Releasing in Japan in 2025, Ryota Kondo's debut feature Missing Child Videotape is being called one of the scariest films of the year by critics and has him hailed as the new big thing in J-Horror – here's everything we know about the mysterious movie so far.
Produced by J-Horror legend Takashi Shimizu (Ju-On, Reincarnation, Howling Village) and distributed by media giants Kadokawa, Missing Child Videotape had its World Premiere last month at Tokyo International Film Festival, and stars Sugita Rairu and Hirai Amon.
Here's an official plot synopsis from an English-language press release:
โThere are things on that videotape that shouldnโt be on there…โ
Keita's younger brother disappeared in the mountains where he and his brother used to go, and he has been working as a volunteer to find the missing person. One day, his mother suddenly sends Keita an old videotape. It was a videotape showing the moment his brother Hinata disappeared in the past. His psychic friend Tsukasa senses something ominous in the tape and advises Keita not to get too involved, but Keita begins to retrace his steps into a past that has haunted him for years.
Mikoto, a reporter who has been pursuing Keita as the subject of a story, joins them and the three of them head for the โmountainโ where Hinata disappeared…
Missing Child Videotape is based on Kondo's short of the same name, which was the grand prize winner at Kadokawa's 2022 Japanese Horror Film Competition. Notably, Kondo also studied under Ring writer Hiroshi Takahashi – and we can certainly see some Ring influences in Missing Child Videotape.
The trailer for Missing Child Videotape (seen below) doesn't currently have English subtitles, but you don't need to speak Japanese to get a sense of just how genuinely terrifying this movie looks to be.
While Missing Child Videotape doesn't yet have a confirmed US release, given all the hype surrounding it we can't imagine it'll be too long. In the meantime, you can check out the film's official website if you speak Japanese (or have a good web translator), and we'll bring you more information as we get it.
