Prolific genre filmmaker Takashi Miike (Audition, Ichi the Killer) is back with Lumberjack the Monster, an adaptation of Kaibutsu no Kikori by Mayusuke Kurai. And it’s heading to Netflix this summer.
It’s going to be battle to the death between a serial killer and a psychopath.
Lumberjack the Monster will make its North American premiere on May 6 at the Japan Society, in partnership with Tribeca Festival’s Escape from Tribeca, ahead of its Netflix debut on June 1, 2024.
In the film, “Akira Ninomiya (Kamenashi) is a remorseless lawyer who doesn’t hesitate to eliminate anyone who stands in his way. One night he is brutally attacked by an unknown assailant wearing a monster mask. Although he miraculously survives the assault, Ninomiya becomes fixated on finding the attacker and getting revenge. Meanwhile, a series of gruesome murders occur where the victims are found with their brains removed from their bodies. While police conduct an intensive investigation, Ninomiya seeks revenge against the assaulter. Who will uncover the truth first?!”
Hiroyoshi Koiwai (Blade of the Immortal, Bleach) wrote the screenplay.
Kazuya Kamenashi, Nanao, Riho Yoshioka, Shota Sometani, and Shido Nakamura star.
The film’s official site explains, “A series of bizarre murders in which people wear a monster mask from the picture book ‘Monster Woodcutter’ and steal their brains with an axe.” The teaser also touts Miike’s feature as “insanely suspenseful.”
Whoever loses, all signs point to audiences winning. Miike always delivers on the unexpected and never shies away from pushing boundaries when it comes to violence or taboos.
Lumberjack the Monster premiered in Japan in December, 2023, so it’s good news that we don’t have much longer to wait.
If you need to explore more from the super violent world of Takashi Miike horror, you can check out Miike’s Gozu, a surreal genre film about a Yakuza enforcer, over on SCREAMBOX.
Tickets to the premiere are available now.