Paul Magne Haakonsen Being a great fan of the Japanese horror genre, I had to give "Infection" (aka "Kansen") a go as well. And boy, this movie was different than what you usually get from a J-Horror movie. Was that a good change of pace and scenery? Well, some would say yes, I do, however, say no!There was absolutely nothing scary about this movie at all. It is more of a psychological mind-twister than it was a horror movie. Personally, I do not find a hospital that looks like a darkened, subterranean bunker from World War II scary, nor do I find green stuff erupting from orifices scary either.The story in "Infection" is about a patient being brought to a hospital that is on the verge of financial bankruptcy and closure. Although refusing treating the patient, he is left there, and his strange infection spreads to the resident staff and patients of the hospital. And things take a turn for the worse, fast...All throughout this movie, I didn't buy into this being a hospital for one second. As I mentioned above, it was more like a reminiscent of a darkened World War II bunker, and had more of a industrious touch to it than a sterile and medicinal touch that a hospital has. Plus, there was a surprisingly lack of patients (and visitors) at the hospital. And the staff there were perhaps amongst the worst medical health-carers that I have ever witnessed. And all these factors just added more and more to the lack of a convincing set that eventually made the movie suffer.And also the lack of scared and a proper horror setting were working against the movie, making the movie seem to drag on. But still, I sat through it, hoping to get at least something good out of the movie. But no, that was not to be.Hand on heart, then "Infection" is a very weak addition to the Japanese horror genre. I was lured in by the interesting DVD cover from Tartan Asia Extreme. But it just goes to prove the old saying; you can't judge a book by its cover.

LoneWolfAndCub I have always been a big fan of Asian horror, as the directors seem to have a knack for incredibly creepy visuals and creepy atmospheres. Kansen (Infection), is no exception to this, as it rivals Ju-On, Ringu and Gin Gwai for thrills and chills. What is really amazing is that there is no reliance on long haired girls or little boys, what is scary here is the hospital itself, and the characters within. This is very different to most supernatural horror films, as the story focuses on the characters for the majority of the film.Infection is set in an under-staffed and under-financed hospital where the staff are under a lot of stress. One night, while trying to save a burns victim who has been there for three months, a young nurse accidentally gives him a lethal injection. Dr. Uozumi convinces all the other staff to create a false report to save the hospital. That same night a patient is brought in with a severe infection which causes the internal organs to liquefy. Soon all the staff are working together to discover what this disease is before it starts to spread to far.As with most Japanese horror films, the plot is not wrapped up nicely, and in this case, it is the most puzzling of them all. Although I now have formed a solid conclusion for myself, it was still an incredibly confusing and muddled final 10 minutes. I think the last section could have been fixed up, as the pace slowed down after a very tight hour. However, the film is highly original for the most part and features some genuine scares and disgusting and beautiful visuals (much like Dario Argento's Suspiria). Amongst all the American trash being released, this stands tall and further proves that Asia (and Europe) are producing the highest quality horror.3½/5

