“Please press the emergency stop button if you wish to exit (during the tour),” announces the guide before entering the experience zone, as screams echo from the shadows just beyond the entrance.
The Japanese horror manga artist’s immersive exhibition “Junji Ito Horror House” begins with visitors forming a single line, each holding onto a rope, as they step into the artwork. With candles flickering in front of them, Junji Ito’s most popular manga protagonist, Tomie, an immortal femme fatale, whispers, “I want you to die for me.”
Clutching the rope for guidance and comfort, groups of five or six visitors venture into the pitch-black exhibition hall, embarking on a chilling maze exploration.
The exhibition features spaces themed after various manga, including “The Long Hair in the Attic,” “The Long Dream,” “The Story of the 커뮤니티 Mysterious Tunnel,” “Tomie’s Photos,” “Groaning Drain Pipes,” “Soichi’s Beloved Pet” and “The Hanging Balloons.”
Visitors walk through a room filled with books that touch their toes, and when they open the door to a darkroom filled with red light, they feel as if they have stepped into the middle of one of Ito’s manga.
