Door

Door (1988)

Runtime: 94 minutes

Directed by: Banmei Takahashi

Starring: Keiko Takahashi, Daijiro Tsutsumi, Shiro Shimomoto, Takuto Yonezu, Masao Ishida

From: Agent 21/Director's Company

Even 80’s Japan hated spam calls and spam mail

I like most people had never heard of this until it played at a film festival in Brooklyn back two years ago. The circumstances of how it was feared “lost” then it was “found” again are unknown to me; nevertheless, Screambox has the movie available to stream on a variety of different platforms.

Some have described it as “a psychological thriller”; the differences between that genre and horror are a road I’d rather not go down. A film where a vulnerable woman is harassed by a creepy dude will be terrifying to some. In this case, Yasuko lives in a Tokyo apartment w/ a work-weary husband and a high-spirited young son. She’s fed up with spam; thus, she’s rankled when a pushy salesman shoves something through the door; she accidentally slams the door on his hand. He does not take this faux pas well.

As the neighbors choose to ignore and the husband is away, she can’t do much about his attempting to kick down the door and the harassing phone calls when she didn’t get a good look at his face. Then it escalates… the film takes its time to set up the final act and establish the two leads. The claustrophobic design of the apartment and the odd sound/score buttress the feel of the movie. Once the final act begins, the insanity begins; what occurs of course won’t be spoiled by me.

Even if you don’t love the measured pace or any other aspect of the first two acts, people should stick around for the final 25 or so minutes, where the inclusion of some wild camera angles are now part of the mix. There’s plenty of blatant phallic imagery, which shouldn’t be a surprise from a former pinku director who once gave us such efforts as BONDAGE SEX MANIAC and THE WOMEN’S PRISON LESBIAN HELL. However, this was done to enhance the sleaziness of Daijiro Tsutsumi as Yamakawa.

Tsutsumi and Keiko Takahashi as Yasuko also helped make this more than worthwhile for those genre fans.