AUDITION

To call AUDITION a horror picture would unintentionally take it down to fodder like the “Scream” series and other so-called scary movies that are more about making gorehound ticket-buyers shriek and laugh at splattery special effects and trite plots. True horror, the infinite and sickening dread of what is relentlessly unfolding in front of you ? that is the effect of Takashi Miike's strictly-for-adults psychothriller, reminiscent of early Polanski and David Cronenberg. It starts off so slowly, even placidly, that you plunge into its nightmare abyss without a chance to retreat. Don't say you weren't warned… Widower Shigeharu decides to recapture his youth by taking the perfect young wife; his partnership in a television production company offers a convenient, businesslike solution. He auditions comely actresses, ostensibly for a drama project, but really to judge the best potential mate. Asami, a lovely, somewhat melancholy ex-dancer, makes the grade, with only a few shadows in her background. Like a few former male associates, now missing. Like the strange scars on her thigh. Like the rumors of untraceable body parts found in unlikely places. Shigeharu starts to suspect the worst ? but he's way behind in the game, and the blood-curdling final 30 minutes of AUDITION are not for the squeamish. (In Japanese with English subtitles.)