Two ‘Twilight Syndrome’ movies coming this summer

Japanese video game company Spike will be releasing a new Twilight Syndrome game called Twilight Syndrome: The Forbidden Urban Legend for Nintendo DS on July 24, 2008 which will be a precursor to two live-action movies continuing the series.

This will not be the first time Twilight Syndrome has been adapted to a live-action film. In 2000 Kenzou Maihara directed Twilight Syndrome: Sotsugyou, starring a young Wakana Sakai. In that film Sakai played one of a group of girls who attempt a ritual to summon ghosts as a goof. Of course it works, and she ends up having to figure out how to get rid of the evil spirits that show up to kidnap her friends.

As you can probably tell this is not a series that hangs its hat on new or unique ideas. Each story is self-contained and involves some sort of supernatural dabbling by teenagers who quickly get in over their heads by messing with things they don’t understand. The new films will continue that trend, but with the complete drought of cheesy teen idol J-horror in the past few years it’s nice to see something come out that may hearken back to the glory days of the late 90s/early 00s when fodder like this was being released on a weekly basis. I suppose it was too much of a good thing at the time - but J-horror kept western DVD-buyers interested in Asian cinema like nothing else has since, and anything that helps get back to that level of interest would be a good thing.

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Tags: megumi seki moe arai nanase hoshii twilight syndrome video game