Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman

Pretty average Asian Horror film that still seems to linger in the "long hair creepy woman" category but, the storyline is promising and the creep factor is there, (in small doses,thanks to makeup) but if you are not a fan of plot holes or unexplained elements, (which sometimes work in horror, IMO) then you will not enjoy this film. There is very little gore and what is there is usually in a "cut-away" scene (this is a film that would probably just get a pg-13 by American standards)-Overall the film just doesn't satisfy, absolutely no character development and not enough "suspense" to really make it an enjoyable film.

Kuchisake-onna is perhaps one of the most well known and "beloved" urban legend in Japan. It is essentially about a woman with a split mouth roaming around the streets kidnapping children on their way home. This perhaps was anticipated by many Japanese people since they finally got to see the classic monster in the silver screen, and it is still enjoyed and loved by many today. Though I enjoy this movie since there are quite a few scary moments, this is a movie that is very poorly made.

How the screenplay is lazily written is very evident from the way the characters are written. The two lead characters are the teachers of the school Kuchisake onna targets, and they are introduced as normal, flat characters. However, as the movie goes on, it feels like the screenwriters were finishing the script as they were shooting the movie and decided to cram in backstories for the teachers in the last minute. In addition, the screenwriters added Kuchisake onna herself a backstory. What they decided to do is make Kuchisake onna the mother of one of the lead teachers, and the way that is executed is literally like a your mama joke. Beyond that there are many unclear explanations on the rules of this Kuchisake Onna virus, which does not show any patterns and is just possesing random moms. If they could have just done a straight forward slasher movie without adding unnecessary back stories and depth to the characters and Kuchisake Onna herself, this could have been just a very enjoyable B grade horror movie. However by trying to be overly serious with a source material that works without seriousness, it backfired and just became plain silly.

But what absolutely kills this movie is the horrible acting. From the child actors to even the lead characters are played with underwhelming skills. It is clearly evident that the actors didn't take their roles seriously at all, and it feels like they were reading the script at the front of their face as they were shooting the movie. The only good performance was by Miki Mizuno who plays Kuchisake Onna. Overall, this is a movie that should have been better than it is, but is ruined by very poor acting and writing.

Kuchisake Onna is a solid horror film, which tries to impress with its creepy atmosphere, and interesting storyline.

The acting is ok, there are some good scares, and its quite bloody.

Unfortunately, a lot of potential has been wasted, otherwise this would have been a great horror film.

Total score: 6/10.

This movie mixes elements from the Western tradition of Slasher movies along with a peculiar kind of creepiness so typical to Asian horror. An interesting combination that should have been much more successful. Unfortunately 'Kuchisake-onna' is overall mediocre and downward pedestrian at times. It fails whenever it adheres to clichés such as making sure that everyone confronting the villain in the grand finale is without weapons of any kind but there are a few redeeming points. The positive parts include the child abuse angle that pervades and drives the plot, the fact that the villain does not only lurk in dark shadowy places but actually acts in broad daylight and a possession story that is original.

With so much going on for it, it is a true shame that the movie manages to fall into tired recipes that do away with so much potential. After all, in a story in which the villain targets children is open to horror as perceived from their point of view. That approach would have elevated it from the usual supernatural thriller to something more unique. And the movie itself seems to be aware of this on occasion.

With some psychological bits and a decent slasher angle this is a movie that fans of the genre will probably find worth watching but it does have a limited appeal without being part of the elite in the competitive world of J-horror.

Thought this movie was alright in my opinion, the plot is very well coordinated and despite the films obviously low budget it does well with what it's has! I would love to see this film as a bigger more money invested in project it could really develop into something more. Ending was a shocker by the way !