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You won’t be “MISSING” Japanese psychothriller: Release news

Tuesday, September 13, 2022 | News

By MICHAEL GINGOLD

Making its U.S. premiere at Fantastic Fest this month, it’s coming to various venues this winter.

Dark Star Pictures has announced its acquisition of North American distribution rights to MISSING, in conjunction with Bloody Disgusting. The film will first arrive in U.S. theaters November 4, then go to VOD November 18 befoe hitting Blu-ray December 6. Written and directed by Shinzô Katayama, a former assistant director to Bong Joon-ho, it stars Aoi Ito, Jiro Sato and Hiroya Shimizu. The synopsis: “Depressed and in debt following the death of his wife, Santoshi [Sato] tells his young daughter he has found a way out. Pointing to a reward note, he vows to find the infamous serial killer ‘No Name’ [Shimizu] and cash in, claiming to have seen the man in the flesh a few days earlier. Kaeda [Ito] cannot take her aloof father seriously. But when he goes missing without a trace, she starts to fear the worst–and must begin looking for him.”

“Director Shinzô Katayama has beautifully crafted a story that will keep audiences on their toes,” says Dark Star president Michael Repsch. “We could not be more excited to spotlight this emerging talent and add this gem to our ongoing partnership with our friends at Bloody Disgusting.” Says Bloody D’s Brad Miska, “MISSING is a nonstop engaging thriller that erupts into a helluva shocking finale. We can’t wait to play this game of cat-and-mouse with horror fans.”

Michael Gingold
Michael Gingold (RUE MORGUE's Head Writer) has been covering the world of horror cinema for over three decades, and in addition to his work for RUE MORGUE, he has been a longtime writer and editor for FANGORIA magazine and its website. He has also written for BIRTH.MOVIES.DEATH, SCREAM, IndieWire.com, TIME OUT, DELIRIUM, MOVIEMAKER and others. He is the author of the AD NAUSEAM books (1984 Publishing) and THE FRIGHTFEST GUIDE TO MONSTER MOVIES (FAB Press), and he has contributed documentaries, featurettes and liner notes to numerous Blu-rays, including the award-winning feature-length doc TWISTED TALE: THE UNMAKING OF "SPOOKIES" (Vinegar Syndrome).