Directed by Banmei Takahashi
Yasuko, a housewife, lives in an urban high-rise apartment with her husband Satoru and her son Takuto. Annoyed by spam calls and door-to-door salesmen, Yasuko slams the door on a salesman’s hand when he tries to squeeze a flyer through the apartment's chained front door. He leaves, but the next day, her nightmare starts.
Doa, ドア, ＤＯＯＲ, 门1988, Drzwi, Дверь, Dver', 门, DOOR, 도어, ДВЕРІ, 門
Japan Tokyo International Film Festival (Digitally Remastered Version) 
South Korea15 Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival 
USA Fantastic Fest 
Colombia Fantasmagoría - Festival de Cine Fantástico y de Terror de Medellín 
Finland Night Visions Film Festival 
Russia Moscow International Film Festival 
Poland Five Flavours Asian Film Festival 
Vietnam Japan Colombia Finland Japan Poland Russia South Korea USA Vietnam 
Oh man, Door is such a weird, weird film. It could easily be written off as a basic home invasion film, but it takes such an idiosyncratic approach to its execution. First, there's the film's basic structure. It is deceptively simple. It gives us dry, simple scenes and builds tension very quietly as the film's antagonist, an angry door-to-door salesman, starts to force his way into a very 80s housewife's life. It's almost Haneke-esque. But then the film fucking explodes in its final act, going to slapstick levels of violence. I shouted with shock and glee a few times at the screen. As strange as the film is, there's a real sense of truth to the themes wrapped around its…
Stone cold classic Yuppie Thriller, in which a well-to-do housewife is stalked by a door-to-door salesman she accidentally angered. Writer/Director Banmei Takahashi plays it pretty close to the vest at first, with a psychological siege of lewd phone calls, stalking, and police officers who don't care, but he keeps things fresh with tons of little stylistic touches (like the protagonist only hearing men's voices coming through a phone line, even if they're right in front of her), before unleashing a gory BOOD SIMPLE-style finale. Keiko Takahashi carries it on her shoulders, fluctuating through so many emotional registers, in what could have easily been the story of a victim being terrified through most of the running time.
This was such an amazing Japanese home invasion horror movie I loved it so much. The acting was top tier everyone did such an amazing job, the story was entertaining and how the movie started it was very original. Also the cinematography was so beautiful and well done. I can't wait to see the two sequels hopefully they are as good as this one.
Overall I would highly suggest it to everyone.
Felt like Chantal Akerman doing REPULSION.
There’s a sequence towards the end that was cinematically dazzling.
#SlasherSaturday
Really well done home invasion, stalker/thriller. Feels like a thinly veiled jab at telemarketers and door-to-door salesman. I simultaneously really liked and hated the ending. On one hand the chase through the apartment with the overhead POV panning from room to room was a really awesome shot. On the other hand, typical frustrating character decisions stretch believability. Like, how is your first action after exiting the bathroom not to call the cops. I ain’t tucking my son gently into bed until I know 1000% where Rapey McRaperson is. Maybe that’s just me though. Solid thriller, even though it’s light on the slashing.
Degrees of Kevin Bacon: 3
1. Keiko Takahashi and Hideo Murota in Lake of Illusions
2. Hideo Murota and Diane Lane in The Setting Sun
3. Diane Lane and Kevin Bacon in My Dog Skip
One thing to note about this film's articulation of affluent domesticity in 1980s Japan is its roots in 1960s economic growth. Prime Minister Ikeda proposed his "double the national income plan"; there was an increase in western-styled condo/apt complex (団地） development; and the ideological slogan of "my-home-ism" (マイホーム主義）that defined national affluence around that time ultimately led to the proliferation of this new domestic milieu.
The private, nuclear-family became a kind of postwar inheritance that engendered not only the supposed notions of freedom and liberty in a new domestic identity, but also socio-economic alienation that further impacted a notably gendered isolation within the home.
The apt complex as a setting wasn't particularly new at this time. Pink film/Roman Porno have used…
Wow..this was terrifying, sleazy, and beautifully shot. I really enjoy the small details in movies, and one thing I adored the most was how green this was!!!! There was a neon green pay phone, vacuum, and chainsaw!!!!! Most of the apartment was green as well. The gory finale was actually one of the best i’ve seen in awhile. A must see home invasion flick, it instantly went on my favorites list.
Also, the score was soooo bizarre, but I loved it. It was just the one theme replaying in different ways throughout the movie and the slowed down version was my favorite. It sounded like music from a Final Fantasy game.
the music: 🌸✨🌈
the movie: 🔪🩸💀
PS- best obscene phone call since Black Christmas
Door is an unsettling home invasion film that taps into various urban fears: the apathy of neighbors, intrusive door-to-door salespeople, phone marketers, and even voyeurism. These themes all blend into a tense and chilling narrative, making it a hidden gem of the genre.
The film has some visually striking scenes, particularly during the intense chase sequences inside the house. One of the standout elements is the music—so catchy and haunting that it continues to play in your head long after the credits roll.
What’s fascinating is that Door was once considered a lost film, making its availability today all the more special. It’s definitely worth checking out for fans of home invasion thrillers and hidden horror gem.
🚪🚪🚪🚪🚪🚪🚪🚪🚪🚪🚪🚪🚪🚪🚪🚪🚪🚪
Only to pop and die.
j-horror giallo-vibing home-invasion slasher-fare. it's probably an acquired taste solely from the slow burn of it all but the tension and anxiety are incredible. the payoff here is also superb. i loved the camerawork and score here so effing much!!
it's from the director of new love in tokyo but this is not pinku (95% of this dude's films are). it's actually kind of classy and restrained...until the final 20 minutes. i was not ready. also, it's the first in a TRILOGY? and kiyoshi kurosawa directed one? gimme gimme 🥹
i've definitely seen a film where a character kicked the fuck out of a door before but...never one where a character kicked the ever living and brutal fuck out of a door for more than a minute like this. shit was personal. don't even get me started on that gd chainsaw scene.
very ez, 4.5 out of 5 umbrellas and grill forks versus chainsaws.
A remnant of the 80s home invasion panic era and a hidden gem of a Japanese tradwife domestic terror. It's as if Good Housekeeping and Harlequin romance novels collaborated on a thriller for neglected homemakers and horny SAHMs.
That score of mainly on-hold music though...not sure if it cheapens or elevates it. It's mostly the same track over and over again.
Wait, this is taking a turn... Is it making good on rape fantasies or actually memory-repressive rape? Did that actually happen, or what happened?
Luckily this isn't Tetsuo and most sexual violence is off-screen, so no serious trigger warning needed. Also it may have been entirely in someone's head... His or hers, I dunno.
I'm just going to…
Japanese Arts & Culture Discord — Film Club #1: J-Horror
Banmei Takahashi directs the fuck out of what is a home-invasion horror film that is half vibes (thanks to the score), half visceral violence. Takahashi does a beautiful job of lulling us into a false sense of security and then slowly ratcheting up the uncomfortableness and tension as the film progresses. The villain, a shady salesman, relentlessly and obsessively torments Yasuko, a mother and wife, and once the door gets broken down, terror and chaos ensue. It's a simple story that is expertly executed, leaving me just as stressed as the first time I saw it. It is worth checking out on its own merits, but also because Door II: Tokyo Diary (Takahashi) and Door III (Kiyoshi Kurosawa) could not be any more different. If you're looking for solid underground horror flicks from Japan, prioritize this series!
