Horror Movie Review: Ghosts of Hiroshima (2022)

Writer and director Brandon Walker has a strong concept and a rich history to draw from with Ghosts of Hiroshima but disappointingly delivers a lacklustre paranormal found footage horror.

Although it’s not without one or two decent scares…

Eric (Robert Palmer Watkins) is an online vlogger and camera equipment reviewer who has been looking for some direction in his life. This comes when he inherits a property in Japan, one that sits near the site of the Hiroshima nuclear blast.

His fears of remaining radiation are assailed by the real estate agent, Nori (Ashley Park) and he is quick to agree to the caveat that he has to occupy the house for 24 hours to make the transfer legal. It’s a chance for him to get footage for his show, review his current camera set-up, begin to experience the Japanese lifestyle, and learn about the house and the area’s history.

A history that is shrouded in darkness, misery, and real-life horror. Which, when blended with Eric’s own difficult past and personal issues, means it’s going to be a very long night for the man.

The pros of Ghosts of Hiroshima come from two areas. The first is the more obvious aspect of the movie using real history, events, and the Japanese culture to create its story. It is a film that is steeped in lore that it is willing to explore, up to a point. The second is the main character of Eric, likable and relatable, but also well-acted by Robert Palmer Watkins.

As the movie advances, the isolation and clear ‘wrongness’ of the location starts to get to him and through the lens of his camera set-up we see it. Sometimes, way before Eric does. Which is an interesting idea and does result in some well-done frights.

Alas, as Ghosts of Hiroshima goes on, it starts to slip into really familiar territory. It begins to lose its initial justification for the found footage elements, doesn’t pay off some elements, has a really lengthy and dialogue heavy section that starts to bore, and ends in unsatisfying fashion. It’s unfortunate to see it fall apart, and it ends up leaving a sour taste in the mouth, even if it does keep you watching until its final moments.

The found-footage genre is a mess so it’s probably not fair to be too critical of Ghosts of Hiroshima in that regard, except it, like so many others, fails to learn from the pitfalls. The imagination and talent is there, it just needed a better story that felt cohesive right to the very end.