I came across this film a few weeks ago upon searching for new Japanese horror films to check out, discovering that this was an upcoming release and was actually getting quite a decent amount of noise from its trailers and initial critic reviews. Japanese horror can be hit or miss, much of its best films tend to come from the decades way prior, and rarely does something new appear and make some noise. Anything that isn't essentially anime, that is. A horror film from Japan in this era caught my attention, especially after watching a few of the classics from the 60s recently. The film's title wasn't all that appealing, however. Sounds a bit cliche, no?
Anyway, Never After Dark is about a Japanese woman that travels around Japan offering her services as a psychic, typically helping the dead move on in the afterlife. A lot of Japanese folklore and horror films tend to have a similar setup, a person that has the ability to connect with the dead. Often enough with locations that have strange pasts or environments that hold spirits that are sinister or still lingering on. In this story our protagonist interacts with the dead in a manner that tries to aid them, up until arriving a specific house has her connect with a spirit that seems far more sinister and powerful than the average spirit seeking a chance to move on.
Our protagonist is hired to figure out what's happening at a cosy rental house in the countryside, with the owners hoping to cleanse the house for their business to continue. It's explained that most ghosts are just people with problems that need fixing before being allowed to move on. To do this she needs to live in the property and let things unfold, to which of course things do start to happen around her. I quite liked how the film shows her more empathetic side towards the dead, she's not there to attack them or even really fear them. As strange things happen, she investigates and has her concerns, but that initial build up shows her familiarity to it all. Even down to creepy phone calls she maintains her composure and speaks calmly.
As the story progresses we get a bit more information on what sort of spirit she's dealing with, which adds a bit more context naturally. Though a lot of the film is more about its ambience, the atmosphere that is established with little hauntings as the discoveries amount. I quite liked it for that, the story feels quite loose for the most part.
One thing I really liked was the textural look of the film. It appeared to have a grainy look to it that resembled film stock. Upon looking up some more information on the film it appeared it was all shot digitally, on the Sony Venice 2 and partially on the consumer cine camera the Sony FX 3. A bit more research led me to discovering the grainy, textural look came more from the editing they used, after using sharp Sigma cine lenses. Where editing providing the grain and the halation that often mimics film. Despite much of the soft look being digital processing, I really liked that filmic atmosphere which made the interiors and exteriors feel more gritty and connected to its darker themes.
