Fantasy FilmFest Nights 2026This is like a homage to the old J-Ghost-Horror films. Mag Mag is a 2 meters huge massive ghost woman with big and very long hair in a dirty red dress. She sneaks around the corners, or places that suits her best to remind of her classic role models. She is interested in male sacrifices and collects their eyes. This is the base of the film. But it is also about mobbing, toxic behavior and obsessive love (hello Obsession). The movie is told in sections out of the perspective of different characters (hello Weapons). This gives often a scene, you have seen before, a double meaning. The problem is, this movie is a little too much of everything. You have this J-Horror mood and look (which is my favorite part), then it is also pretty fancy and arty. There is a part that goes totally into another direction, super weird as only Japanese films can do. A bit too much characters and chapters. Some of them are more interesting and entertaining, some slow down. It feels a bit frayed and not so coherent. The pacing is an up and down. Going good, going strolling. It feels too long, especially when you don’t see an ending coming. Yurijan Retriever is a very popular comedian and this is her directing debut. I see an interesting newcomer. There is a lot I like, especially in the look. It is stylish, humorous and at parts really atmospheric and a little creepy. Mag Mag wears charm in this big black hair. I hope she continues with a tighter script and a more homogeneous film.
Score : 7.1/10 ✅Seen at Festival du Nouveau Cinéma de Montréal 2025As much as I wanted to yell mid-screening, "Is this supposed to be a ghost story or an elaborate fuck you to the genre?", I finally realized the tonal whiplash was the real winner all along. It got all the horror elements right, though. The variety is what makes it so interesting. Gnarly eyes-popping scenes, an awkward (yet sooooo unexpected) ass-to-mouth sequence, a tall figure staring passionately, shaggy hair lying in food, jealousy/obsessive reactions that are borderline psychotic and much more. I absolutely enjoyed how you don't know (even if you might think you know) where it's going.First time Director Yuriyan Retriever confirmed to us, after the screening (and by the way, she scored the most exhilarating Q&A I've ever experienced in my life), that there wasn't any logical correlation between the choices she made in the script and the love forms. According to her, it was just a silly movie where she had fun killing characters or, as she said, "it might be a retribution to my exes". That being said, there's an interesting pattern that defined (or at the very least, explained) how those who lack love can curse the others. The way I see it that love got weaponized and all the love forms are getting the "Mag Mag" medicine. Obsessive love, first love, high school love, non-reciprocal love, instinctual love, abusive love and even a bond with a child isn't spared to the curse.
"Mag Mag is just a woman."My prime time for this day and I didn't got dissapointed.From a objective view it's a really big mess of story, fun, gore and horror. Espacially the horror part works perfectly. The guys from japan are so good at that fr.But all this leads to my four star review.It just works to well for me to not give it a high rating.It was a very very fun experience to watch this with a great crowd at the Fantasy Filmfest Nights. Every joke was hitting and in those 112 minutes there were two scenes I really can't forget. Cult status potential.I simply knew it would be good. Next up "The Whisper".
