Teketeke (film)

Teketeke (テケテケ) is a 2009 Japanese supernatural horror film directed by Kōji Shiraishi, written by Takeki Akimoto, and based on the Japanese urban legend known as Teke Teke.[3][4] It stars Yuko Oshima, Mami Yamasaki, and Mai Nishida, and was followed by a sequel, Teketeke 2, which was released the same year.[2]

Teketeke
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKōji Shiraishi[1]
Written byTakeki Akimoto[2]
Starring
Music byMari Shimizu
CinematographyShuji Momose
Production
company
Distributed byArt Port
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • March 21, 2009 (2009-03-21)
Running time
70 minutes[2]
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese

Plot

In Nagoya, Japan, an office worker named Hiromi walks home at night, taking a path along an overpass near a train station and railway. She hears a scuttling sound and is chased by a fast unseen entity that slices her in half at the waist.

A schoolgirl named Kana is best friends with Ayaka, who likes soccer player Utsumi. Utsumi shows Kana and Ayaka a news report about the death in Nagoya. He recalls a story he heard in elementary school about Teke Teke, a ghost missing her lower half. When individuals walk on the overpass at night, it is said that Teke Teke will chase after them (making a "teke teke" noise as she drags herself along the ground), and that if they look back, she will cut them in half.

Ayaka, upset that Utsumi seems to like Kana more than her, angrily takes a different route home. Reaching the overpass, she sees Teke Teke, and it severs her. Kana learns that Hiromi's boyfriend was arrested by Aichi Prefecture police for her murder. He denies any involvement in her death, and told authorities that he saw a woman with no lower half. The next night, she places a bouquet of flowers at the site of Ayaka's death. She hears Ayaka call her name, and turns to see Teke Teke, who begins to chase her. She runs into Utsumi, who helps her escape on his bike. Kana conducts research about Teke Teke. Her cousin Rie informs her that anyone who encounters Teke Teke and survives is said to die three days later. They visit a scholar in Kakogawa, who tells them of a woman who committed suicide in 1948 by jumping off of an overpass in Mikasa-cho. The scholar's assistant, Takeda, leads them to the daughter of a landlord who lived in that area. She tells them that the woman was a nurse named Kashima Reiko, who was assaulted and raped by an American soldier. Traumatized, Kashima associated the color red with the bleeding she experienced, and discarded all red objects in her sight as a result.

Takeda informs Kana and Rie of rumors he heard in middle school of a memorial built for Kashima in Mikasa-cho, which has since fallen over. Rie, who reveals that she also encountered Teke Teke, drives to Mikasa-cho with Kana. They discover the fallen memorial in a forested area and lift it back into its original position. After returning to Rie's red car, they notice Teke Teke. They abandon the vehicle, removing red clothes and accessories as they flee. Rie accidentally cuts her head on a branch, causing her to bleed. Teke Teke slices her in two, and rushes toward Kana. Some time later, a group of children are seen walking and discussing rumors about Kashima, and Teke Teke runs behind them.

In a mid-credits scene, Takeda visits Kana and her mother, who are living at a new residence one year later. Kana, who has been in an almost catatonic state since Rie's death, is offered a red box of sweets by Takeda, which causes her to become hysterical.

Cast

Release

The film premiered at Kineca Omori, Shinagawa, Tokyo on 21 March 2009, and was screened alongside its sequel, Teketeke 2.[4] Mami Yamasaki and Mai Nishida, along with Teketeke 2 cast members Sayuri Iwata and Hatsune Matsushima, attended the premiere.[4]

Critical reception

Teketeke received mixed reviews. Chris Fox of Wicked Horror called the film "a textbook-example of low-budget genre filmmaking done right".[5] Adam Symchuk of Asian Movie Pulse wrote that "beyond the phenomenal creature design the film remains a rather generic telling of a popular urban legend with a plot and performances that are just passable".[6] Niina Doherty of HorrorNews.net criticized the film's pacing, the "somewhat clichéd characters", and the execution of the Teke Teke ghost, and wrote that "It's not that Teketeke is a terrible film, it's just incredibly mediocre".[1] Andrew Mack of Screen Anarchy wrote that the film "was neither suspenseful nor scary and I also wish it was a whole lot gorier than it was".[7]

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References
  1. Doherty, Niina (14 October 2018). "Film Review: Teketeke (2009)". HorrorNews.net. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  2. Murguía 2016, p. 317.
  3. テケテケ. Movie Walker (in Japanese). 21 March 2009. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  4. AKB48・大島優子、主演ホラー映画も怖いが「あたしの“恐怖顔”も怖い (in Japanese). Oricon News. 21 March 2009. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  5. Fox, Chris (2 August 2017). "8 Kōji Shiraishi Films That Must Be Seen To Be Believed". Wicked Horror. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  6. Symchuk, Adam (15 September 2018). "TekeTeke (2009) by Koji Shiraishi". Asian Movie Pulse. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  7. Mack, Andrew (3 February 2011). "Japan Flix: 'Teke Teke'". Screen Anarchy. Retrieved 6 August 2019.

Sources
  • Murguía, Salvador Jimenez (2016). The Encyclopedia of Japanese Horror Films (National Cinemas). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 978-1442261662.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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