Horror is one of the only genres where an exorcist can make a living, or at least get hired on a regular basis. Exorcists and spirit mediums are as intrinsic to supernatural horror as Van Helsing is to Dracula, the yang to the demon’s yin. The portrayal of a supernatural super hero can range from the comedic mundane such as in Ghostbusters, or the divine drama of Constantine.
But if the medium is seasoned, experienced, and confident in their own abilities, where must the well of horror dwell? If the character is capable, where must the danger lie?
Never After Dark is a Japanese horror movie written and directed by Dave Boyle. The story follows a spirit medium, Airi (Moeka Hoshi), who takes on a new client—a wealthy business owner and her son who believe their home is haunted. It becomes clearer to Airi as the movie goes on that this is no regular haunting.
What I love most about Never After Dark is how mundanely it treats its ghosts. Airi knows what she’s doing and she doesn’t scare easily. Not only is this a refreshing idea about psychics and spirit mediums far divorced from The Conjuring’s heroic interpretation of the Warrens or The Exorcist’s jaded Father Karras, it also lulls the audience into a false sense of security. Moeka plays the part of the professional seamlessly. If her character is not worried, then why should we be worried? Thus when the rug is pulled out from under Airi in the middle of the story, the audience is left to wonder how grave the danger truly is.
With any haunting movie worth its salt, the location must become its own character, and Never After Dark pulls this off to great success. The house in question once served as a hotel and as a bed and breakfast before becoming a lavish family abode. The structure of the building reflects all of these things—not quite a house meant for a single family, too remote and small to be a hotel on par with the Overlook in The Shining. It is homey, but also empty. It has the luxuriousness of a private getaway, and the old world feel of traditional Japanese design. This ambiguity of purpose creates an impression of listless existence, of a veil thinned by its lack of dedicated ownership.
The performances in this movie are, across the board, keen and confident. Each character is fully realized, from Airi as a reserved and jaded young woman, to the clients who ponder her validity. Tantamount to the eerie nature of the second act is a plot element I dare not spoil in this review, but, suffice it to say, made my skin crawl in the film’s execution.
As the story unfurls and Airi’s most unexpected fears are realized, more unique and terrifying concepts are thrown at the audience one after the other. Never After Dark introduces an idea of an evil so severe it can disrupt the rules of reality. The movie is filled with memorable plot devices, from the methods Airi uses to channel the spirit world to the actual nature of the haunting. So many of the details in this movie are placed very purposely, never forcing the point, and pay off very naturally.
Fans of movies like Demián Rugna’s Terrified or Jang Jae-hyun’s Exhuma will appreciate Never After Dark’s not-your-average-ghost-story approach to the premise, and will revel in its painful, bloodied conclusion. This is a horror film that doesn’t pull its punches, and is more interested in examining what happens in the afterlife than fulfilling the wishes of the living.