Occult is a 2009 Japanese found footage movie by Kōji Shiraishi, the same director as Noroi: The Curse.
Similar to films like the Blair Witch Project, this is a found footage style movie where the characters are all referred to by the same name as the actors involved. This includes Kōji Shiraishi, the director of the film in the story of the movie, who is also the director of the actual film itself.
This movie is definitely bizarre, and after watching it, I had to sit down for a long time to think of what it was saying and what truly happened. The amount of creepy details in the film make it a tense ride from start to finish.
So, what is Occult?
The film is about a small team looking into an incident that occurred on a bridge in Myogasaki (a fictional location) where two people were stabbed to death, and one was injured. As there were supernatural phenomena happening to the people involved before and after this event, Kōji Shiraishi decided to investigate the matter with a small team.
As the movie goes along, they get more and more involved with Shohei Eno, the man injured in the attack in Myogasaki. Additionally, bizarre events start occurring, and the team notices strange similarities between the killer in Myogasaki, and the man injured.
There is an interesting through-line in the movie starting with the beginning, where characters will feel drawn to certain things or feel at ease when unsettling events are occurring. I think that it only helps to add to the feeling of dread, as the fear that would be placed on them is shifted towards the viewer. Throughout the movie, I found myself wishing that they would see the situation that they were in, so that they would get out of it.
The mystery of what would happen next made each moment uneasy. It’s very unclear as to what will happen next, with the many hints not seeming to be adding to anything. It all adds to the feeling of dread, while also making the viewer engaged as they see all these small moments come together.
This movie uses the medium of film to its advantage, as Shiraishi (the real version) knows how to make his audience both engaged and uncomfortable. It’s well known that in horror, keeping things cryptic will make the audience frightened, just like how people are afraid of the dark because they can’t quite make out what’s in the shadows.
This is why found footage films, such as this one, can be very effectively creepy. The visual quality is a bit grainy, which adds a sense of reality to what’s on screen, while also adding to the sense of mystery.
It’s edited partially in the style of a true crime documentary, though there are some stylistic choices used to heighten the mood. As this film is found footage style, there is usually no soundtrack. However, there are some tracks added for specific moments in order to heighten the scares.
The music in these particular scenes is either droning, or shrill and repetitive, and it works to emphasize the presence of the supernatural throughout the film. There is one specific track that also sounds a bit off, specifically like it’s a piece of technology glitching in and out. I think this works well to tap into the part of our brain, making us feel like something is very wrong.
There is also a definite sense of humor in the movie, despite how creepy it all is. As the director says himself in an interview with 3:AM Magazine, it could be even called a 'violent comedy.' It pokes fun at itself at times, while also adding a sense of humanity to the characters and the situation that they are in. While there is a sense of tragedy to the events in the film, it doesn’t feel as heavy as one might expect it to. It feels ominous, but it doesn’t feel melancholic.
If you’d like something totally new and crazy to watch this Halloween season, then watch Occult. As this film has some similarities to the Blair Witch Project, I particularly think that fans of that franchise should try this film.
Additionally, Shiraishi's film Noroi: the Curse is available on Shudder for streaming, so I would highly recommend that film as well.