New Religion
ニューレリジョン
After her daughter's death, divorced Miyabi works as a call girl. One day, she meets a weird customer who wants to take a picture of her spine. Then, at another assignation, her feet. She soon realises that every time she allows her body to be photographed, her daughter's spirit gets closer. Soon only her eyes remain to be captured, leading to the collapse of society in this bold, visionary and unique fantasy.
Why it matters
A surreal plunge into grief and corporeal obsession that twists body horror into spiritual reckoning.
- Director Kōji Shiraishi (known for blending folk horror with modern dread) crafts a hypnotic atmosphere of creeping unease.
- The unsettling fixation on the body as a vessel for the supernatural recalls Cronenberg’s tactile nightmares but with a distinctly Japanese spiritual lens.
- This slow-burning, visually arresting fantasy challenges the boundaries between mourning, identity, and societal collapse—a puzzle for fans of arthouse horror with teeth.
- Not for those seeking traditional scares or clear narrative closure; its abstract, meditative tone demands patience and an appetite for ambiguity.
Director
Cast
Horror DNA
Gore
43
Slow Burn
66
Psychological
29
Supernatural
40
Creature
0
Disturbing
100
Fun Factor
0
Cerebral
85
Survival
0
