Fear the Living: Dave Boyle and Moeka Hoshi on “Never After Dark”
Airi investigates a remote apparition and uncovers dark family secrets before a deadly supernatural threat emerges.
- Released in theaters, Never After Dark follows traveling psychic Airi as she encounters a powerful entity at a remote, abandoned hotel. Director Dave Boyle crafts a character-focused horror story centered on supernatural infestation in one location.
- Seeking isolation to manage the apparition, Airi sets up shop at a hotel run by Teiko and her son Gunji . The film distinguishes itself from generic horror through Japanese cultural specificity and unique depictions of crossing over.
- Cinematographer Patrick Ouziel employs slick angles to capture the ghost of Airi's sister, Miku , alongside practical effects for the film's gory, jawless specter. Boyle avoids cheap jump scares, favoring wide shots that create chilling, organic tension.
- Reviewed at the 2026 SXSW Film Festival, the film balances skin-crawling scares with a tender story of sisterhood. Critics praise the 'beguiling haunted house tale' for its shrewd pacing, mounting gore, and brilliant revelations.
- Offering an exquisitely photographed experience reminiscent of The Shining, the film provides an inventive, character-focused horror gift. Horror fans should seek out this 'sensationally spooky' theatrical release that tests Airi's philosophy on the living and the dead.
14 Articles
14 Articles
'Never After Dark' review: Satisfying scares fuel this slow-burn ghost story
There's something sublime about a really good ghost story, and I'm pleased to say Never After Dark is a really good ghost story. From House of Ninjas' writer/director Dave Boyle comes a horror thriller that has the slow burn of '70s classics like The Shining and The Exorcist. Like those searing horror legends, Never After Dark also centers its story of supernatural infestation in one location. The forest-bound bed-and-breakfast of Never After Da…
‘Never After Dark’ Review: A Japanese Medium Is Forced to Confront a Living Threat in This Clever Ghost Story
A slow-burn ghost story that seems to be playing into convention even as it sneakily plants the seeds to turn the genre on its head, Dave Boyle’s clever and involving “Never After Dark” starts with a rather familiar premise: A medium is hired to expunge a dark spirit from a big house in the middle of nowhere. In this case, the “middle of nowhere” is a massive house in the forests of Hokkaido (a real property in Kiyosato that feels like it was de…
Movie Review – Never After Dark (2026)
Read the original post on Flickering Myth here: Movie Review – Never After Dark (2026) Never After Dark, 2026.Written and Directed by Dave Boyle. Starring Moeka Hoshi, Kurumi Inagaki, Kento Kaku, Tae Kimura, and Mutsuo Yoshioka.SYNOPSIS:A traveling psychic who helps lost souls cross over encounters a powerful entity at a remote house. While investigating its origins, she uncovers dark secrets and faces a deadly threat from an unexpected source.L…
Never After Dark Review: A Slow-Burn Japanese Ghost Story With Bite
Hope Madden reviews Never After Dark, Dave Boyle's Japanese ghost story about a travelling medium sent to a remote inn. Moeka Hoshi leads a slow burn horror that borrows the look of early 90s J-horror without feeling borrowed. It takes its time as a supernatural thriller, then gets nasty when it counts. The post Never After Dark Review: A Slow-Burn Japanese Ghost Story With Bite appeared first on The Ginger Nuts of Horror Review Website.
Fear the Living: Dave Boyle and Moeka Hoshi on “Never After Dark”
As a society, we’re familiar with ghost stories. When we turn to supernatural films, the ones filled with poltergeists and phantoms, we typically know what we are getting into. There’s an expectation, a formula. It’s rare this formula gets changed, but “Never After Dark” does so expertly. “Never After Dark” takes the traditional ghost story […]
Never After Dark: A Terrifying New Twist on a Haunted House Tale
Movies & TV movie reviews Never After Dark: A Terrifying New Twist on a Haunted House Tale We love a horror movie that looks at four different genres and says, “Yes.” By Leah Schnelbach | Published on September 25, 2026 Credit: Magnolia Pictures/Signal181 Comment 0 Share New Share Never After Dark: A Terrifying New Twist on a Haunted House Tale” target=”_blank” title=”Pinterest”> Credit: Magnolia Pictures/Signal181 Never After Dark is the …
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