Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman
Legend holds that 30 years ago, a suburban town was terrorized by the spirit of a woman whose horrid face had been grotesquely disfigured. Roaming the streets wearing a long coat and carrying large scissors, the spirit would approach her young victims and, while removing the mask, ask if she was pretty. The victim’s response would almost always lead to their violent death.
Working with a mid-range budget of $34.6M, the film achieved a respectable showing with $45.9M in global revenue (+33% profit margin).
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman (2007) exemplifies deliberately positioned narrative architecture, characteristic of Koji Shiraishi's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 14-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 30 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.2, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Kyoko Yamashita
Noboru Matsuzaki
The Slit-Mouthed Woman
Mika Sasaki
Main Cast & Characters
Kyoko Yamashita
Played by Eriko Sato
A dedicated elementary school teacher who becomes determined to protect her students from the Slit-Mouthed Woman and uncover the truth behind the urban legend.
Noboru Matsuzaki
Played by Haruhiko Kato
A fellow teacher who assists Kyoko in investigating the mysterious disappearances and confronting the supernatural threat.
The Slit-Mouthed Woman
Played by Miki Mizuno
A vengeful spirit who abducts children, driven by trauma from her abusive past and obsession with beauty and perfection.
Mika Sasaki
Played by Kaori Sakagami
A young student who becomes one of the targets of the Slit-Mouthed Woman, vulnerable due to her troubled home life.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Elementary school teacher Yamashita and school counselor Matsuzaki live ordinary lives working with children, unaware of the urban legend terror about to engulf their town.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 11 minutes when A child goes missing after encountering a strange masked woman with scissors near the school, triggering panic and revealing that the urban legend may be real.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 23 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 26% of the runtime. This shows the protagonist's commitment to Yamashita directly encounters the Slit-Mouthed Woman and witnesses her supernatural speed and power, forcing him to accept the reality of the threat and commit to stopping her., moving from reaction to action.
At 46 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 51% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat The Slit-Mouthed Woman kidnaps multiple children including students they're close to, raising the stakes and revealing she cannot be killed by conventional means - the threat escalates beyond control., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 68 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Yamashita is seemingly killed by the Slit-Mouthed Woman, and Matsuzaki is left alone facing the monster with no apparent way to save the children - total defeat and the whiff of death., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 73 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 81% of the runtime. Final confrontation where Matsuzaki uses empathy and understanding to reach the human soul within the monster, attempting to free the children and break the curse of intergenerational trauma., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 14 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman against these established plot points, we can identify how Koji Shiraishi utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman within the horror genre.
Koji Shiraishi's Structural Approach
Among the 2 Koji Shiraishi films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.3, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Koji Shiraishi filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional horror films include Lake Placid, A Nightmare on Elm Street and Cat's Eye. For more Koji Shiraishi analyses, see Sadako vs. Kayako.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Elementary school teacher Yamashita and school counselor Matsuzaki live ordinary lives working with children, unaware of the urban legend terror about to engulf their town.
Theme
Children discuss the legend of the Slit-Mouthed Woman who asks "Am I pretty?" and kills those who answer wrong - establishing the theme of maternal monstrosity and the danger of vanity.
Worldbuilding
Introduction to the school environment, the teachers' relationships with students, hints of child abuse cases, and the growing whispers about a mysterious woman lurking near the school.
Disruption
A child goes missing after encountering a strange masked woman with scissors near the school, triggering panic and revealing that the urban legend may be real.
Resistance
Yamashita and Matsuzaki investigate the disappearances, debate whether to believe the supernatural explanation, and discover connections to past child murders and abusive parents.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Yamashita directly encounters the Slit-Mouthed Woman and witnesses her supernatural speed and power, forcing him to accept the reality of the threat and commit to stopping her.
Mirror World
Matsuzaki reveals her own childhood trauma of abuse, creating a thematic parallel - she and the Slit-Mouthed Woman are mirror reflections of damaged women shaped by violence.
Premise
The teachers hunt for the creature while protecting children, uncovering the Slit-Mouthed Woman's tragic origin as an abused mother who became a vengeful spirit targeting children she deems "not pretty enough."
Midpoint
The Slit-Mouthed Woman kidnaps multiple children including students they're close to, raising the stakes and revealing she cannot be killed by conventional means - the threat escalates beyond control.
Opposition
Desperate attempts to rescue the children fail repeatedly; the spirit grows stronger; Matsuzaki's trauma resurfaces; they discover the creature multiplies and spreads like a virus of abuse.
Collapse
Yamashita is seemingly killed by the Slit-Mouthed Woman, and Matsuzaki is left alone facing the monster with no apparent way to save the children - total defeat and the whiff of death.
Crisis
Matsuzaki confronts her own darkness and the cycle of abuse, realizing that the only way to stop the monster is to break the chain of trauma by showing compassion rather than violence.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
Final confrontation where Matsuzaki uses empathy and understanding to reach the human soul within the monster, attempting to free the children and break the curse of intergenerational trauma.
Transformation
The bittersweet ending reveals that while some children are saved, the curse continues - Matsuzaki herself may be transforming, suggesting the cycle of trauma and violence cannot be fully escaped.