If you know your Asian Horror then you know the name Hiroshi Takahashi all to well. He is the man who wrote and directed the original Ringu (Ring) movie(s) that took Asia and American by storm. It was considered one of the scariest films ever made and was remade here in the states where that film also went on to be a box office success and not to mention a big hit with horror fans. His newest film to hit DVD in the States, The Sylvian Experiments (Kyôfu) hints at being a lot like Ringu but is nothing close to being anything worthwhile.

   Dr. Hattori and her husband watch footage of brain surgery experiments with Manchurian, Russian and Japanese guinea pigs that had been found in the basement of a wrecked hospital. Out of the blue, there is a white light and when they look back, they see they children Ota Miyuki and Kaori staring at the light. Years later, Miyuki vanishes from the Tama Medical University Hospital and her sister Kaori, Miyuki's boyfriend Motojima and detective Hirasawa are seeking her. However, Miyuki and the teenagers Kazochi, Takumi, Hattori and Rieko have been submitted to a nightmarish experiment by Dr. Hattori and her team with tragic.

  This film disappointed me in many way. Te screenplay is a not that great and to be honest I got bored with the whole thing very quickly. The whole mad scientist idea is great, but it does not work well in this film. The acting is decent as is the effects and Cinematography, but you just can’t get past the slow paced story to make the film worthwhile.

   The DVD released by Lion Gates Home Entertainment is bare when it comes to any kind of special features. The DVD does include the film in Japanese 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio with English and Spanish subtitles, but that all we get.

   I figured with Hiroshi Takahashi at the helm that maybe this film would be great.. I know the guy is known for having a ghost come out of a television set, but the references to Ringu in the film are too much. It’s not that great of a film. It’s boring most of the time and there is not enough action and character development in the script to keep me entertained. There are a few scares worthy of noting but other than that it’s not that great of a film.    

- Horror Bob

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