MAREBITO
*** (three stars)
Underground movie.
In Japanese, with English subtitles. Running time: 92 minutes. Not rated (nudity and violence). At the Angelika, Mercer and Houston streets.
IF you should happen to come across a rusty door leading into a secret world underneath New York’s subway system, ignore the urge to investigate.
You don’t want to end up like Masuoka, the freelance cameraman at the core of “Marebito,” an outrageous horror flick from Japan.
Masuoka, you see, makes the mistake of venturing into a similar place deep below the Tokyo Metro.
There he finds a naked young woman, her foot chained to a rock. He takes her home, names her F (yes, just F) and discovers that she’s a fussy eater – human blood is all she’ll ingest.
She also likes to crawl around on all fours.
The director behind this madness is J-horror veteran Takashi Shimizu, who has been crowned “Japan’s new Crown Prince of Horror”‘ by midnighteye.com, a leading authority on films from the Land of the Rising Sun.
Shimizu made the mistake of going to Hollywood to direct “The Grudge,” a remake of his own “Juon,” with a terrible Sarah Michelle Gellar.
Now he’s back where he belongs, making intelligent, subtle thrillers, the kind culturally challenged Hollywood doesn’t understand. (“Marebito” was shot on digicam, with a modest budget.)
Masuoka is played, with outrageous brio, by Shinya Tsukamoto, a cult director in his own right. Check out his “A Snake of June,” available on DVD, if you want to freak out.
Meanwhile, beware of blood-slurping, naked women in secret tunnels.
vincent.musetto@nypost.com