Fatal Frame 2 Directors Emphasize True Japanese Horror’s Beauty Over Jump Scares and Gore
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I’ve been diving deep into the little details of the Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly remake demo. As I navigate cursed doors as Mio, feeling the unsettling gaze of an abandoned doll, or stumbling through wraiths in my ballet flats, I can’t help but admire the haunting beauty of the Japanese countryside crafted by Koei Tecmo for this remake, set to release on March 12. The shimmering red butterfly guiding me to my next objective, the delicate lace of my camisole, and other elements showcase the dedication of directors Makoto Shibata and Hidehiko Nakajima to transform a horror game from 2003 into something both vulnerable and visually stunning.
This fraying beauty is almost as essential to Fatal Frame 2 as the magical Camera Obscura in Mio’s hands, which allows me to capture and damage the ghosts I encounter with each atmospheric snapshot. My twin sister Mayu is missing in the haunted Minakami Village, and during the first four chapters of the demo, I must find her while resisting the suffocating dread of the undead. As Shibata and Nakajima shared in an interview, this oppressive atmosphere is “the essence of Japanese horror.”
A true Japanese horror game excels at “restraining jump scares and graphic violence,” the directors explain, “instead stimulating the player’s imagination.” Reflecting on the genre’s legacy, from 1995’s Clock Tower introducing the menacing stalker enemy to the recent Silent Hill f with its ominous mountains, Japanese horror is more like a candle melting than a raging fire.
In this way, it should also be as captivating as a flame. Shibata and Nakajima echo sentiments from Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka, who described the franchise as painfully beautiful. Regarding their own game, the directors state, “I feel that beauty often contains fear or even poison within it. Beautiful things can be frightening, and frightening things can be beautiful.”
“These two concepts are closely connected, almost like twins,” they continue, “and ultimately I believe they are two sides of the same thing.”
They share a ghost story they enjoy, recounting, “One story I like comes from the horror storyteller Junji Inagawa. During the filming of a TV program, he visited Aokigahara, a forest known as a suicide site near Mt. Fuji.
“Late at night, he sensed chanting-like voices approaching from deep within the forest.
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“Instinctively, he took a photo and fired the flash, causing the voices to vanish – only for them to suddenly grow louder and reappear much closer. He fled by car, later discovering many handprints covering it. This incident was actually broadcast, and I happened to see it.”
I’m on the edge of my seat, eager to find out what happens next, just as I’ve been searching for more butterflies in Fatal Frame 2.
“Much like in this game, when someone holding a camera senses a spirit approaching, they instinctively try to take a picture,” the directors say. But real life, I reluctantly acknowledge, isn’t as poetic as Japanese horror. “The difference, of course, is that an ordinary camera cannot drive spirits away.”
“This full remake gave us the perfect opportunity”: One of the scariest Japanese horror games is back after 20 years, and its director is thrilled that technology now allows you to hold hands with your sister.
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