FadedBlue_net

Title: Exte (aka Hair Extensions)
Director: Sion Sono
Year: 2007
Genre: Horror
Format Reviewed: DVD

Exte is a highly anticipated horror movie.  It has so much potential to be a really great movie: huge name actors and actresses, an excellent director, and a plot theme that can be as scary as any other.  Most of all, the combination of all these part can and do make the film a very fresh genre film to the dying genre of J-horror.

J-horror has suffered from stereotypes, poor spinoffs and sequels, and horrible Hollywood remakes.  It seems like there is little hope for true originals like Ju-on and Ringu to arise in this atmosphere.  Rather than focusing recycled products, Exte has become the gem in a crop of potatoes.  There are many things that are just done right in Exte, even if not genre-shattering, that make the film very watchable and enjoyable to fans of horror.

One may watch this movie to see Chiaki Kuriyama play a lead role (and try to figure out whether she will die by the end…. I won’t tell you).  It’s not a bad one to pick up for this reason as well.  She does a great job acting, as usual, and you can tell she’s having fun with the movie.  Her character is quite innocent and has a fairly typical personality.  It’s definitely fun to follow her through the movie and root for her.

Exte is a horror movie in the classic J-horror sense, but there really is no plot connection to other movies like The Wig.  Rest assured, you won’t feel like you’ve seen this movie already, even for veterans of asian horror.  Long, straight, black hair has been a major element in many asian horror movies, and has been done to death.  [pun]  I don’t know how, but Exte is not at all fatiguing in its use of hair.  Maybe it’s the volume..

Rating: 3 /5

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