In the horror genre, according to Hideo Nakata, everything is invented. This is said by one of the directors who managed to revolutionize the genre 25 years ago with the film The Ring, the disturbing film about a video that caused the death of those who saw it after seven days. The only possibility left in the genre “is to merge concepts to give a different form to what has existed until now,” says Nakata in a meeting with this newspaper in Sitges. This year, the director returned to the Sitges festival, not only to be honored with the Màquina del Temps award for his contributions to the genre, but to present Game Prohibited, his latest feature film that exhibits several similarities with the masterpiece of he.
Forbidden Game, inspired by a Japanese horror novel, tells the story of a family and the strange paranormal phenomena that begin to happen after the mother’s death. A ghost story that navigates between horror and comedy, a genre that Nakata had not explored in his films until now. “I wanted to add a little comedy so that the audience has fun,” explains the director, although he clarifies that this will not become a recurring element in his films.
The film revolves around a conflict between women and they are the ones who embody the strongest and darkest characters. Female figures in leading roles are already a hallmark of Nakata’s films. Both Samara (Sadako in the original Japanese version) in The Ring (1998), or the relationship between mother and daughter in Dark Water (2002), another of his most iconic and reproduced films. For horror “the female figure is more effective than the male,” says the director.
To build an effective atmosphere in a horror film, Hideo Nakata emphasizes that “sound is essential.” Beyond the actors and their movements, the fact that there are differences “from silence to very loud sounds” are key when it comes to causing shocks in the viewer.
25 years ago, The Ring revalued j-horror (Japanese horror) around the world and inspired various sequels, remakes and parodies such as the popular American Scary Movie. Its main character, Samara, has become, according to Nakata, a global icon. “I would like other scary characters to appear that surpass this one.” Perhaps this is the surprise that the director is preparing for his next film.
