Credits

Land

Japan

Taal

Japanese

Ondertitels

English

Regie

Yuta Shimotsu

Cast

Anna Yamada, Yuzu Aoki, Pierre Taki

Storyline

Socially conscious Japanese horror film about herd mentality and frightening uniformity.

Introverted teenager Ai doesn’t like high school one bit. She becomes fascinated with Yu, a rebellious new classmate fresh from the U.S. Encouraged by tv-shows, the other students start behaving increasingly weird, their schoolyard take on a human pyramid turning especially sinister.

Those who saw Yuta Shimotsu’s debut Best Wishes to All (2023) will know that he likes horror with a message. This time, he takes aim at the dangerous herd mentality and blind obedience ingrained in the Japanese school system. Protagonists Ai and Yu symbolise non-conformity and are the only characters who stand up for themselves – everyone else just follows along, with horrifying consequences. New Group is a serious statement on peer pressure and social isolation as well as a true horror film, packed with unforgettably grotesque visual effects. P.E. class has never been this scary.