Yuta Hiraoka
Genre: Horror
Language(s): Japanese with English subtitles
Year: 2023
