Wizard Of Darkness

Hell breaks loose at a Japanese high school when the students become intrigued with a ghastly string of Satanic murders. While director Shimako Sato's second feature--which was based on a Japanese comic book--is primarily a slasher film, she has also laced WIZARD OF DARKNESS with a few unexpected twists as well as a glancing examination of the horrors of teenage sexual and cultural anxieties.

Any illusion that order prevails at the school is soon broken for the viewer. For starters, the teacher Mr. Numata not only greets but gropes the girls each morning as they arrive, and Ms. Shirai (June Takagi), the homeroom advisor, is involved in a lesbian affair with her ...