When considering what the most terrifying moment in a horror film is, many memorable scenes may come to mind. Glimpses of terror in horror staples likeThe Silence of the LambsorThe Exorcisthave left imprints on the minds of multiple generations, while more recent destined-to-be-classics likeHereditaryandThe Babadookwill make you want to keep your bedroom light on for weeks. The true horror scene that is most disturbing, however, is not the type of moment that makes you too scared to turn off the light. Instead, many scenes fromTakashi Miike’sAuditionfrom 1999 rather make you fear closing your eyes and replaying its disturbing imagery in your head. Between flashbacks of a young woman’s traumatic childhood to a man desperately eating a bowl of vomit, viewers have their pick of which scene is the most difficult to watch. However, the most disturbing moment goes to the final torture scene, which is truly unforgettable.
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What Is ‘Audition’ About?
Miike’sAuditionfollows widower Shigeharu Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi), who takes the advice of his friend (Jun Kunimura) to commit one of film history’s biggest “icks:” holding an open audition for women in order to find a new wife and lying about its purpose, saying it is instead for an upcoming film. Saying that karma made its way back to Shigeharu is the understatement of the year after he believes he finds the perfect woman in Asami Yamazaki (Eihi Shiina), who is actually a serial killer.
The most genius aspect ofAuditionis how it reveals who Asami is to the audience before Shigeharu finds out. When Shigeharu calls Asami a few days after the audition, she is sitting, and waiting next to the phone. The room is entirely empty except for a large sack, which eventually starts to move. None of the contacts Asami gives at her audition are reachable, as some of them have gone missing or been found dead in the past. Asami does not necessarily lie about who she is or put on an elaborate facade. There are so many red flags that Shigeharu should not have pursued her in the first place, yet he does so anyway. He is taken by her beauty and the emotional complexity displayed at her audition while also being blinded by his own fantasies and loneliness.
As we learn more about Asami, flashbacks scenes show her being abused as a child by a man at her old dance studio. It can be assumed that her victims, such as a music producer, also used her or took advantage of her. While Shigeharu does have feelings her Asami, he continued to lie about the real reason he held the open audition. Ultimately,Asami was once again used by a man, despite Shigeharu’s honest feelings for her. All of this makes the final 15 minutes ofAuditionheartbreaking, disturbing, and sickly satisfying all at once.
How Does ‘Audition’ End?
As the film approaches its end, Asami sees a photo of Shigeharu’s deceased wife, provoking deadly jealousy. Shigeharu is then affected by the drugs Asami put in the liquor in his home. She further paralyzes him, and as he lies awake and alert on the floor of his living room, she begins to torture him by slowly inserting large needles all over his body. During the shocking scene, Shigeharu is seen waking up in a room with Asami, and they experience a more heartfelt moment. She says she will marry him, but this moment ends abruptly as it is revealed to be a dream. In real life, he is still paralyzed on the floor.
Before gleefully cutting off his foot with a piano wire, Asami pushes needles into the skin right below his eyes, saying “Kiri, kiri, kiri,” which translates to “deeper” in English, with a disturbing playfulness. And while Shigeharu is unable to move, he can certainly feel what is happening to him as he groans in pain. It’s also not just Shigeharu’s love for his dead wife that enrages her, but also his love for his son (Tetsu Sawaki). The awful silence being broken by the sound of the wire cutting through skin and bone will make you shrink from the screen, and all feeling leave your own body. After Shigeharu’s son discovers the brutal scene and kicks Asami down the stairs, she lies on the floor, dying, repeating what she said earlier in the film about being excited to meet with Shigeharu. It is unclear whether she says this because she rehearsed what to say to him, or because she truly has feelings for him too. She dies, staring at him.
‘Audition’ Doesn’t Prepare You for Its Horror
Despite the unsettling, grotesque moments that precede this final scene, nothing ever prepares the viewer for what is about to happen. Shigeharu does not get the sense that something is wrong in his relationship with Asami until right before he is paralyzed on his living room floor. However, everything we do see before the unforgettable ending is what makes it so terrifying. We never see exactly what Asami is capable of until it is happening. This torture scene is undoubtedly cemented in horror history, withMiike having a strong influenceon current directors and gore-heavy horror in the present day.The film’s themes and complex characters like Asami, who is arguably one of themost compelling antagonists in a horror film, have been praised by viewers and critics alike. However, what makes this scene the most memorable and disturbing is how out of left field it is. There is no doubt the film portrays distressing topics, and yetAuditionbarely hints where it is going until it is too late to turn back, making similar scenes in horror films laughable in comparison.
Eihi Shiina’s Performance as Asami in ‘Audition’ Ellevates the Terror
As if sawing off a man’s feet while needles are protruding from his body was not enough, it is Asami’s behavior that puts this scene over the top. Throughout the film, Asami appears to be more timid and serious than playful. Yet the ending torture scene introduces a side that Shigeharu and the audience never knew she had. She is giddy while taking off Shigeharu’s foot with a wire, probably showing the most emotion at this moment than in the rest of her scenes put together. Her playfulness in practically singing, “deeper, deeper” is the cherry on top.
This side of Asami alsoadds another layer to the character. Has she been looking forward to this? Would it have mattered if their meeting was completely genuine? While the viewers get flashes of her past, Asami’s exact motive remains unclear and is made especially confusing by her over-the-top delight in getting the opportunity to torture Shigeharu. Again, what we don’t know makes what we see that much scarier.
The complexity of the scene is more than good versus evil, but rather many past traumas and decisions colliding to lead to such a horrific situation. Shigeharu made a mistake holding an audition for a new wife, as he seemingly only views women as lesser than himself without realizing it — until it was too late. Asami, on the other hand, was abused as a child and never felt real love from those who claimed they cared for her. So, while its physicality is undeniably difficult to watch, the emotional aspect of the scene has an enormous amount of depth. What leads to the film’s brutal ending is not black and white. However, it is often that grey area that creates the most disturbing andunforgettable moments in our favorite horror films.
