J-horror tropes are turned on their head in this gleefully subversive comedy-horror from director and comedian Yuriyan Retriever. A dark-haired female spirit of vengeance, the sinister Mag Mag follows in the hallowed, damp footsteps of Ringu’s Sadako, Ju-On’s Kayako and so many more. You know the ritual – Mag Mag appears to the afflicted shortly before their death, offering a horrific vision of eyeball-sucking terror during their final moments. What happens next, however, is like something out of a fevered Junji Ito dream.
When Mag Mag takes her beloved, Sanae (Sara Minami) vows to seek revenge against this, uh, spirit of vengeance. But, as her quest takes her deeper into Mag Mag’s true nature, she comes to learn that there’s more to her man’s fate than meets the eye(ball). It’s a familiar setup. But what separates Mag Mag from the rest is its vicious sense of humour, brought to life by first-time director Retriever and screenwriter Eisuke Naitô.
Mag Mag is broken down into a vignette-like structure, following each of the ghoul’s victims in the short time before their death. As such, it’s successful in building an air of mystery around Mag Mag and her motives – with some really good red herrings and twists thrown in there toward the end – although it does get a tad repetitive once the first few asshole men have come and gone in similar fashion. Running at nearly two hours, the occasionally clumsy pacing betrays Retriever’s novice status as a director. Still, the next big scare or laugh is never far away, and the fractured structure does pay off when Sanae’s story is revealed in full.
Led by a wonderfully off-the-wall performance from Minami, Mag Mag is a treat for fans of the subgenre and its tropes. Possessing a bonkers energy (think Drag Me to Hell by way of Takashi Miike), it pays tribute to the best of J-horror while very much marching to the beat of its own drum.
MAG MAG premiered at FrightFest Halloween on November 1st, 2025.
