If you have seen the 1999 Japanese horror filmAudition, you know it’s a movie that means business. It’s a bit of a slow burn, but once it gets going and heads towards its gruesome climax, you can’t help but have to pick your mouth up from off the floor. It’s one of those films that shouldn’t be touched again because it’s perfect as is but, this is Hollywood. Any film is in play for a new take,and it looks like it’sAudition’sturn to get the remake treatment.
PerDeadline,a new take on Takashi Miike’sAuditionis in the works, with a deal near to being closed for Focus Features, Hyde Park Entertainment, and Mario Kassar Productions to produce the film. What’s promising here is thatChristian Tafdrup, who directed the original Danish version ofSpeak No Evil, is co-writing the project with his brother Mads Tafdrup.Speak No Evilis one of the best horror films in recent years, and it wasn’t afraid to go bleak. So that means Tafdrup will likely honorAudition’sbleak sensibilities. He’ll also be using Ryu Murakami’s 1997 novel as the inspiration for his new take.
Now, Tafdrup had his own film remade last year whenBlumhouse optioned an American version ofSpeak No Evil.While his thoughts on the entire film are unknown, he did take issue with the American versionchanging the endingof the original film for a more action-driven finale that turned away from his more dour conclusion.
When speaking about the ending of the remake, he said,“I don’t know what it is about Americans, but they are brought up for a heroic tale, where the good must win over the bad, and this version of the film cultivates that.“I say all that to say that Tafdrup isn’t afraid to go dark, and I’d bet money that Focus Features will let him showcaseAuditionin all of its demented glory.
‘Audition’ is a True Horror Masterpiece
Directed by Miike and written by Daisuke Tengan,Auditionfocuses on a middle-aged widower named Shigenharu Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi) who uses his film producer to put together a fake audition so he can meet a new girlfriend. It all seems pleasant and innocent untilhe chooses Asami Yamazaki (Eihi Shiina) who has a truly sinister dark past. It kind of takes the notion of blind dates, turns them on their head, and makes you never want to go on one ever again.
Takashi Miike Says He Was ‘Careful’ in Placing the Most Violent Moments of Audition
The filmmaker told SyFy it was crucial to not scare audiences out of the theater by placing brutal scenes too early on.
Not only isAuditiona seminal Japanese horror film, but it’s one that has been warmly received by all genre fans, particularly for its final scenes, which are not for people who are easily squeamish. The film carries an 81% on Rotten Tomatoes with a consensus that reads,“An audacious, unsettling Japanese horror film from Takashi Miike,Auditionentertains as both a grisly shocker and a psychological drama.”
As a fan,I’m cautiously optimistic about where this is headedbecause the original film is perfect. It’s the kind of movie that catches you off guard because the scenes that come before the horror are so mundane that when it finally gives you the jolt,it comes as a true surprise that doesn’t let you go until long after the film is over. With the creative minds put together for this new take,I’m willing to give it a shot in the hopes that they’ll stay true to what Miike did before.
