Kakurenbo (Hide & Seek) Review (Short Film, 2005) The Archives #31DaysofHorror
“Kakurenbo (Hide & Seek)” is an animated short horror film from Japan. It is 30 minutes of a game of hide and seek with deadly consequences. Once seven children follow the clues in old street signs (O-to-ko-yo), they wind up at the gates of the city of the dead. They must wear fox masks to conceal their identities. Only then can they enter and compete against demons in a brutal game with no real winner.
Director Shûhei Morita adapts Shiro Kuro’s short story into one of the most intense and disturbing horror shorts I’ve encountered. The eight children in the game (not a typo: a mystery) have very distinct personalities created through voice acting, dialogue, and cosplay. The children don’t just don their traditional fox masks to play this game. They put on cosplay like Akira, Goku, and other classic animated fighters from Japan to tempt fate. Good kids dress as heroes; bullies dress as villains. It’s a clever way to instill a lot of personality into characters who literally cannot emote through their faces.
The monster design is top notch. These demons are scary. They’re mechanical monstrosities posing as statues and waiting for the game to officially begin. Like the children, they all have their own unique personalities and murderous intentions. The mechanical drummer fights very differently from the tank-like parade dragon.
The animation style in “Kakurenbo (Hide & Seek)” is just beautiful. It’s digital animation done in a traditional hand-drawn style. This allows for some intense manipulation of the depth of field and fantastic forced perspective shots. It also creates a clear delineation between the children and the demons. The children are always drawn in the traditional style, while the monsters hunting them down are clearly 3D CGI creatures with similar inking. It’s another layer of Morita’s directorial choices that adds so much depth to the story.
The twist ending to the short is vicious. You’ll definitely see part of what’s coming (that’s intentional, too), but you literally can’t predict all of it. There’s a reason the game of Otokoyo exists and no amount of frame-by-frame analysis of the first 20 minutes will give you any real hints. It’s bizarre, but is explained so well and makes so much sense in the context of this world that it’s totally believable. That’s a rare achievement in horror.
“Kakurenbo (Hide & Seek)” is available to rent or buy on YouTube and Google Play.
