‘Can you really trust your childhood memories?’
The Shock Labyrinth 3D is a 2009 Japanese horror film in which a group of teenagers take a sick girl to a hospital only to find out it is a horrific maze.
Directed by Takashi Shimizu (The Grudge; Ju-on) from a screenplay written by Daisuke Hosaka, Senritsu meikyû 3D stars Yûya Yagira, Misako Renbutsu, Ryô Katsuji, Suzuki Matsuo and Ai Maeda.
Plot:
Childhood friends Ken, Motoki, and Rin estranged for years but now reunited ten years later are joined by the last of their group, Yuki, who has been missing since her disappearance at the House of Horrors a decade earlier.
Her sudden reappearance in Rin s living-room as a frail, distraught woman, has set in motion a string of terrifying events. The group brings Yuki home, where a menacing-looking toy rabbit triggers a panic attack in Yuki and she falls down a flight of stairs.
Joined by Miyu, Yuki s younger sister, the five quickly rush Yuki to a hospital, where something seems terribly wrong. No one is there to help them and not a patient is insight. In the midst of the confusion, Yuki disappears.
The night of terror that ensues, where Ken, Rin, Motoki and Miyu must navigate the labyrinth-like corridors of the hospital as well as their own minds, are forced to confront their past, unearth long-suppressed memories, and test the resilience of their sanity…
Reviews:
” …The Shock Labyrinth is a serviceable film. Don’t get me wrong, I found it to be entertaining and occasionally creepy — I especially enjoyed the setting. However, The Shock Labyrinth is riddled with flaws, from its generic and almost fright-less story to its barely decent acting, which ultimately leads it to a dead end.” Cinematic Addiction
“In places, the film reminds me of games like The 7th Guest and The 11th Hour. Both games were replete with seemingly nonsensical dialogue, over-the-top full-motion video and filled with bad acting. At least those games were compelling. This film is just nonsensical, over-the-top and bad acting!” dave Adamson, Den of Geek!
“Shock Labyrinth is very much like a weird dream, for the characters and the viewer. There are constant jumps in both time and location, and what’s supposed to be real is never certain. Plus there are plenty of freaky, unexplained things, like the bunny rucksack and the never-ending hospital/maze […] An average J horror with a nice three-dimensional edge…” Love Horror
“The characters in this film are best viewed as chess pieces that are strategically manoeuvred by the director for maximum effect. Ultimately, The Shock Labyrinth is a fairly routine J Horror film that relies too heavily on its gimmick 3-D.” Michael Den Boer, 10K Bullets
Cast and characters:
- Yûya Yagira … Ken
- Misako Renbutsu … Yuki
- Ryô Katsuji … Motoko
- Suzuki Matsuo … Tanba
- Ai Maeda … Rin
- Shôichirô Masumoto
- Takashi Yamanaka
- Erina Mizuno … Myiu
Technical details:
- 89 minutes
- Sound: Dolby Digital
- Aspect ratio: 1.85: 1
