The Curse, from director Kenichi Ugana, had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest 2025, met with rave reviews from critics and attendees alike, praising its homage to the golden age of J-horror. The Japanese director is having quite the year; not many filmmakers can boast about having three feature films doing festival rounds in one year. On top of The Curse, Ugana has I Fell in Love with a Z-Grade Director in Brooklyn and Incomplete Chairs hitting the big screen.

The Curse takes a new spin on the J-horror ghost story, adding humour and plenty of scares. The film follows Riko, a woman who notices some concerning social media posts from a friend, and when she tries to see if she is okay, she finds out that she died under mysterious circumstances. As she investigates and tries to find answers to keep herself and others she cares for safe, she discovers that she is now in danger and everything leads back to folklore from Taiwan. FILMHOUNDS sat down with Ugana following the film's Fantastic Fest premiere to discuss his influences, the difference between Japanese and Taiwanese ghosts, and what exciting things he has coming up.

The Curse evolves classic J-horror themes for a new generation. How did you approach taking on this material and keeping it original?

The theme of a curse spreading through some kind of medium is common in Japan, as seen in Ringu, but I wasn't afraid to tackle this subject matter because I had several new ideas, including the opening scene and the events that occur at the climax, and I was confident that if I directed it myself, it would become something unique.

Why did you choose to have the ghost come from Taiwanese as opposed to Japanese folklore?

One of the scary things about social media is that people all over the world can see your posts. That's why I wanted to create scenes from other countries. Also, Japanese ghosts wear white clothes, but Taiwanese ghosts wear red clothes and have their tongues sticking out, and I thought that difference was very interesting, which was another reason I chose Taiwan.

There is a lot of humour in this that you don't always find in these kinds of ghost stories. How did you balance humour and horror?

One of my favorite horror movies is Evil Dead. Evil Dead contains a lot of humour, and it has had a big influence on me. So when I'm making a horror movie, I'm always careful about the balance between fear and humour. I think fear and laughter are very close.

Are there any specific cultural elements in the film you would like a Western audience to have more context on?

Nothing in particular. I hope people will enjoy it freely as a film.

You have three movies coming out this year! How do you keep yourself motivated and interested in the horror genre?

I never know when I might die, and I'm always thinking that the offers for me might stop coming at any moment, but I still have so many subjects I want to shoot, directing styles I want to try, staff and actors I want to work with, film festivals I want to return to, and audiences I want to see my films, so my motivation will never run out. However, I'm thinking about slowing down the pace of filming a little in the year after next so that I can take on the challenge of making a bigger film.

What other horror stories are you still hoping to tell?

I have already written a few horror movie scripts, but other than that, I would like to try my hand at a zombie movie someday. I think it would be worth taking on the challenge precisely because it's a genre that has already been exhausted.

Anything exciting coming up next for you?

My next film, after The Curse, Incomplete Chairs, had its world premiere the day after Fantastic Fest. And, in fact, the day before Fantastic Fest, I finished post-production on a body horror film about the love between a parent and child. I'm also planning to shoot a sci-fi action musical romantic comedy in November. I look forward to it!

The Curse had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest 2025 on 19 September