Bakemono

Bakemono is a Japanese-set creature feature from writer-director Doug Roos, unfolding around a cheap Tokyo apartment with a horrifying secret. A succession of guests enters the same seemingly ordinary rental at different times, each unaware that something grotesque is waiting inside. As their individual encounters gradually form a larger picture, the film turns its confined urban setting into a trap where dread, bodily horror and sudden eruptions of violence can arrive at any moment.

Shot in Tokyo with both English- and Japanese-speaking characters, Bakemono combines the atmosphere of Japanese urban horror with the visceral traditions of practical-effects-driven creature cinema. Takashi Irie, Yukina Takase, Yurika Natsume, Miki Nomura, Laila Chiba and Setsuka Akiyama head the cast. Rather than relying solely on what remains unseen, Roos gives the film's monster a physical presence through elaborate practical effects, using the apartment's cramped spaces to intensify the confrontations between creature and victim.

The film's mixture of cosmic unease, body horror and graphic practical effects drew comparisons to the work of H.P. Lovecraft, Shinya Tsukamoto, Lucio Fulci and Hellraiser. Film Blitz described it as "Lovecraft crossed with Shinya Tsukamoto," while Voices from the Balcony compared the experience to Hellraiser directed by Fulci. Beneath the gore, the interconnected structure gradually reveals the significance of the apartment, its visitors and the creature that links their stories.

Unearthed Films presents Bakemono on Blu-ray with a collection of supplements examining both its production and themes. Extras include "Making The Practical FX: Bringing A Gruesome Monster To Life," "The Dark Side Of Tokyo: The Meaning Behind The Film," "Principal Photography," "Bakemono Unleashed: Reactions And Surprises" and a festival Q&A recorded in Germany.