Ryū Murakami’s cult 1990s Japanese horror thriller novel Audition is heading to the screen once again, courtesy of Speak No Evil writer Christian Tafdrup.
It is not hyperbole to say that Takeshi Miike’s Audition is easily one of the most memorable horror films of the 1990s. Miike is well known for his ultraviolent films, including Ichi The Killer and Imprint – the latter being an episode of the Masters Of Horror series deemed so gratuitously violent it was banned from broadcast, eventually surfacing on DVD. By contrast, Audition is a masterclass in restraint, the tension building to unbearable levels before its horrifying finale.
Based on the 1997 novel by Ryū Murakami and released on 1999, the plot follows Shigeharu Aoyama, played by Ryo Ishibashi, a lonely middle-aged widower who hatches a scheme to find a girlfriend by holding fake film auditions. Here he meets Asami, played by Eihi Shiina, a sweet, softly spoken girl who, on the surface, seems perfect. To say anymore would spoil one of the best build-ups in modern horror history, but if you have a strong stomach and prefer your horror to be truly unsettling, Audition is very much worth your time.
According to Deadline, a new film is in development. Instead of directly remaking the film, Focus Features is doing a new adaptation of Murakami’s novel, together with Ashok Amritraj’s Hyde Park Entertainment and Mario Kassar Productions.
Christian Tafdrup will direct from a script he co-wrote with his brother, Mads. Tafdrup is no stranger to the horror genre; he helmed one of the breakout hits of 2023, the astonishingly powerful, if frustrating for the audience, Speak No Evil. The film was remade last year by Eden Lake director James Watkins, starring James McAvoy.
We’ll keep you updated as we hear more. Audition is available to stream on BFI Player, if you have a subscription.