The Nopperabou—"Faceless Ghost"—is a popular spirit in Japan, but it remains largely unknown outside of that country. The Tokyo Cowboys seek to rectify that with their latest film, bringing a frightening old tale into the modern era for international audiences.
*Nopperabou* is far more than just a ghost story, however. It stands out as a well-rounded, multifaceted film that offers viewers horror, humor, and cultural experience by turns, introducing and acquainting audiences with rural Japan through the eyes of Westerners who have traveled abroad to study Japanese. The characters frequently exchange both English and Japanese on screen (with the appropriate subtitles, of course), which helps to immerse the viewers and bring them into a world where, like Dave, Brian, and Deni, they are visitors to a foreign land. *Nopperabou* has the additional charm of placing its story in a remote town far from Tokyo, providing a glimpse of the quiet, small-town Japan that films often neglect in favor of the excitement and glamor of the big city. But this holds with tradition: classical Japanese ghost stories usually took place in the countryside, far away from the capital. The capital (be it Kyoto or Tokyo) represented stability, order, and human dominion, and was seen as the primary civilizing force in the world. But outside the city, the rural provinces were untamed and mysterious, a world where anything was possible, the abode of ghosts and demons that existed beyond the realm of human reason and on the shadowy fringes of imagination.
One quality of the film that stands out very early on is its banter— the fun, back-and-forth exchanges between its lead characters that sound delightfully true to life. At times, it feels completely unscripted, giving the sense that the viewer is a fly on the wall overhearing actual conversations. The delivery itself establishes so much about these characters and their relationships with one another, which in a short film is a powerful boon to the story. It also lends the film a genuine energy and vitality that often eludes the horror genre. On finishing the movie, I felt compelled to go back and re- watch some of these scenes — and these aren't even the main draw of the film.
Which brings me to the ghost story itself. Does the horror deliver? *Nopperabou* certainly has its work cut out for it. Japanese horror movies enjoyed their American heyday about ten years ago, but eventually lost their novelty when they all started to look the same. *Nopperabou* breathes new life into the genre—the film feels like it was written by people who have seen their share of horror movies and have decided to play with horror conventions without being confined by them. My expectations were constantly being subverted. "And this is the part when the ghost will do X
" Nope. The movie was consistently fresh, and even the few familiar moments played out in unexpected, often terrifying new ways. The final, climactic moments are both chilling and poignant, closing the film on a creative, haunting note that hovers on the air like a death knell and lingers in the dark chambers of the mind.
