If you are a fan of horror then you know his name. He is responsible for some of the most captivating films of the last 15 years and has just been attached to direct his next horror film Lesson of the Evil. That man is none other than Takashi Miike. The first film of Miike’s that I had the good fortune to see was perhaps one of his most shocking films, Audition. Audition is one of the most unforgettable films I have ever seen. It is such an extreme and violent psychological horror film that even days after finishing it you will still feel it crawling under your skin. Because it is such a disturbing cinematic experience there isn’t a whole lot of people who can say that they made it through the entire film.

If you can keep your eyes open long enough for the final scene I promise you won’t ever forget it.

From the moment I finished that film I knew that Takashi Miike was a name that I would remember. He then followed that up with his equally shocking film Ichi the Killer and his segment in Three… Extremes with Box. His controversial and shocking scenes of extreme violence put him on a completely different level because many filmmakers aren’t willing to venture into to the dark places that Miike does. Because of Miike’s willingness to explore these horrific places his films are truly what nightmares are made of.

Lesson of the Evil is based on the best-selling novel by Yusuke Kishi. The film is about a very popular teacher that is loved by his students and highly respected by others. However, his immense popularity is only concealing his dark secret. His true nature is that he has a severe case of antisocial personality disorder. He’s a psychopath who finds himself unable to feel empathy for others. Because of his condition he chooses to deal with his problems by tirelessly murdering his students.

The teacher will be played by Ito Hideaki who says,

“With director Miike, I will aim to be the most evil and the worst protagonist in movie history.”

If that doesn’t get your skin crawling then sadly I don’t know what will. Filming is set to start next month with the goal of completing it in time for the Venice International Film Festival. If all goes well, Lesson of the Evil will hit theaters in November.

As always, thanks for reading!