Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman

The story unfolds across a small town gripped by the legend of Kuchisake-onna. The local school becomes a focal point as fear drives students to go home in groups, while the abandoned house and its cracked doorway serve as the eerie origin of the haunting. Playgrounds and basements become stages for encounters with the spirit, and even the closet where Taeko’s past looms holds an unsettling power.

😨 Fear

A pervasive dread threads through the town as the Kuchisake-onna infiltrates everyday spaces—from school corridors to private homes. The chilling whisper “Am I pretty?” and sudden attacks turn familiar places into traps, pushing characters to rely on each other for safety. The film builds a sense of inevitability, suggesting that the fear is not just supernatural but also social and psychological.

💔 Trauma

The narrative hinges on memories of abuse and loss, particularly Noboru’s childhood with Taeko. The past resurfaces through a decaying family history that fuels the present danger and shapes how characters respond to the haunting. Taeko’s shadow haunts Noboru, blurring the line between remorse and danger. The trauma becomes the motive force behind both protection and catastrophe.

👹 Possession

Kuchisake-onna is not a single embodied threat but a possession that can inhabit women’s bodies, transforming form and triggering new dangers. The spirit’s presence reveals itself through body horror, coughs, and shifts from mother to housewife, signaling how personal identity can be corrupted. Even after decapitation, the evil endures and lingers in the living, ending in a nightmare-like possession of Kyōko.