Movies
‘Never After Dark’ SXSW Review – The Living Terrorize in Atmospheric Japanese Ghost Story
Ghost stories are as common as horror films that reveal humans to be the ultimate monsters. Writer/Director Dave Boyle combines both into Japanese supernatural chiller Never After Dark, elevating a conventional atmospheric haunted house with a unique approach to the supernatural. It’s that new wrinkle, along with an unwaveringly cool heroine, that sets it apart.
The premise is simple: a medium is hired to exorcise a newly acquired hotel of a restless spirit, one which quickly proves to be malevolent. In films of this ilk, it’d be typical to hang at least one of its mysteries on whether said medium actually possesses the faith or skills to complete the task. Never After Dark heads off that question immediately with the introduction to unflappable Airi (Shōgun‘s Moeka Hoshi) on her long drive to her newest gig in the remote countryside; the extremely proficient medium lives with the constant companionship of her dead sister Miku (Kurumi Inagaki).
Of course, Airi is met with skepticism from Gunji (producer Kento Kuji), the son of Teiko (Tae Kimura), the hotel’s new owner and excitable believer in Airi’s talents. It’s Teiko’s warm welcome and earnest pleas that have Airi ignoring her steadfast rule to never cross the veil or work past nightfall, when spirits hold far more power than during waking hours. While the hotel’s ghastly specter, The Gaping Mouth Man (Mutsuo Yoshioka, Chime), provides supernatural fright, it’s the living that’ll terrify Airi the most.
Moeka Hoshi makes for a rare vision when it comes to cinematic depictions of spiritualists. There’s an easy air about Airi that signals extensive experience in sending ghosts off to the afterlife, reflected in her calm demeanor and the infectious way she chugs beer while jamming to rock tunes on her day off. She’s even blasé about her sister’s warnings about the house’s unusual paranormal problem. It’s that chill personality that makes it easy to assume her asymmetrical haircut is a trendy style choice, right up until she reveals her ritualistic means of slipping into the ghostly realm to cleanse the house.
Boyle presents a fascinating character study at the heart of his midnight chiller, an intriguing antisocial protagonist far more comfortable with ghosts than people. It makes her direct, though polite, when dealing with the overbearing but sweet Teiko or her protective son, and instantly on guard when anyone beyond her employers comes knocking. The seasoned pro only cracks under pressure when it comes to human threats, of which Boyle finds a creative way to incorporate into his haunted hotel.
The paranormal rules and how Airi interacts with the dead keep things engaging, even when the supernatural scares can feel stale. Not just with her candle and zoetrope means of entering the veil, but in the way they appear only fleetingly in mirrors when Airi isn’t in her trance. It’s also worth noting that The Gaping Mouth Man is as unsettling as his name suggests, made more effective by Boyle’s smart staging to shroud the specter in as much mystery as possible until Airi discovers the full scale of the horror she’s battling.
The filmmaker also smartly contrasts his ghoulish appearance with the quiet elegance of Teiko’s hotel, nestled in a bucolic countryside with few neighbors. It’s that juxtaposition of a cool city girl at home with ghosts battling tangible enemies in a safe rural neighborhood, and Boyle’s blending of subgenres, that makes Never After Dark a fresh but cozy hug of a horror movie.
Never After Dark made its world premiere at SXSW. Release info TBA.
It was almost one year ago that Warner Bros. brought the entire original A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise to 4K in one massive 7-movie collection, with the limited edition SteelBook version of the set quickly selling out and becoming highly sought after. But we’re happy to report tonight that the SteelBook set is currently back in stock over on Amazon!
While supplies last, grab the Elm Street SteelBook collection for $154.99 right now!!
Orders placed for this re-release are scheduled to begin shipping out September 15, 2026.
[Related] Freddy’s Back: New ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ Movie in the Works at Paramount
From New Line Cinema, the collection includes the original seven films – A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985), A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988), A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989), Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991), and Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994) – along with the uncut versions of A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Dream Child.
Two BRAND NEW SPECIAL FEATURES for this set include:
- Boiler Room Confessional: The king of slashers, Robert Englund, takes us on a journey through the dream world, sharing what inspired Freddy Krueger, his rise as a cultural icon, and the legacy of A Nightmare on Elm Street, plus his favorite kills, scenes, and more.
- Freddy’s Footnotes: Robert Englund and original A Nightmare on Elm Street filmmakers revisit iconic scenes, revealing the movie magic and chaos behind our favorite nightmares. Pull back the curtain and relive epic moments through the eyes of those who made them.
Here’s the full breakdown of included Special Features for each movie…
A Nightmare on Elm Street
· Ready Freddy Focus Points
· Commentary with Wes Craven, Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, Ronee Blakley, Robert Shaye, and Sara Risher
· Commentary with Wes Craven, Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, and Jacques Haitkin
· Alternate Endings – Scary Ending, Happy Ending, Freddy Ending
· The House that Freddy Built: The Legacy of New Line Horror
· Never Sleep Again: The Making of A Nightmare on Elm Street
· Night Terrors: The Origins of Wes Craven’s Nightmares
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge
· Freddy on 8th Street
· Heroes and Villains
· The Male Witch
· Psychosexual Circus
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
· Behind the Story: Burnout
· Behind the Story: Fan Mail
· Behind the Story: The House that Freddy Built
· Behind the Story: Onward Christian Soldiers
· Behind the Story: Snakes and Ladders
· Behind the Story: That’s Showbiz
· Behind the Story: Trading 8’s
· Dokken Dream Warriors Music Video
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
· The Finnish Line
· Krueger, Freddy Krueger
· Hopeless Chest
· Let’s Makeup
A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
· Behind the Story: Womb Raiders
· Behind the Story: The Sticky Floor
· Behind the Story: Take the Stairs
· Behind the Story: Hopkins Directs
· Behind the Story: A Slight Miscalculation
Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare
· 86’D
· Hellraiser
· Rachel’s Dream
· 3D Demise
Wes Craven’s New Nightmare
· Commentary with Wes Craven
· NEW – Boiler Room Confessional
· NEW – Freddy’s Footnotes
· Becoming a Filmmaker
· Filmmaker
· An Insane Troupe
· The Problem with Sequels
· Two Worlds
· Welcome to Prime Time: It Really Happened
· Welcome to Prime Time: A Childhood Memory
· Welcome to Prime Time: Sometime in the Early 80s
· Welcome to Prime Time: So It Began
· Welcome to Prime Time: Beauty and the Beast
· Welcome to Prime Time: Making the Glove
· Welcome to Prime Time: Shapeshifter
· Welcome to Prime Time: The Shoot
· Welcome to Prime Time: The Revolving Room
· Welcome to Prime Time: All’s Well that Ends Well
· Welcome to Prime Time: Talalay’s Tally
· Welcome to Prime Time: It Couldn’t Have Happened
· Welcome to Prime Time: Alternate Ending Version
· Conclusion: Where Gothic Plots Come From
· Conclusion: Why We Like Gothic
· Conclusion: Sadomasochism
· Conclusion: Freddy vs. Pinhead
· Conclusion: Freddy’s Manic Energy
· Conclusion: Creating Lasting Characters in Horror
· Conclusion: No More Magic Tricks
· Conclusion: Monster with Personality
· Conclusion: Freddy as Sex Machine
· Conclusion: Campfire Stories
The Elm Street collection is available in this collectible SteelBook packaging (exclusive to Amazon) and as a standard 4K collection that’s also available now over on Amazon.
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