{"href":"https://api.simplecast.com/oembed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdont-encourage-us.simplecast.com%2Fepisodes%2Foccult-wgZWO3Av","width":444,"version":"1.0","type":"rich","title":"Occult (2009): How a J-Horror Film Uses Genre Confusion as a Weapon","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/ed574ad1-a2e9-4817-b068-309fba6885cb/ecc504ea-b855-4e14-b453-85b00169f8fa/the_dont_encourage_us_show_youtube_thumbnail_2560_x_1440_px.jpg","thumbnail_height":300,"provider_url":"https://simplecast.com","provider_name":"Simplecast","html":"","height":200,"description":"For the first hour of this micro-budget Japanese found footage film, you have no idea if you're watching science fiction, psychic thriller, religious horror, or mythological drama — and the film holds all those possibilities open deliberately. Occult follows a documentary crew investigating a public stabbing that reveals a pattern of supernatural symbols, miracles, and an increasingly unsettling homeless man who may be a victim, a prophet, or a weapon. We break down why not knowing the genre is the film's greatest asset, how the lead actor keeps you oscillating between pity and fear for the entire runtime, what Kiyoshi Kurosawa (director of Pulse) is doing in a cameo as a symbologist, and why the atrocious final special effects can't undo the storytelling that preceded them. Plus: Japan's cyber homeless — the net cafe refugees who live in 24-hour manga cafes — and why this is the most inspiring film we've covered for anyone who wants to make a movie with no budget."}