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During the early 1990's, Masayuki Ochiai launched his career in the TV business. Working on science fiction shows like Night Head and Tales of the Unusual as a director, Ochiai eventually graduated to be a chief director by the mid-1990's on shows like The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Black Out.
His work on science fiction productions cataputled him to the next stage of his career as he shifted to the big screen. His debut film was the movie Parasite Eve (1997) that was based on the 1995 novel, of the same name, by Hideaki Sena. Ochiai admitted in interviews that he struggled with the producers on the tone of the movie, as the producers wanted to highlight the romance while Ochiai wanted more horror.
For his next production Ochiai would be given more freedom, and a writing credit, as he helmed Hypnosis (1999). With this freedom the director doubled down on the horror elements of the film. He went on to do other horror productions, both on the small and big screen. While he hasn't been active at Toho in over a decade, Ochiai continues to headline movies today such as Ju-on: The Final in 2015. |
