Exte (2007)

When most people think of Japanese horror movies, the first image that comes to mind is long black hair, usually covering the face. This image was made extremely memorable but the wild success of both "Ju-on" and "Ringu". So what better movie to review and end a month long worth of Japanese horror films than with "Exte", also known as "Hair Extensions", a movie all about killer black hair! The film stars Chiaki Kuriyama, who is known for her roles as Gogo Yubari from Quentin Tarrantino's movie "Kill Bill: Volume 1", and as Takako Chigusa in "Battle Royale". I would describe the film as a subtle black comedy due to the "villian's" behavior and the fact that Chiaki's character works at a hair salon called "Gilles De Rais Salon".


Police are called to the scene when a dead body is found in a shipping contained filled with human hair. The corpse is taken in and released to the morgue after the body was inspected and noted that the deceased was a victim of a black market organ racketeer ring. The morgue's night watchmen, Yamazaki, is obessessed and has a hair fetish and quickly realizes that the body is still growing hair, all over in places that is shouldn't be. He steals the body and takes it back to his home where he begins to worship the corpse and it's hair, eventually harvesting some of the hair and giving it away to hair salons with the intent of selling more to them the stores later, so more people could be walking around with long beautiful hair that he can stare and obessess over.

Meanwhile, a young woman named Yuko works at a hair salon, preparing for the workshop that will allow her to prove her skills and become a full fledged hair stylist. Her life is interupted when her sister leaves her daughter on Yuko's doorstep. When Yoku finds that her niece is covered in bruises and is abused by her sister, Yuko refuses to let her sister take the child back. Yuko sister eventually gives up and leaves the child with Yuko. Yuko and Mami form a bond over time as Yuko gains her trust and proves that she isn't abusive like her sister is.

The two story lines converge when Yamazaki is walking around town filming women and comes across Mami, who is trying to find Yuko' salon. Yamazaki takes her to the salon and becomes enraptured with both Mami's and Yuko's long black hair. He comes back later that night with hair extensions that he gives to the salon employees to try out and wear. One of them wears the extensions at home and is violently killed by the hair, which has a life of it's own. The people who wear the extensions see flashbacks of the original victim and how her hair was shaved off before she was gutted for her organs. The hair is taking revenge on society. Soon Yuko and Mami are kidnapped by Yamazaki after a series of events and learn the truth for themselves, and try to escape from the madman with a unhealthy obsession for hair!

Yuko

Yamazaki

Gross

Hair gone wild