I like foreign films (I won't go as far as saying love), and I'm not intimidated by subtitles. Do I wish that I spoke the language (whatever it may be)? Of course, but I trust that the subtitles are fairly accurate. However, every once in a while I watch a foreign where the story simply doesn't work for me and I'm forced to wonder if the subtitles are somehow wrong or maybe if it's something from the culture that I don't understand. This can be frustrating as I must question if the movie is bad or if I'm missing something. In the case Gorozuka, I think it's the former.

As Gorozuka opens, we meet Ai (Chisato Morishito) and Maki (Yoko Mitsuya), who are the sole members of a high school "Film Club". They have organized a trip to the country for a film project. They're accompanied by Natsuki (Yuko Kurosawa), Yuka (Yukari Fukui), and Yayoi (Keiko Saito), all of whom are in the "Drama Club", Miss Yoko (Yuko Ito), the chaperone, and Takako (Nozomi Ando), who is Maki's sister and apparently, Miss Yoko's lover. The group travel by car and then by foot to a large lodge. Seven years earlier, another group had gone to this location to make a movie. That endeavor ended in one student being dead and another hospitalized. Ai and Maki saw footage from that film and it inspired them to make their movie. Not long after arriving, both things and people begin to go missing. Ai becomes convinced that she's seen someone in a white mask in the area. Will history repeat itself?

That synopsis may sound pretty coherent, but trust me, I'm grasping at straws when it comes to putting together a truly detailed story for this movie. Gorozuka hits the ground running with the group on the road. This didn't bother me, as I assumed that the story would eventually catch up...but it never does. The characters are never more than stereotypes -- the princess, the sycophant, the quiet one, etc. (Although, I thought that it was interesting that the vain and demanding Natsuki mirrored the kind of "queen bee" character which is very common in western films.) I kept waiting for the next level of the story, but it never arrives. There was a tragedy in the past, the group is making a movie now...and that's about it. Nothing truly happens until the third act, and even then, it's not much. And the ending, well I didn't understand the ending at all. The characters bicker and wander around, and eventually someone dies, but it's all pointless.

But, there have been plenty of decent horror movies which have vague stories, so couldn't Gorozuka have worked otherwise? Well, I guess that it could have, but it doesn't. To say that the movie is boring would be an understatement -- literally nothing happens for long stretches. There is a lot of talking about the missing food and the movie from the past, but very little is done about it. (Miss Yoko goes to get more food, but little happens.) Once the "action" begins, we are treated to one stalking scene, one chase scene, and that's about it. There are some blood-covered faces, but no real gore here. And for those who care, despite the fact that have an all-female cast (there are literally no males in the film), there is no T&A.

The DVD box for Gorozuka claims that the movie is reminiscent of The Ring and Scream. Well, if we're talking about the fact that Gorozuka includes a film club and a killer in a white mask and that the actors are Japanese, then it's correct. If we're talking about story or quality, then that comparison is way off. I was excited about watching Gorozuka as it's been a while since I've seen an Asian horror film and an even longer time since I've seen a good one. The movie has a solid idea (I think), but takes it nowhere. I guess I'll just go watch The Eye again to fill that void.

Gorozuka made me wonder why anyone would want to promote the Cleveland Police Department on DVD courtesy of Synapse Films. The film has been letterboxed at 1.85:1 and the transfer is enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs. The image is very sharp and clear, showing no grain and no defects from the source material. I'm not sure if this was shot on film or video, but it looks fantastic, as the picture is very crisp (especially for someone who has been spoiled by Blu-ray Disc.) The colors look very good and the image is never overly dark or bright. There is little artifacting and the image is rarely soft. The DVD carries a Dolby Stereo audio track which provides clear dialogue and sound effects. The track clearly presents the film's score which is unfortunate, as I'm fairly certain that Gene from Bob's Burgers did the music -- it sounds like someone simply hitting a cymbal over and over. There are a few good moments where the sound moves from side-to-side in the front channels.

The Gorozuka DVD contains only two extras. "Making Of" (23 minutes) consists of comments from the cast and random on-set footage. We hear a lot about how cold it was during shooting, and we see some of the special effects makeup being applied. After many minutes showing the crew sleeping in corners, we are treated to candid footage of the cast being playful. So, we don't learn much about the story or how the film came to be. The other extra is a TRAILER for the movie.