DVD Corner

Tormented 3D Blu-ray Review

“Tormented” is a sloppy, but visually appealing J-Horror flick.

The plot: A young boy (Daigo), his half-sister (Kiriko) and their father (Kohei) do not have the best homelife. Kiriko has become mute since the tragic death of her stepmother, Daigo killed a rabbit in public and has been mentally haunted by this, and Kohei pays more attention to the pop-up books he works on than his own family. The family experiences even more problems when Daigo is taken into various nightmarish worlds by a giant rabbit he physically grabbed (in stuffed animal form) out of a 3D movie. As if that wasn’t strange enough, the ghost of the stepmother (Kyoko) has only been appearing to Kiriko which leads Kohei to think she has gone mad. What is real and what isn’t? That’s the question.

Back in the early 00’s, the Japanese horror genre (or J-Horror) was becoming an international phenomenon with films like “Ringu,” “The Eye,” and “Ju-On: The Grudge.” Over the past several years, however, the demand (and popularity) for J-Horror films has decreased and it’s not hard to see why after seeing “Tormented 3D” (aka “The Rabbit Horror”). Director Takashi Shimizu, best known for directing “Ju-On: The Grudge,” may have a great eye for visuals (which I will get to later), but his screenplays leave much to be desired. Not only is the story sloppy and confusing at times, but the plot touches on elements that have been so played out in the J-Horror genre. How many times do we have to see long haired female ghosts or a plot that makes us question reality and fantasy?  

On the plus side, the surrealistic and creepy visuals are certainly noteworthy. This is especially evident with the scenes involving Daigo being sucked into a movie and anything involving the giant rabbit costumed character. While the rabbit angle may undoubtedly draw comparisons to “Donnie Darko,” it’s safe to say the two differ quite a bit. Without giving away too much, let’s just say this particular bunny is a tad more creepy. This is definitely NOT a movie for people who fear creepy animal costumes.

Note: This disc contains the 3D and 2D Blu-ray versions of the film.

Video/Audio:

The film, which is presented in widescreen 1080p, can be fuzzy and a little too dark sat times, but it’s generally a very atmospheric and visually interesting looking film.

The 5.1 Japanese DTS-HD audio track does the job. Viewers also have the option of playing a Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 track.

The only extras are trailers for “Bedevilled,” “Shock Labyrinth,” ‘Splintered,” and “Tormented 3D.”

Summary: “Tormented 3D” is visually engaging, but you’ll likely lost interest midway through this muddled film.

April 9, 2013 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Ju-On: The Grudge, Takashi Shimizu, The Rabbit Horror Review, Tormented 3D Blu-ray Review