Never After Dark is a horror film produced by and starring Kento Kaku, directed by Dave Boyle, that opened in Japanese theaters on June 5, 2026. The film follows a medium and her ghost sister investigating paranormal cases, and has drawn praise for its single-location setting and tonal shift between halves.
Never After Dark is a horror film produced by Kento Kaku and directed by Dave Boyle, the Japanese-American creative team behind the 2024 Netflix series House of Ninjas. The film opened in Japanese theaters on June 5, 2026, following a Japan premiere screening on April 28 at TOHO Cinemas Shinjuku in Tokyo. It is the first theatrical feature from SIGNAL181, the film production company founded by Kaku and Boyle.
The story follows Airi, a medium from a family of psychics, and her sister Miku, who became a spirit after an incident. Together they investigate paranormal cases, including a request to exorcise a ghost haunting a mansion. Moeka Hoshi plays Airi, Kureha Inagaki plays Miku, and Tae Kimura plays Teiko, with Kaku appearing as her skeptical son Gunji. Preview attendees described the film as a revolution in Japanese horror cinema, praising its pacing, the single-setting mansion location, and the blend of suspense and mystery. The film shifts its type of fear between the first and second halves.
Promotional materials leaned into the mansion setting. A YouTube video released on June 1 presented a tour of the mansion as if it were a cheerful attraction, showing an old clock, a ringing phone, a self-opening door, and a room of sealed secrets. Kaku also promoted the film by posting a phone number on social media that, when called, plays a recorded message in his voice. At a June 14 stage greeting and Q&A at TOHO Cinemas Shinjuku, Kaku and Boyle discussed the left-right reversal gimmick, the tooth-pulling scene shot from 4 AM, and the challenge of making a film without explanatory dialogue.
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Producer Kento Kaku and writer-director Dave Boyle held a stage greeting and Q&A for their film Never After Dark at TOHO Cinemas Shinjuku in Tokyo on June 14. They discussed the left-right reversal gimmick, the tooth-pulling scene shot from 4 AM, and the challenge of making a film without explanatory dialogue.
New footage for the film "Never After Dark," produced by Kento Kaku and starring Moeka Hoshi, has been released on YouTube. The video presents a tour of the mansion setting as if it were an attraction, showing the old clock, a ringing phone, a self-opening door, and a "room of sealed secrets." The film opens nationwide on June 5.
The horror film "Never After Dark," produced by and starring Kento Kaku, will open in Japanese theaters on June 5. Directed by Dave Boyle, who previously worked with Kaku on the 2024 Netflix series "House of Ninjas," the film held its Japan premiere screening on April 28 at TOHO Cinemas Shinjuku in Tokyo. The story follows Airi, a medium from a family of psychics, and her sister Miku, who became a spirit after an incident. Together they investigate paranormal cases, including a request to exorcise a ghost haunting a mansion. Moka Hoshi plays Airi, Kureha Inagaki plays Miku, and Tae Kimura plays Teiko, with Kaku appearing as her skeptical son Gunji. Preview attendees described the film as a "revolution in Japanese horror cinema," praising its shift in fear type between the first and second halves. Comments highlighted the pacing, the single-setting mansion location, and the blend of suspense and mystery. The production is the first theatrical feature from SIGNAL181, the film production company founded by Kaku and Boyle. Kaku also promoted the film by posting a phone number on social media that, when called, plays a recorded message in his voice as a promotional gimmick.