Takashi Shimizu, director of Marebito, Ju-On: The Grudge, and the initial U.S. remake of The Grudge, is back with a brand new J-horror offering that’s set to spook Bloody Disgusting viewers in 2022.
Cinedigm has acquired all North American rights to Suicide Forest Village, Takashi Shimizu’s supernatural horror inspired by a real forest in Japan known for its frequent suicides and disappearances, Deadline reports this Monday morning. The film will be released next year on a variety of platforms, eventually landing on the Bloody Disgusting-run Screambox, which is gearing up for a monstrous year.
“Suicide Forest Village follows a group who come across a mysterious box with a deadly secret: the item holds a curse that quickly spreads to those around them.
“The source of the box is the ‘Jukai Village,’ a rumored location deep within the Jukai Forest.”
Shimizu’s latest stars Jun Kunimura (Kill Bill: Vol. 1), Yumi Adachi (Tokyo Vampire Hotel) and Asuka Kurosawa (Silence).
As the site recounts, Shimizu previously helmed the Ju-On (The Grudge) franchise, directing the 2004 originals and three sequels. Shimizu co-wrote the film with Daisuke Hosaka, who previously worked together on Howling Village and The Shock Labyrinth 3D.
“Takashi Shimizu is a visionary director who helped bring Japanese horror films into the cultural consciousness,” said Brandon Hill, Manager of Acquisitions at Cinedigm. “For the past two decades, he’s been terrorizing audiences across the globe with his haunting style. Suicide Forest Village is a terrifically terrifying film, and we look forward to sharing it with audiences everywhere.”
Watch for a trailer and specific release news in the next few months.