Masters of Horror - 
Dream Cruise
(Starz/Anchor Bay Region 1 NTSC DVD)
(2007)
review by A.J. MacReady

Last year, the episode meant to close out the first season of Showtime's Masters Of Horror series was Imprint, by Japanese filmmaking madman Takashi Miike.  However, one look at the entry and the powers that be said, in effect, "No fucking way.  What fresh hell is this?!?"  It was deemed unsuitable for broadcast and never aired; it did end up being released on video, and after seeing it a few months back, I completely get it.  Let's just say that it goes places that the other MOH episodes wouldn't even begin to consider.  So with the second season, execs decided to give the Asian style of horror another try, and gave the last slot of the season to Norio Tsuruta (Ringu 0, Premonition) in the hopes that he'd give them something horrific that they could actually show on their network.  Dream Cruise was the result, and it was indeed the final episode of last year's series of shows.

The story begins with two young boys in a boat out in the middle of the ocean; tragedy strikes and one of them drowns.  Years later, Jack (Daniel Gillies) is an attorney and American expatriate living and working in Tokyo.  He's also still haunted by the death of his younger brother and is terrified of the water.  One day his boss informs him that one of the firm's major clients, Eiji (Ryo Ishibashi, Audition), is being sued and needs his services.  Contacting Eiji, Jack is summoned to a meeting at the harbor; upon arriving he finds Yuri (Yoshino Kimura) - Eiji's wife - waiting in a restaurant.  It's clear that there's something going on between Jack and Yuri, but suddenly Eiji arrives and insists that business be handled on his yacht (his "second most prized possession").  A hesitant Jack is convinced to go, and off they go across the water.  Before long it's clear that Eiji has other kinds of business on his mind; how much does he know about Jack and Yuri?  And is there something else, something awaiting yet another type of revenge, lurking in wait for them out in the ocean?  Soon it seems Yuri's fear that they're not going to return to the mainland alive doesn't seem too far-fetched at all.

Let me just say at the outset that this is no Imprint; this is not the extreme brand of horror that Miike is known for.  Rather, Dream Cruise is the typical slice of J-horror that's been imported into the U.S. in flicks like Ju-On and Ringu (and their American remakes), characterized by a slow build up, gently creeping dread, and usually culminating with a slithering female specter attacking the protagonists as lank, dark hair hangs in her face.  So if that's your thing, you won't be disappointed here.  Director Tsuruta knows his stuff and confidently lays it there with skill and style.  Befitting the J-horror type of storytelling, the flick starts off deliberately paced and clearly has no problem taking its time.  But by the 40 minute mark, when the odd occurrences really kick in, the tone shifts and the scares become plentiful, along with some nifty gore effects and death scenes. 

The episode is based on a novella by "the Stephen King of Japan" (and author of the original Ringu novels), Koji Suzuki, and while the adaptation by Tsuruta and Naoya Takayama is  nothing particularly groundbreaking, it's a solid foundation to build the terror upon; there are certainly some creepy scenes and a couple of effective jump scares to keep your attention.  The small cast does a decent job with their roles - Gillies' tendency to under emote notwithstanding, although that might be a character choice displaying his trauma - and Ishibashi appears to enjoy playing a deadly serious and unhinged (possessed?) man. 

As with all the MOH releases, there's no lack of extras; however, there's not as many features this time around, but there's a remarkably in depth behind the scenes piece, which at a half hour long is roughly twice the normal length for these.  Focusing on not only the shoot, there's quite a bit of information about the cultural differences between American and Japanese horror and the approach used in making both; the interviews with Tsuruta and executive producer Mick Garris regarding these differences are fascinating.  Then there's a commentary track with Garris and Gillies, a photo gallery, and the screenplay (which is available for DVD-ROM).

Dream Cruise was certainly a good way to end the second season.  Sure, it doesn't have the utter insanity that Imprint is chock full of, but it's a competently made entry in the J-horror canon, with enough blood and honestly earned scares to tide you over.