Split Picks looks at a masterwork of horror and a later haunted romance from Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Following last week’s episodes on The Grudge and how the franchise became an international sensation, Split Picks continues its special October series on Japanese Horror with a look at two films from Kiyoshi Kurosawa. First up is the 1997 classic Cure. After a string of seemingly unrelated murders with undeniable similarities, Detective Takabe (Koji Yakusho) begins to link the odd details of the killings together. It leads him to Mamiya (Masato Hagiwara), a man who claims to have no memory, no idea who he is, or even what he looks like. He speaks almost exclusively in question, and his nonchalance proves to be the entrance to his unique form of hypnosis.

In 2016’s Daguerrotype, Jean (Tahar Rahim) is hired to help Stéphane (Olivier Gourmet) operate a daguerreotype, an obsolete form of photography that requires subjects to remain motionless for hours to capture the image. Jean falls in love with Stephane’s daughter, Marie (Constance Rousseau), but their romance raises questions of if Marie is actually alive.

Together, these films offer ample opportunities to discuss the hallmarks of Kurosawa’s style. Bennett, Craig, and Lucille also weigh in on if they believe in ghosts, what it means to ask questions, and whether great art truly does equate to immortality.

Listen to the episode below, or on Spotify, Apple, or Amazon:

Find every horror episode of Split Picks here:

Stream Cure on Prime
Stream Daguerrotype on Prime

Find the complete October Horror 2023 series here:

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Split Picks theme music by Nick Miller, Lee Walker, and Craig Wright
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