GHOST THEATER: New J-Horror from Director of THE RING

Source: Shochiku Co., Ltd., Nikkatsu Corporation Official Movie Site: gekijourei.jp (Japan)

In 1998, director Hideo Nakata drew international attention with his acclaimed J-Horror hit THE RING (???, Ringu). In more recent years he directed DEATH NOTE: L, change the worLd (L??????, L no Hontou no Himitsu, 2008) and THE INCITE MILL ?7 DAY DEATH GAME? (?????????????????, Inshite Miru: 7-Kakan no Desu Gemu, 2010) before returning to the J-Horror genre in 2013 with THE COMPLEX (??????, Kuroyuri Danchi). Nakata`s latest horror film is GHOST THEATER (???, Gekijourei), an update of his legendary 1996 movie, GHOST ACTRESS (???, Joyuurei, aka DON`T LOOK UP). As with THE COMPLEX, GHOST THEATER is a co=production of the Japanese studios Nikkatsu and Shochiku, and stars a member of the girls` group AKB48. GHOST THEATER opens nationwide in Japan on November 21st. Story When the curtain falls, it rises... Sara, a young actress seeking to move up in the dog-eat-dog world of acting, is unable to attain the acclaim she feels she deserves. Deciding to break away from the drudgery of TV show bit parts, she auditions for a stage play. Happy to be cast in a medium sized role, her joy is short-lived when the play’s lead takes an intense disliking to her. The bitter rivalry between the actresses erupts into out-and-out hatred. However, this is just the start of hers and the theater’s troubles. When rehearsals start, strange things begin to happen... one of the PA’s turns up dead in a bizarre, mummified state and the lead falls from the roof of the playhouse. Sensing there is more to it than meets the eye, Sara teams with theater staffer Izumi to investigate these strange occurrences only to discover that within the seemingly innocent playhouse lurks a very real and very menacing threat. Credits Japanese Theatrical Release: Saturday, November 21, 2015 (Nationwide Roadshow) Running Time: 99 Minutes Cast Sara: Haruka Shimazaki Kaori: Rika Adachi Aoi: Riho Takada Izumi: Keita Machida Ikuji Nakamura Mantaro Koichi Staff Director: Hideo Nakata Screenplay: Junya Kato, Ryuta Miyake Production: "Gekijorei" Film Partners Planning and Production: Nikkatsu Corporation Distribution: Shochiku Co., Ltd. International Sales: Nikkatsu Corporation © 2015 "Gekijorei" Film Partners