Teaser for new genre offering The Complex from director of Ringu

January 24th 2013, 11:14am

Last Updated on July 23, 2021

Influential Japanese director Nakata Hideo is at it again, delivering his hypnotically frightening signature style to a new genre offering entitled THE COMPLEX and we have a peek at what to expect via a recently unleashed teaser trailer.

Hideo was the man responsible for spawning many imitators (and a decent Americanized remake) with his terrifying RINGU, and later delivered the chilling DARK WATER (also remade to lesser effect). From the looks of things Hideo is up to his old tricks, using visually striking imagry to evoke terror in this simple, but quite effective, teaser. But first, check out this rather in-depth synopsis and then peep the teaser below.

Nursing student Asuka (Atsuko Maeda) has just moved into an apartment complex with her parents and younger brother. On the first night in her new room, she is awoken by a strange scratching sound coming from the apartment of her neighbor, a reclusive old man who has refused all attempts at communication. Concerned over his well being, Asuka enters his home only to find him dead from malnutrition. Worse, it looks as if he had been trying to claw his way into her room.

Asuka learns that there have been a number of strange deaths in the complex over the years from Shinobu (Hiroki Narimiya), the handyman cleaning up the old man’s apartment. Even the girls at school whisper rumors of it being haunted. When the late night scratching returns, Asuka ventures back into her neighbor’s home and comes face to face with an apparition of the old man!

Panicked by the discovery of her apartment emptied and her family gone, Asuka seeks help from Shinobu, who brings in a spiritualist to exorcise Asuka of the evil surrounding her. However, as she delves into the girl’s predicament, the spiritualist discovers that signs points not to the old man but to a small boy living in the complex with a past as tragic as the one Asuka herself lives in denial of.

No word yet on a release date but you can be sure once it hits we’ll be hearing about an inevitable Americanized remake yet again.