(

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

: ''Hanako-san of the Toilet''), also known as ''School Mystery'' or ''Phantom of the Toilet'', is a 1995 Japanese horror film directed by Jōji Matsuoka. Based on the

Japanese urban legend A is a story in Japanese folklore which is circulated as true. These urban legends are characterized by originating in or being popularized throughout the country of Japan. These urban legends commonly involve paranormal entities or creatures who ...

Hanako-san Hanako-san, or , is a Japanese urban legend about the spirit of a young girl named Hanako-san who haunts school toilets. Like many urban legends, the details of the origins of the legend vary depending on the account; different versions of the s ...

, the spirit of a young girl who haunts school bathrooms, the film stars Takayuki Inoue, Ai Maeda, Yuka Kōno,

Etsushi Toyokawa is a Japanese actor. Biography Born in Yao, Osaka, he studied at Shimizudani High School is a prestigious Japanese public co-educational senior high school (secondary school), located in Tennōji-ku, Osaka, Japan. Overview Shimizudan ...

, and Nene Ohtsuka.

Plot

On her first day at a new school, a young

transfer student Transfer credit, credit transfer, or advanced standing are the terms used by colleges and universities for the procedure of granting credit to a student for educational experiences or courses undertaken at another institution. This is a subset of ...

named Saeko Mizuno is seen leaving the last stall in the girls' bathroom. Students at the school believe that a young girl named

committed suicide in that stall, and that her spirit remains there. Since the students who believe in the Hanako-san legend avoid using that stall, rumors begin to spread that Mizuno is actually Hanako-san herself. Many of the students also believe that Hanako-san is responsible for a series of

child homicide Pedicide, child murder, child manslaughter, or child homicide is the homicide of an individual who is a Age of majority, minor. Punishment by jurisdiction United States In 2008, there were 1,494 child homicides in the United States. Of tho ...

s which have been occurring in the area around the school, and so they assume that Mizuno has come to their school in search of victims. The real murderer decapitates the school goat one day, which raises further suspicions against Mizuno, since she was the one appointed to feed the animal that day. Wanting to see if Mizuno truly is Hanako-san, Mizuno's classmates decide to lock her in the last stall in the girls' bathroom over night, surmising that, if she is still there in the morning, she must not be Hanako-san. Unbeknownst to Mizuno's classmates, the child killer is lurking around the school, and he eventually confronts Mizuno and one of her friends. The real Hanako-san appears, and is revealed to be a benevolent spirit. She summons a mob of students to the school, and they surround the killer, preventing him from escaping until the police and other adults arrive.

Cast

* Takayuki Inoue as Takuya Sakamoto * Ai Maeda as Natsumi Sakamoto * Yuka Kōno as Saeko Mizuno *

as Yuji Sakamoto * Nene Ohtsuka as Yuriko Suzuki * Chiaki Kuriyama as Little Child

Critical reception

In his book ''Flowers from Hell: The Modern Japanese Horror Film'', author Jim Harper writes: "Although it's difficult to imagine American or European parents allowing their offspring to watch a film in which young children are terrorized by a serial killer, ''Toire no Hanako-san'' is easily the best of the Japanese horror movies aimed at pre-teen audiences."

References

Sources

* *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Toire no Hanako-san 1995 films Films directed by Joji Matsuoka Japanese ghost films Japanese horror films Japanese supernatural horror films 1995 horror films 1990s Japanese films