Socially conscious Japanese horror film about herd mentality and frightening uniformity.
Introverted teenager Ai doesn’t like high school one bit. She becomes fascinated with Yu, a rebellious new classmate fresh from the U.S. Encouraged by tv-shows, the other students start behaving increasingly weird, their schoolyard take on a human pyramid turning especially sinister.
Those who saw Yuta Shimotsu’s debut Best Wishes to All (2023) will know that he likes horror with a message. This time, he takes aim at the dangerous herd mentality and blind obedience ingrained in the Japanese school system. Protagonists Ai and Yu symbolise non-conformity and are the only characters who stand up for themselves – everyone else just follows along, with horrifying consequences. New Group is a serious statement on peer pressure and social isolation as well as a true horror film, packed with unforgettably grotesque visual effects. P.E. class has never been this scary.
