"The Slithmouthed Woman" was a nice new approach to Asian horror. It stands out from the endless sea of Asian horror movies that have ghost women in white dresses with black hair covering their eyes, and 90% of the movie shot in near complete darkness. "The Slithmouthed Woman" was quite the opposite, and that was a nice change of pace.The story in "The Slithmouthed Woman" is about a woman with a mangled face (her mouth is slashed open) going around abducting and killing people. Just before she appears and drags you off, people will hear her saying "Am I pretty?" Now, being shot almost in nothing but daylight, "The Slithmouthed Woman" was really a nice change, because you got to see everything that was going on, and not kept in the dark by the lack of lighting. Plus, the movie here was more of a psychological horror movie, than it was a visual horror movie. Sure, the make-up and effects on the woman was really great, I just personally would have liked to see more of that mangled face. But still, done with moderation, it worked out well enough.The acting in the movie was alright as well, I don't recall having seen the people here in other movies before, and still the people put on great enough performances.However, "The Slithmouthed Woman" is a very predictable movie and you know how it will end early on in the movie. And also the story takes forever to go anywhere, and that was a notch down in the entertainment value. Had they opted to go with a more adrenaline-filled approach and more action, the movie had worked out all the better.The idea and concept behind the story was really unique and well thought through, it just could have used another set of eyes on it to offer a different approach to the direction in which the movie went. But still, it wasn't a bad movie, not at all. If you like Asian horror movies and want to see something that isn't a mainstream ghost horror movie, like most of the Asian horror movies have a tendency to be, then "The Slithmouthed Woman" is well worth checking out.

First I will say that I don't really need to mention the cast. Well I will mention Miki Mizuno who plays the slit-mouthed woman. She was pretty scary. I only really liked her character, but thank god the others kept dying. This movie was based on a myth, which always gives a horror film an extra creepy film. Don't get me wrong, I did like the story and how it was laid out. The acting was OK. That is why I thought the film was decent. But it had things in it that did seem to upset me. I understood the story line, but parts of it they could of left it. Seemed to cheesy at some parts. That and some of the characters seemed why too scared at one moment and then they would get this courage to be brave. Wouldn't work though. I think the film as potential. If they made another, they could probably make it more scary and better. The film runs an hour and a half, but I think if they added about twenty more minutes, they could of explained a few holes.

This movie mixes elements from the Western tradition of Slasher movies along with a peculiar kind of creepiness so typical to Asian horror. An interesting combination that should have been much more successful. Unfortunately 'Kuchisake-onna' is overall mediocre and downward pedestrian at times. It fails whenever it adheres to clichés such as making sure that everyone confronting the villain in the grand finale is without weapons of any kind but there are a few redeeming points. The positive parts include the child abuse angle that pervades and drives the plot, the fact that the villain does not only lurk in dark shadowy places but actually acts in broad daylight and a possession story that is original.With so much going on for it, it is a true shame that the movie manages to fall into tired recipes that do away with so much potential. After all, in a story in which the villain targets children is open to horror as perceived from their point of view. That approach would have elevated it from the usual supernatural thriller to something more unique. And the movie itself seems to be aware of this on occasion.With some psychological bits and a decent slasher angle this is a movie that fans of the genre will probably find worth watching but it does have a limited appeal without being part of the elite in the competitive world of J-horror.

What was once thought of as a mere urban legend (a tall, surgical-masked woman who spirits off with young children during the twilight hours) turns out to be something much more than a scary tale. This is the premise behind Shiraishi Koji's latest horror/thriller "Kuchisake Onna" (Slit Mouth Woman)."Kuchisake Onna" begins with the abductions of several children in the Kanegawa prefecture of Japan. Neighborhood gossip attributes the kidnappings to a wives' tale of a horrifically scarred ghost called "Kuchisake Onna" (Slit-Mouth Woman) who wears a surgical-mask to hide her deformity.The local elementary school, where many of the abducted were students, steps up efforts to protect their students by having teachers escort the students to and from school. Teachers Yamashita Kyoko (Sato Eriko) and Matsuzaki Noboru (Kato Haruhiko) are among the teachers assigned to help out. Amid the hysteria of the kidnappings, Yamazaki learns that her student Sasaki Mika (Kuwana Rie) has been physically abused by her mother (Kawai Chiharu) and does not want to go home. This strikes a raw chord with Yamazaki as she herself lost custody of her own child whom she abused a year ago. As they talk, the "Kuchisake Onna" appears and spirits off Mika. Yamazaki tells police that what she saw was definitely not human. Police Officials dismiss her claims as nonsense and she is put on administrative leave. Matsuzaki is the only one who believes her and suspects that "Kuchisake Onna" is the inhuman vengeful spirit of his own mother (Mizuno Miki) who abused both he and his siblings and who suffered from TB (Tuberculosis).Together they attempt to unravel this ghostly mystery. What they find however is even more dark and tragic than they were led to believe. "Kuchisake Onna" is a lackluster bore with cheap thrills, a silly story and embarrassing acting. I'm a big fan of both statuesque, model/actress Sato Eriko (Playgirl, Cutie Honey) and stunt woman turned actress Mizuno Miki (Senrigan, My Lover Is A Sniper, Odoru Dai Sousasen) but frankly their acting here is terrible. The movie is neither horrific, thrilling nor suspenseful and is almost like some cheap TV movie you'd find late at night on subscription cable.There are one or two somewhat frightful scenes but they unfortunately are too few and far in between. The "Kuchisake Onna" character definitely has a freakishly interesting look, which bears a resemblance to Christopher Nolan's new Joker design for the upcoming "Dark Knight" movie as well as Asano Tadanobu's Kakihara character in "Koroshi No Ichi".Shiraishi Koji (who also wrote the screenplay) is no stranger to the genre having directed other cheap horror projects like "Noroi" and "Ju-Rei" but is unable to elicit the genuine shocks and thrills like his contemporaries Nakata Hideo (Ring) or Shimizu Takashi (Ju-on: The Grudge) did in their movies and what we get is just a tame ghost story with no bite.The central focus on "tween" characters seems to suggest that this film may have been aimed towards children and hence the relative low volume of bloodshed (although as mentioned above there are one or two scenes that are somewhat frightening).The overall themes of child abuse are used merely as a provocative and exploitive vehicle. It is a cheap shot used in the hopes of sparking some sort of emotional response and we don't really see it examined in any serious or meaningful way."Kuchisake Onna" reminds me of Clive Barker's "Candyman" in spirit with perhaps Wes Craven's "Nightmare on Elm Street" thrown in for good measure but with none of either films' inventiveness.The predictable ending leaves open the unlikely chance of a sequel but I hope that this does not transpire as just the thought of another "Kuchisake Onna" film...well, that would be the true horror!