Ekusute - Hair Extensions (DVD) (Japan Version) DVD Region 2

Kuriyama Chiaki | Osugi Ren | Sono Sion (Director) | Sato Megumi

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Customer Review of "Ekusute - Hair Extensions (DVD) (Japan Version)"

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Average Customer Rating for All Editions of this Product: Customer Review Rated Bad 9 - 9 out of 10 (1)

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numinair
See all my reviews

April 2, 2008

This customer review refers to EXTE (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version)

1 people found the following helpful

Angry Hair Ex-Tensions Customer Review Rated Bad 9 - 9 out of 10

After watching this addition to the long haired ghost of yore clan of horrors, I can safely say that this is a pretty good film. On an obvious front, and if you have caught a number of similar Asian horror movies of late, the 'scary hair' aspect could all seem like a 'seen it all before' premise. Long Black Scary Hair was after all, given the treatment in "The Grudge 2" and had an whole film dedicated to its shenanigans in the S Korean film "The Wig". But its certainly freaky hair stuff you have here, I can assure. For one, the vengeful nature of the hair in this film, as a far more cutting and hair raising effect (literally) than of previous scary hair outings, and features some quite grim episodes of nastiness, too. The sudden and swift camera switching and lightening fast grainy film video techniques, when the hair attacks is quite interesting, which reflects the awareness of the terror of the hair attacking from under the skin on the inside, than terror of it dangling around waiting to attack on the outside. Creepy stuff!

As for the plot. Well, the cold ringu curse motif does get re-introduced into play here again, but certainly in a more original way - as two import shipping guards discover a spooky freight cargo of black dead hair. This being shipped for the notorious hair extension fashion market, and not only is the large cargo jam packed to the rafters with female dead hair, but after a bit of shining torch light and closer observation within the cargo - the two guards discover that a girl, whose shaven head provided part of this mass of black threads, is also literally packed amongst the black mass of hair. Well, not merely a girl (and not just a head), but the cursed and wronged damsel of this hair revenge story, who has not only lost the grace of her long black locks, but most of her internal physical organs as well. This is for the illegal organ harvesting, and apparently (when the film moves on), this girl isn't too happy about this theft of her maiden hood or body parts. Aside to this grim discovery, and after the girl's body is sent over for a police autopsy study, a male morgue janitor named Yamazaki, who being extremely eccentric and also having a fetish for women's hair, falls in love with the dead girl, when he fascinatingly discovers that the girl's shaven head, begins to grow hair very rapidly. He becomes elated! So due to his left field 'hobby', steals the dead girl's body and takes it back to his home, where he places her on a hammock. The girl's hair continues to grow faster than Rapunzel's, and at an alarming rate (especially when she isn't too happy), as she lies in stasis, tears running down her cheek, as she lies helpless on Yamazaki's hammock. This mass of hair growth being the angered element of the cursed girl's spirit, and of her reaching out for revenge to those who made her suffer. With Yamazaki's discovery, he then decides to exploit (and assist the girl's revenge), by cutting and making hair extensions with little bells on the ends, from the mass of black hair, and then selling it on to a local hair salon.

This story then moves on to super gal Kuriyama Chiaki, who plays the part of Yuko, a young girl who works at a local hair dressing studio and dreams of being a top hair stylist. Yuko introduces herself as a narrative to the camera, as she rides her bike through town to her local salon job. This funnily enough, reminded me of Jamie McGregor's narrative (played by Barry Evans) in the 1960s movie "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush", and of his similar bike ride introduction. Yuko works and loves to beatify the hair of her clients, and along with her charismatic co-workers, seems to have a good life. Well, until you are introduced to Yuko's scary sister, who has an ill temperament and not only beats and abuses her cute little daughter and almost prostitutes herself to her uncouth boyfriend, but also takes privileges and does what she likes with Yuko's flat and belongings. She even leaves her daughter at Yuko's flat, after bullying and berating her. With this part of the story, it gets more like a soap drama aspect, with these central characters dealing with child abuse and Yuko's anger at the way her sister treats the little girl. The horror elements emerge again, though, when Yamazaki appears at Yuko's hair salon, dressed in eccentric clothing, and sells the bell hair extensions to the staff, including giving a gift of the hair to Yuko. This brings into play the crazy and mad cap aspects of the effect this angry hair as on its victims, which some of the salon staff soon discover. Cue - lots of screams, women running around like head less chickens having a bad hair day and lots of nasty 'go get 'em tiger' killer hair.

As a J-horror film, this does have some original and very good visual effects with the cursed hair, as it sprouts from victims heads like crazy only to zoom back in, and also this demonic hair shooting out of finger nails, red skin welts, growing off tongues, down and over eye balls and getting everywhere under the skin as possible, with spectacular effects. Never has movie hair been so fluid, motional, dramatic and dangerous! At one point there is a "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" motif, where the little girl sees a toy police car suddenly move towards a closet full of the dread angry hair. As you can imagine - all hair breaks loose after that.

"EXTE" is certainly a satirical and mad cap affair (especially with the character Yamazaki), and although I haven't seen director Sono Sion's other movies, "EXTE" is also at times a bit like Takashi Miike's, by its projection of madness here. The 'hair' in this certainly doesn't mess around getting to the point. Angry girl indeed. Certainly there are the more serious aspects though, by the physical abuse parts of Yuko's sister, treating her daughter as she does. But also relating to some poor women in areas of the world, who submit their long hair for money to the cosmetic industry and even kidneys etc,, for organ farming, which is this film's more serious mien within the satire. The dead girl's character is also parallel, in a negative reversal sense, of female religious miracle healers, where some have lain in similar coma type stasis, and have healed those around - but as here, the dead (but alive and vengeful spirit), uses her hair to blight all those around. And like the Ringu curse, she attacks anyone who disturbs and upsets her. In fact, the Ringu and The Grudge film 'monsters' are dark mirror versions of such healers. The final to all of this, though, is hilarious dark humor, and impossible not to laugh out loud at Yamazaki's final lunatic off the wall moments. Still, it can be a difficult blend of social comment and black humor here.

Although a so-so plot, its a good J-horror and also by featuring Kuriyama Chiaki, are two good definite reasons to get this DVD. "EXTE" is certainly to be approached with your tongue firmly in your cheek, by reflective expectations (and not having any hair on it hopefully), and not to expect any sort of serious J-horror. The acting is good, too, and Kuriyama Chiaki is certainly an actress to hopefully see more of (all the time!). She's got the best looking hair for being in this, too! KC doesn't seem to have been in a lot since "Kill Bill", though, considering her acting clout - and I only hope that she also gets more interesting roles in the future. I'd love to see her with Ji Hyun Jeon (or Gianna Jun now) in something cool, urber fantastic and charismatic. Yeah! The little girl actress here was also brilliant and Osugi Ren was expert as the mad cap hair fancier. If you want a creepy J-horror with a bit of black humor to add to your collection, and feel that something extra as been added to the genre here - get this. But if you are thinking of an hair extension - eh, well make sure a funny looking man with glasses in a comic strip costume, doesn't provide your regular visited hair salon with some lovely looking hair extensions, but with additional bells on the end. As they might just be alive and kicking. Just like this movie!

Extras - sadly , not too much. Trailer, actor info and some scene photos. But a great film and loads of hair to see!

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