Graham Greene In a general hospital close to bankruptcy, the reduced members of staff are left working under an enormous amount of strain and pressure; attempting to see to the most critical patients during the cold, nocturnal isolation of the graveyard shift, as well as having to deal with arrival of a mysterious patient whose body seems to be slowly decomposing. As the night draws on, the core nucleus of doctors and nurses attend the emergency flat line of a mysterious, heavily bandaged patient suffering incredible burns. As the team attempt to pacify the patient they commit a fatal error, injecting sodium chlorate into the body and killing him. The tragic mistake adds further stress to the manic environment, casting questions of guilt and accusations against an uncomfortable backdrop of pure psychological horror and a potential, supernatural meltdown.The thing I like best about Japanese horror is the sense of atmosphere. The use of lingering, slow burning tension when a character approaches a closed door, and we know they shouldn't open it, but we still want them too, regardless! For me, it's everything that horror should be. No gratuitous gore, no shock MTV style montages, just a slow, lingering feeling of dread that grows with intensity from one scene to the next. It also helps that the majority of these films are directed with flair and imagination, whilst, for the most part, offering us intelligent characters and interesting scenarios. With this in mind, Infection (2004) really is one of the more interesting "J-horror" films that I've experienced thus far, with its beguiling combination of eerie plot, gloomy images and emphasis on character rather than cheap shocks.The set up of the film and the use of atmosphere and location owes something of a debt to the classic Danish television series The Kingdom (1994-1997); a bold and satirical work from directors Lars von Trier and Morten Arnfred in which ghostly apparitions and psychological conspiracies unfold within the already ominous walls of a metropolitan hospital. Alongside these particular ideas we also have the usual themes and motifs recognisable from other J-Horror films, such as The Ring (1998), Dark Water (2000), The Grudge (2000) and Reincarnation (2005), as well as other non-Japanese productions such as The Eye (2002), The Quiet Family (2000) and A Tale of Two Sisters (2003). However, despite the familiarity of the plot and some of its ideas, Infection still rewards the viewer with an air of creeping mystery, dread, fear and paranoia, as well as some skilfully executed moments of subtle horror and white-knuckle terror.Although some critical opinion has been mixed; no doubt due to the over-exposure of Japanese/Asian horror cinema over the last five or six years, and in particular from tepid American re-makes, I feel that Infection is a genuinely good supernatural ghost story that should appeal to anyone with an interest in horror that doesn't involve buckets of blood and severed limbs. Alongside Infection, you can also find two other films from the same producer, Taka Ichise, both of which cover similar stories and ideas as the film in question. These films, Premonition (2004) directed by Tsuruta Norio and Reincarnation (2005) directed by Takashi Shimizu, were meant to be part of the larger "J-horror" collection (involving different supernatural-themed films directed by some of Japan's most creative genre filmmakers), which, at the time of writing, has subsequently been aborted. Regardless, if you like Infection and appreciate the slow-burning sense of psychological and supernatural dread, then Infection and Reincarnation are both worth checking out.For me, Infection is a fine little horror film with a cool Kubrickian approach to direction and mise-en-scene, and a slow building and genuinely quite creepy atmosphere of dread and uncertainty. If you're already fond of Asian supernatural cinema, from classics like Kwaidan (1964) and Kuroneko (1968), right the way through to recent hallmarks like The Ring, The Grudge, The Eye, and A Tale of Two Sisters, then Infection may offer an intriguing and entertaining experience.

Coventry I'm generally not a big fan of the recent stream of Asian (and more particularly Japanese) horror movies, but "Infection" is sincerely one of the creepiest and most atmospheric thrillers I had the pleasure of seeing recently. The story may be just average (or perhaps slightly above average), but it's the grim setting and morbid scenery that make this film so genuinely intense and haunting. Great horror directors – and Masayuki Ochiai is clearly one of them – know that hospitals form the ideal setting for a claustrophobic horror movie. It's a place people don't want to get associated with because it equals pain, fear and risks. "Infection" even goes one step beyond the usual and already uncanny hospital setting, as the building used in the story is ramshackle, understaffed and full of technical ailments. People already want to avoid hospitals as it is, but ending up here would be a total nightmare. There are always malfunctioning lights in the hallways, the nursing staff is unfriendly because of the stress and the doctors look like they'll screw up their next surgery because they've been awake and working for several days straight. The plot of "Infection" is compelling and frightening as well, but unfortunately it gets far too confusing and incoherent towards the finale. This almost seems to be a standard "shortcoming" in Asian horror, however. The concept is thrilling and absorbing at first, but an overload of red herrings and supernatural insinuations eventually ruins everything. "Infection" opens terrifically, with a group of doctors and nursing closing a pact of silence regarding a medical blunder. Immediately after, a mysterious and seemingly abandoned new patient spreads a horrible virus throughout the hospital that infects other patients as well as doctors. The infected start bleeding green fluids from all body holes and behave like mindless zombies. One of the resident doctors insists on investigating the new bacteria and even threatens to break the others' pact if they don't cooperate, but the infection soon goes out of control. "Infection" is a great and terrifying film up until a certain point, but please don't ask me to explain the ending. It certainly features the most effectively unsettling atmosphere ever in an Asian horror effort, the acting performances are more than adequate and the make-up effects will even engross the most experienced horror freaks. More than enough reasons to give this film my highest possible recommendation.