Sana marks the latest horror film from Takashi Shimizu, the prolific Japanese director behind iconic chiller Ju-On: The Grudge.
Selected to world premiere as the closing film of the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (Bifan) on July 7, the film stars the members of Japanese boy band Generations as they confront the vengeful spirit of a young woman named Sana who haunts anyone that plays a cursed cassette tape she left behind.
Shimizu spoke to Screen on the eve the festival to discuss his latest work and long career as a leading horror filmmaker.
How did it feel for Sana to be chosen as Bifan’s closing film?
It’s a huge honour. It’s been over a decade since one of my films has been at the festival, and it’s the first time to be chosen as closing film, so I’m honoured.
What are your memories of the festival?
The area around the festival was filled with bars and restaurants and felt a lot like (Tokyo’s red light/entertainment district) Kabukicho. Of course, that was over a decade ago, so I’m excited to see how it is now.
Sana brings a popular boy band together with horror cinema. How did this combination come about?
I was aware of Generations but I wasn’t that familiar with them. The initial idea for them to appear in a horror film came from a producer at Shochiku. I decided that rather than writing characters for them to play, it would be more fun for Generations fans and non-fans alike if they played themselves. The trick was to find a balance where they could act like themselves but in a way that would support the film’s narrative. Thankfully, they all understood that, so it was an easy process.
Was there a lot of improvising?
Yes, a lot. I told them, “It says such-and-such in the script, but if you were actually in this situation, what would you say?” That was true for the other actors as well.
Generations are professional performers, but not necessarily professional actors. Were there any challenges in that sense?
Some members have been in TV series, so they’re quite used to acting, but others aren’t. But that served to bring out their individual personalities. If they’d been playing characters, I might’ve given them more specific direction, but since they were playing themselves, I decided to let their individuality come out. If one member’s reaction in a scene was weak, another’s was strong, so I decided not to force it. It was more interesting that they all had different reactions and attitudes toward their manager, the situations, and so on.
There must be many Generations fans who aren’t used to watching horror movies, but it didn’t feel like you pulled any punches for their sake.
If this had been purely a film for Generations fans, I probably wouldn’t have accepted the offer to direct it. Everyone involved, from Generations to Shochiku, gave me the green light to make a “Shimizu” horror film. In terms of the members themselves, some are so scared of horror films they weren’t sure they’d be able to sit through the finished film (laughs), while others, like Alan Shirahama, love the horror genre.
As for the fans, there are those saying, “I love Generations, but horror isn’t my thing” and others saying, “I love both.” I hope some of the former will try watching it. There might also be horror fans who watch it and come to like Generations. The worst case for me would be if non-horror fans saw it and said, “oh, it wasn’t so scary after all!”
A cassette tape plays an important role in the film. Were there any younger people who were unfamiliar with tapes?
There weren’t any who didn’t know what tapes are, but some in their 20s definitely thought of them as something from their parents’ generation. On the other hand, young music fans these days are getting into cassettes and records. But yes, some of them didn’t know how to use a cassette deck, or what “side A” and “side B” means. For those in their teens and 20s in the audience, I made sure to insert some closeups of the tape being turned around to side B.
Actually, Alan Shirahama has a huge cassette tape collection. But for the sake of the film, we had him make fun of cassettes as something from the previous generation that feels a bit old.
I feel like analogue media is kind of scary in a way that digital isn’t.
I’m from the analogue generation, so I agree. But actually, digital is scary in how quickly it advances, and how it’s hard to keep up with. I dealt with that in my previous film, Immersion. Analogue might be scary in the same way as the pictures of your ancestors you see in your grandparents’ house: they’re long gone, but there they are preserved on the wall. Old things you don’t know are pretty scary.
Speaking of scary, this film features a very frightening child, a motif you’ve been known for since Ju-On. What frightens you about children?
Children are considered innocent, but there’s a certain cruelty to innocence. When you become an adult, you learn how to keep the proper distance from people, how to keep others’ feelings in mind, and so on. But children are so innocent they operate without knowing their actions might hurt someone or make them sad. There’s something scary about that.
How do you approach directing child actors?
It’s hard for children to sit still and do as they’re told, so I tend to let them do as they like. Preparing some snacks as rewards for doing well helps, too. Unlike directing adults, where you can talk about their character’s motivation, it’s scarier if you just let kids go for it, like it’s an extension of playtime. When you do that, you can get some creepy, un-humanlike movements. My hope is that when they grow up and look back at the film, they’ll think: “What the heck was I doing? How was I able to move so weirdly?”
What comes next for you?
I have a few projects in the works outside of Japan, in Taiwan and South Korea. I’m not sure which one will start shooting first. At the moment, it’s looking like Taiwan, but you never know. Somehow, despite having done this for so long, I don’t seem to run out of ideas for horror films.
Are you interested in branching out of horror?
Yes, I’d love to do a comedy. My debut was a horror film, so that’s what I’ve ended up doing. I’m grateful that I’m considered a horror pro, but I’d like to give comedy or other genres a try. I hope there’s a brave producer out there willing to give me that chance
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