Japanese horror legend Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Cure, Pulse) made a triumphant return to the genre last year with Chime, a terrifying short that few people have had the chance to see – until now.
Starring Mutsuo Yoshioka, the 45-minute Chime (which was the second of Kurosawa's 2024 films after the capitalist killer thriller Cloud) follows a culinary teacher who begins hearing a mysterious sound, with bizarre consequences. Even if you're at all familiar with Kurosawa's particular brand of dark, existential terror, you'll still not be able to predict where Chime goes, trust us.
Opening March 27, 2026, at the IFC Center, Janus Films' new 4K restoration of Chime will play alongside Kurosawa's 1998 crime thriller Serpent's Path, which stars Teruyuki Kagawa as a yakuza subordinate out for revenge.
Previously, Chime was only available to watch through Japanese digital video trading platform Roadstead.io, where viewers had to purchase it as something of an NFT – not exactly the most user-friendly way to distribute a film, we'll say.
Reviews for Chime, from the few who were able to see it, called it the “scariest film of the year” and “agonizing and brilliant“, to name but a few. If you're anywhere near the IFC Center next spring, this is not a screening to miss.
