Let me start off by saying I'm definitely an advocate for movies that make you think. I'm a fan of GOOD Japanese movies and I'm also probably one of the biggest horror movie enthusiasts you'll ever meet. I had just come off watching Ichi and Audition within the week before when I decided to watch this movie. It was a tossup between watching this movie or watching Gokudô kyôfu dai-gekijô (Gozu) so I came to IMDb and read some reviews. Gozu was rated higher but Living Hell wasn't far behind and had some really positive feedback. I don't think Living Hell was one of the worst movies I've ever seen by any means, but it definitely wasn't one of the best. I HATE people who come on here and say "this movie is full of plot holes" because they just don't understand a movie, but in all seriousness this movie is just not put together well. When the big "twist ending" is revealed (which most intelligent people can figure out well before the movie's halfway done) it just doesn't pan out right. I wont put any spoilers in this, but Ill say a couple general purpose comments.
1) Don't let my comments detour you from seeing this movie. Its still worth a once over if you're somewhat interested and have time to kill. Just don't go into it thinking you're going to get something super gory/scary/high quality and you'll be OK. Think of it as a B-rate horror movie and you'll be OK.
2) The soundtrack for this movie IS indeed terrible like some other people have said. Be warned too that one melody in particular will probably get stuck in your head for a good hour after the movie's over and it wont be fun.
3) Don't compare this movie to other Japanese horror films you've seen. Take it for what its worth and judge it on its own. Don't listen to people who compare this movie to others and you'll be OK.
Thats pretty much all there is to it. This movie is by no means anything special and I think its slightly over-rated, but if you want a movie that will semi-entertain you than give it a once over.
1) Don't let my comments detour you from seeing this movie. Its still worth a once over if you're somewhat interested and have time to kill. Just don't go into it thinking you're going to get something super gory/scary/high quality and you'll be OK. Think of it as a B-rate horror movie and you'll be OK.
2) The soundtrack for this movie IS indeed terrible like some other people have said. Be warned too that one melody in particular will probably get stuck in your head for a good hour after the movie's over and it wont be fun.
3) Don't compare this movie to other Japanese horror films you've seen. Take it for what its worth and judge it on its own. Don't listen to people who compare this movie to others and you'll be OK.
Thats pretty much all there is to it. This movie is by no means anything special and I think its slightly over-rated, but if you want a movie that will semi-entertain you than give it a once over.