LFF speaks to the spooky J-Horror stars of ‘Sadako vs Kayako’

The mega ghouls of Japanese-horror face off in a monster mash-up of Ju-On (The Grudge) and Ringu (The Ring) in SADAKO VS. KAYAKO.

After reviving the evil spirits of Sadako and Kayako, two university students and a high school girl quickly realize that the only way to outsmart these vengeful spirits who are hell-bent on haunting them  is to pit them against each other head-to-head.

The film is available to watch exclusively on the new and fabulous horror streaming service Shudder in the UK from today, and as a special treat from them you can watch the first five minutes of the film below:

I spoke to Elly Nanami (Sadako) and Runa Endo (Kayako) right before they appeared in Toronto for the international premiere of SADAKO VS. KAYAKO as they were getting dressed up to intro their film as their iconic characters. The delays due to us all going back and forth through the translator mean this one is a little shorter than usual, but the very nice translator lady went as fast as possible, and Elly and Runa were super cute and humble. They tell me what it was like on set, how hard it is to be scary when you’re just standing there, what they would do if they saw the cursed video from The Ring, and which horror villains they would like to battle as Sadako and Kayako in a future film.

Translator: Hello, Alan.

Hello! How are you?

Translator: Oh! I’m well, thank you! I’m here with Elly Nanami, who plays Sadako, and Runa Endo who plays Kayako.

Great! Hi Elly! Hi Runa! I’m Alan from Live for Films. It’s nice to speak to you both.

I had a lot of fun with Sadako v Kayako, but what was it like to make the film? Was that fun, or was it serious and scary?

Elly: So it was fun to play the character. The people making it were very warm. I looked forward to going there every day. And at the end of shooting it I started missing it. Yeah.

Runa: During the shooting there is nothing scary. My role is a kind of very hard, so I was dealing with it in a very serious way and spent a lot of time in preparation. After shooting it felt like the time had flown by.

Were you both concerned about playing such iconic horror film characters?

Elly: In the past there have been many actresses who played Sadako already, so it was a very big responsibility; but on the other hand, it is my role this time, so I tried to do my best to make sure that my Sadako will be accepted too. She is very famous so I am very grateful to play a role like Sadako and I am also very honoured.

Runa: It is the same with me as Elly – there are many actresses who have played the role of Kayako. Also there are so many fans of Kayako and I didn’t want to make them disappointed. I wanted to create a new Kayako – which was a big challenge – and I was honoured to be a part of the film.

You both play characters with no dialogue. As actors, does that make your job harder or easier?

Elly: It is really hard for me because my face is covered. I have to appear scary to other people just by standing there! I have no lines, just standing there, but I have to be scary, and I can use my eyes sometimes only – so I have a hard time!

Runa: It’s also hard for me, especially physically. I enjoyed our awesome make up, and it was hard, but I did enjoy it.

And how long did it take them to do your make-up, Runa?

At the beginning it took six hours, but now it takes one hour.

Elly, what would you do if you saw the cursed video tape from The Ring?

I, myself, or as Sadako?

As yourself.

I’d be killed, for sure!

Are there any other horror movie villains that you both would like to join you in the next Sadako v Kayako?

Elly: I love horror movies! I love them to be really scary and bloody, so I would want somebody who kills in a really scary way like Jason.

Nice. Jason from Friday the 13^th would be awesome.

Runa: I like zombie films and The Walking Dead.

Cool, cool.

Runa: I also really like horror movies with psychopaths like Hannibal, so that would be good.

Jason v Hannibal v Sadako v Kayako sounds amazing. Thank you both very much for talking to me today.

Bye! Thank you!

Sadako v Kayako is available to watch on the fantastic horror film streaming service SHUDDER from today.