Rabbit Horror 3D Review

Rabbit Horror 3D

Alternative Titles: Tormented, Rabito Hora 3D

Chinese Title: 恐怖兔子

Year: 2011

Language: Japanese

Genre: Horror, Drama

Synopsis:

At school, 10-year-old Daigo (Takeru Shibuya) kills a pregnant rabbit before his sister, Kiriko Imazato (Hikari Mitsushima), is able to stop him. Daigo is bullied by his classmates ever since. Kiriko, a mute librarian who loves Daigo dearly, tells him to stop going to school. He is homeschooled from then on.

Though the two are half siblings (they are borne to different mothers), they are very close and they share the same bedroom. Their father, who works as a book illustrator, is very distant from them.

When Kiriko and Daigo watch a 3D horror film at the movie house, a plush rabbit pops out from the screen. Daigo reaches for the rabbit and is surprised when he is able to touch it. He discreetly keeps it in his bag.

At home, when everyone is asleep, Daigo checks the stuffed animal in his bag. The rabbit is gone, but then a figure flashes across the room. Daigo goes out and sees blood tracks on the floor. He follows it, and is pulled by the rabbit into another world. The haunting starts.

Kiriko notices the weird things taking place in their home and somehow knows that it has something to do with a rabbit. She tries to warn her incredulous father (Teruyuki Kagawa) about the strange incidents and tells him that Daigo’s mother, Kyoko (Tamaki Ogawa), is back. Kiriko has to do something before Kyoko takes her brother away.

Cheerfulnuts’ Review:

I always have a soft spot for children. So when a boy is rattled by an evil rabbit in a movie, I sympathize with him a lot. Seeing from a child’s perspective makes me more jittery than I should be. There were moments in the movie that I let out a stifled scream.

The rabbit mascot may not look creepy at first. As I was watching with my headset on, my sister, who was peeking at my laptop, thought that I was watching a children’s movie. It was only when I started to cover my eyes that she realized this “children’s movie” was actually a horror movie. The sounds added more suspense on the film. Japanese horror movies always have those distinct sound effects that you won’t hear in their non-Asian counterparts. Viewers who are not familiar with Japanese films may find the sounds weird or even funny. Nevertheless, Rabbit Horror has spooked me.

Rabbit Horror’s delivery is excellent. I was suddenly engrossed by the movie. I think having someone mute as the protagonist makes this movie unique and special. With Kiriko’s silence, her voice-over narration makes the movie more captivating since you’d be curious about what she has to say.

The movie started strong. The moment Daigo hits the rabbit, the movie got my attention. It got a bit confusing for a while, but when it shows flashbacks from Kiriko’s childhood, things that were previously unexplained became clearer. It has a twist, though it was predictable. The ending created more questions which left me scratching my head. I wasn’t so satisfied and didn’t want it to end yet that I stared at the screen until the end of the closing credits. It didn’t clearly explain what was going on, but I guess it’s up to the viewers to figure that out.

The bottom line is, Rabbit Horror, unlike most horror movies, is a no-nonsense movie. It has a story and the characters are actually likeable. If you’re a horror movie fan, especially Japanese horror movies, you should definitely watch Rabbit Horror. Just don’t expect to feel good after the movie.

Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:

7 out of 10 stars

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