Author: Hxh42
Today I introduce a horror film, "Tree Sea Village".
(Shuhai Village poster)
Hearing this name, we may think of a similarly titled film in 2019, "Inuyasha Village". In fact, these two works are the works of the well-known Japanese horror film director Takashi Shimizu, which is part of his "Horror Village Series". After "Inuyasha Village" and "Shuhai Village", there is a third "Niushou Village" that is preparing to be filmed.
(Takashi Shimizu and the horror rabbit in his movie)
Speaking of Shimizu Takashi, his most famous works are the work that made him famous around the new millennium, "Curse: VideoTape Version", and the later re-filmed "Curse" two-part work. These works not only helped him become a shining new star in the world film industry at that time, and received an olive branch from Hollywood (Takashi Shimizu later went to Hollywood to shoot a lot of horror films, including the American version of "The Grudge"), but also created the "Grudge" this person's daunting and discolored horror film IP and the Japanese horror film subculture around it. The classic horror image of the female ghost "Ga Coconut" created by Shimizu Takashi in it is also deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and it is on a par with the female ghost "Sadako" in "Midnight Bell".
(Sadako Left, Right Ka Coconut and Toshio)
After "The Grudge", Shimizu Takashi's works have not improved much, but he has never given up his ambition to create. The plans for the "Village of Terror Series" are part of his ambition, and each of the series is adapted from a variety of real-life horror locations in Japan. The original form of "Shuhai Village" is taken from the famous horror location in Japan: Aokihara Shukai.
(Aokihara Koumi)
Located at the foot of Mount Fuji in Japan, Aokihara Sea is a natural forest farm with pleasant scenery, but the most famous place in Aokihara Tree Sea is not the beauty of the scenery, but because many people with suicidal thoughts choose to end their lives here. The film "Tree Sea Village" is based on this background to develop the plot.
At the beginning of the film, a car slowly drives on the road in the middle of the sea of trees.
Suddenly, two little girls rushed out of the deep jungle, and the car suddenly braked sharply and stopped in front of them. The uncle in the car stepped down and carried them away, and the camera moved upwards, over the dense foliage, and flew over the sea of trees. The title "Shuhai Village" also appeared at this time.
Who are these two little girls? The movie doesn't give us a direct account. What follows is a very interesting webcast, where an anchor named Minnai goes live into the Aokihara Sea of Trees to explore.
This plot is very to the essence of our time, everything can be entertained, everything can be consumed, including these "horror locations", and the horror legends surrounding them have actually become an attraction. Therefore, the network anchor's expedition to a horror location is not made up in the movie, but a situation that does exist in large quantities, because the audience wants to watch such thrilling programs. A few years ago, the well-known domestic personal travel program "Adventure Detective Lei" also went to Aokihara Tree Sea for an expedition, although many netizens questioned the authenticity of the video content, but still received a lot of attention.
This idea of "Tree Sea Village" is not new - this is not the first time that a horror movie has shown a horror scene in the form of live broadcast. In recent years, we can see horror films such as "Kunchi Rock" with the theme of live exploration, and further back, before the rise of the live broadcast era, there are also a large number of "pseudo-documentaries" that simulate real cameras, such as "Graveyard Encounter" (the imitation object of "Kunchi Rock"), "Death Video", "Blair the Witch" and so on.
The reason why such a bridge segment is designed is because the form of live broadcast or pseudo-recording will make the horror elements of the film more believable, and at the same time let the audience better substitute into the plot.
The plot behind it can be guessed by everyone: Minnai encountered a terrorist incident during his expedition. She first saw a man walking in the forest, and because she was afraid that the man would commit suicide, she rushed forward to try to dissuade him. But unexpectedly, the man disappeared, and she was also lost in the forest.
Getting lost is actually a very common situation in Aokigahara Sea. The tree species growing in this area of the sea of trees are simple, the landscape of each place is very similar, the whole forest is lush and dense, shading the sky, and there is no way to use tree shadows, sun or stars to determine the location without a compass; the magnetite hidden under the ground will also make tools such as compasses unable to work properly, making it difficult for people entering the sea of trees to distinguish directions even if they are well equipped. In "Tree Sea Village", we also see this situation. Minnaeus raised her hand, and her GPS and compass all failed.
Eventually, Minnaeus, who could not find his way, was swallowed up by a sea of trees that suddenly moved.
This live broadcast is just the introduction to the movie. After the live broadcast was unexpectedly interrupted, the camera slowly receded and moved away from the computer screen, and we saw the girl sitting behind the computer, who was watching the live broadcast. She is one of the protagonists of this movie, Ring.
Her sister told her that she was going to a friend's house tomorrow to help with the move and celebrate their marriage. Although Ringing was very reluctant, he still went, and unexpectedly, in the process of moving, Ringing noticed a strange stone box under the house.
Ringing thought of the legend of Shuhai Village, and was very frightened, but the others did not think so. Finally, the rental agent came and took the box, and before he could get to the car, he was hit by a large truck speeding in.
Here, the plot line of "Tree Sea Village" officially began. This horror box, similar to the urban legend "Take the Box", is a mysterious curse box that will be cursed by anyone who touches or is associated with it. Who will die next? What will happen to Ring and sister? Who are the two little girls at the beginning of the film? The mystery of all the answers is in a mysterious village in the middle of the dense forest, and those who are interested can go to see "Tree Sea Village" for yourself!