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‘The Grudge’ Director Made the ‘NightCry’ Teaser for Free
Earlier this month, the J-horror game Project Scissors made its official debut as NightCry. The spiritual successor to Clock Tower is being directed by series creator Hifumi Kono, with creature designs by Pyramid Head creator Masahiro Ito. Other “well known talents in the Japanese game industry” have signed on, but they haven’t been revealed yet.
The most impressive name that’s attached to this project belongs to Japanese director Takashi Shimizu (Ju-On, The Grudge). Apparently, that fantastic live-action teaser (see below) they used to announce the project was made by Shimizu for free.
“I was very nervous as I approached him, since we did not have any budget to afford an internationally renowned film director like him.” Kono-san explains when asked how Shimizu-san joined the project. “However, Mr. Shimizu really was intrigued about the project, and kindly agreed to work with us for free as our partner!”
I can’t say I’ve heard very many stories of successful directors offering to do pro bono work. It’s nice to see that kind of passion in a project like this. It bodes well for the final game.
The rest of NightCry director Hifume Kono’s interview can be found over at Destructoid.
In the grim darkness of the far future there is only war, but it was a cheerful illustrator from England who helped to define the terrifying war-torn imagery that inspired what we now know as Grimdark (a hybrid genre combining horror with sci-fi/fantasy).
Unfortunately for fans of Warhammer 40,000, Trench Crusade and countless other sources of Grimdark thrills, veteran artist John Blanche passed away this week after struggling with health issues for the past few years.
While the artist retired back in 2023, he leaves us with an enormous legacy of iconic artwork that continues to inspire gamers and storytellers around the world to this very day.
The news is especially gloomy as it was only last year that Daniel Lowman and Napoleon Dynamite himself Jon Heder released The Grim & the Dark: The Search for John Blanche, a documentary following Heder’s exploration of the Grimdark genre culminating in a heartwarming encounter with Blanche in his own home.
Below is one of my favorite pieces by Blanche, his highly influential depiction of Warhammer 40k’s God-Emperor of Mankind on his Golden Throne.
We send our deepest condolences to John Blanche’s family, friends, and fans.
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