One of the reasons I always make my way to Overlook Film Festival is for the international slate of films. Each year introduces audiences to gems that often end up on quite a few top ten lists at the end of the year. This year was no exception, as I am here to tell you about the Japanese horror film, Never After Dark, which was easily one of my favorite titles of the fest.
Writer and director Dave Boyle’s film introduces us to Airi (Moeka Hoshi). She’s a traveling medium who assists spirits in their transition to the other side. She takes a job at an isolated house where she discovers a different kind of situation than she expected. However, she soon discovers the ghoulish figure terrorizing her is the least of her worries. It’s actually the living that she should be worried about in this house of nightmares.
There is a lot to love about Never After Dark. You might lean in for J-horror and supernatural vibes, but that’s only the surface of this creepy ride. Airi is a fun protagonist who is compelling and (at times) relatable. She’s kind of fearless and thought she had seen it all until this job takes a surprising turn into a whole other kind of evil. However, her bond with her dead sister Miku (Kurumi Inagaki) is what really grounds her. Miku appears in reflective surfaces and gives us just enough exposition to understand how she helps her sister in this work. This also clearly helps raise the tension, as Miku’s ability to help when things go off the rails is very limited in the living world.
Another thing elevating this haunting story is Mutsuo Yoshioka as the gap-mouth ghoul we initially think is the biggest threat. His performance is effective, and every appearance is like a spike on a heart monitor. He’s a clue to the bigger mystery, but also prevents the film from settling into comfortable or cozy horror. The open-faced spirit is also just fun as hell from the audience perspective. Even when the film introduces a time loop, he takes center stage to deal some sinister levels of psychic damage via repetition. As much as I want to follow Airi and Miku for eternity, I would also watch this apparition chase people through this house for at least half of forever.
Cinematographer Patrick Ouziel cites films like Don’t Look Now and The Changeling as inspiration for Never After Dark. Ouziel communicates a retro and soft vibe that sustains tension while keeping us uneasy. It feels familiar and unsettling for the entire runtime. His ability to open the library and modernize the old recipes makes this film pretty to look at while crafting a world we want more time in. Looks aren’t all that matter in horror, but I’ll be damned if they don’t help elevate this nightmare fuel to a surprisingly gorgeous place. Even if you’re not a cinematography person, you cannot help but lean in for the way so many scenes are captured. This is visual storytelling at its finest, and that should be celebrated.
Never After Dark knows that we have seen it all and seemingly enjoys toying with viewers. Whenever you think you know what it’s doing, it swerves and forces you to recalibrate. Boyle has built a creepy little house and filled it with ghastly riddles. This film is the work of a filmmaker who refuses to give you a simple story when he can call attention to the real dangers being the ones right in front of your face. Boyle did the homework and showed up with a title that will reside in your brain long after the credits are over. This is a beautiful exploration of the grief and trauma that avoids tapping the glass in the all too familiar ways many of us are sick of. It’s also just a really pretty film to look at while being too cool for school.
