One of the main forces in the modern pinku movement, director Hashiguchi Takaaki evolved into one of the genre’s biggest directors in the 1990s, with a series of evocative and enjoyable titles. Merging the genre’s sensibilities with a remake of a big Hollywood horror film, Abunômaru taiken: Dai-roku no seika, which is translated as “Abnormal Experience: The Sixth Sense” but released as both “The Girl with the Sixth Sense” and “Sixth Sense Hooker,” offers a solid take on the style.

“The Girl with the Sixth Sense” is available from Pink Eiga

A sought-after hooker, Yumiko (Yuki) has a special ability: she can see ghosts. She is very distraught by the ghost images, and it starts affecting her performance at work. One of the ghosts makes an attempt to communicate with her and ask her for help. Yuki tries to find out what he’s attempting to say and assist him, with the hopes that this will allow her to stop being troubled by what she sees.

Considering Takaaki’s reputation, this one certainly offers a fine mixture of different influences. As an erotic retelling of ‘The Sixth Sense,’ this one comes remarkably close to being a full-on remake. The ability to see ghosts is weaved throughout the storyline quite nicely, making for a scattered series of scenes that make her uneasy with this ability. The quick flashes and unexpected appearances make for some nice jump-scares and the stress put on her is quite evident. Since Yumiko is the only one around with this ability, her genuine concern gives a different taste, as these scenes are somewhat frightening. The ghosts are deformed and bloodied, with creepy grins and plenty of traditional long-hair ghost cliches to add to their menace. Given that they tend to appear at the most unexpected times with devilish grins to accompany their appearance, it creates an admittedly creepy feel for a supposedly erotic entry.

However, where the film falls is with the surprisingly unsteamy sex scenes. Shot in a bland style, these are completely unsexy and come off with a disinterested air. Nearly all the scenes here are depicted in straightforward, matter-of-fact shots that really lose the focus of the scene. They are genuinely unerotic or arousing, despite all the naked flesh on display, and while it’s commendable so much of the screen time revolves around performers who are comfortable being naked, that’s not nearly enough. One set-up that features Yumiko in bed with another prostitute before turning into a threesome is somewhat charged due to the lesbianism, yet that doesn’t last very long. All told, the nudity here isn’t enough to make this one feel all that erotic, which takes all the air out of the frequent couplings.

Despite its few minor flaws, ‘The Girl with the Sixth Sense’ is a decidedly decent watch that serves its purpose very well. Being an erotica-themed remake of a big foreign property is enough to be worthwhile, and despite its limitations, it does have enough going for it to be of interest to pinku fans especially.