Audition: Is the Slow Burn Worth it?

Audition is on every list of most intense horror films and has been critically acclaimed for it's slow burn leading up to gruesome scenes. But is the slow burn really enough to make the pay of worthwhile? Audition follows the story of Shigeharu Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi), a widower who's looking to find love again. His friend says they'll audition girls for the role under the guise of auditioning for a movie, but the one he picks turns out to be a deadly choice. Which all sounds pretty slimey, but his friend does actually want to produce the movie, and will cast one of the girls in it. Add on to this that Aoyama is uncomfortable with the idea all along and, if his relationship with his son is anything to go by, is a genuinely nice person. This breaks the rule in horror of seeing terrible things happen to terrible people, but could still work in its favour. Its much more horrible to see something bad happen to a character we've grown to like and root for. This must be the purpose of the snail's pace first hour and a half. You get to know Aoyama as a person and genuinely want him to find a new partner as he seems lonely and lost. This would make the twist all the more gut-wrenching when its revealed Asami Yamazaki (Eihi Shiina) is a cold-blooded killer. And may be why this movie doesn't work as well as it used to. By being included on lists of top horrifying movies of all time, we know the twist before we begin. We're waiting for the moment Yamazaki shows her true colours, so we're five steps ahead of the hints the movie gives us. Which means when we get the reveal, its more or less what we expected. It's like knowing Darth Vader's Luke's father – that same shock will never be authentic again. (Especially not when the only shots from the movie are those iconic ones with the wire. I know what's coming!) This means that when you finally reach the torture scene, built up in my mind to be nigh on unwatchable, it becomes a bit of a 'that's it?' Not to say that its easy watching or not gruesome – the time it takes and Shiina's creepy-sweet performance make it a technically great scene of high horror. But compared to the gore seen since with the likes of Saw and Hostel, it just doesn't feel quite enough to justify such a slow beginning. It doesn't help that the dog dies in this one, either. Much less that they show the body. That's the uncalled for horror. So in the end, Audition might not hit the nail on the head in terms of shock factor since word got out around it. That being said, the characters are great. They have depth, are played well and great camera work makes the film a visual treat. The dialogue is well-written and believable, it does its job in tricking the audience into thinking they're watching a romance. (Perhaps too well.) If spoilers weren't so rampant, then it would probably be the movie its hyped up to be. (Though, even then, I have questions about the hallucination sequence and what can possibly be real with it.)

To conclude - Audition is a well-written, slow paced film with great actors doing a good job. It just might not hold that much horror for you, if you know anything more about it.