https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f7qtJb8XA4
Old F Tunnel
Episode 14 of Dark Gathering begins with Yayoi and her friends arriving at their destination. She explains there are three tunnel locations in the area and the road ahead of them is the New F Tunnel. Yayoi asks Keitaro which one evokes the worst sensation and The Old F Tunnel feels the worst among the three. Therefore, Yayoi declares they’ll explore the Old F Tunnel based on Keitaro’s judgment.
Eiko drops her phone in the car. As Keitaro attempts to retrieve it, he finds the doll Yayoi used for the S Tunnel ghost. Yayoi assumes the ghost ran off somewhere to avoid getting eaten by the High Priest. She hands Eiko and Keitaro some dolls. Yayoi gives Keitaro the bandages the Castle H Spirit loaned to them before they left and he wonders if it’s wise to trust him with the spirit’s gift. Yayoi says it’s best for Keitaro to have the item since he’s likely to be the one the Old F Tunnels’ Graduate will attack. Our heroes leave the car and head for the Old F Tunnel.
Eiko researches intel about the Old F Tunnel. Apparently, an intruder killed a family nearby and it’s said that family haunts this area. Next, Eiko discusses several rumors and inquiries from people who’ve traversed through the Old F Tunnel. They note seeing a woman in a white kimono chasing them, having weird delusions, and hearing eerie voices echoing in the tunnel. Yayoi, Keitaro, and Eiko head inside. However, it appears the Eiko that was traveling with them wasn’t the real one as she realizes Keitaro and Yayoi aren’t around.
Suddenly, a girl exits the tunnel and greets Eiko. She introduces herself as Anna, a YouTuber who likes exploring spooky places. Anna tells Eiko that she walked past Keitaro and Yayoi during her investigation. Eiko agrees to join Anna on her exploration because she is too scared to explore the tunnel on her own. As they traverse through the tunnel, Anna tells Eiko about a psycho killer ghost rumor her friend told her about. She says it might be related to the family murders Eiko told Keitaro and Yayoi about earlier.
Anna and Eiko reach the exit but somehow find themselves at the tunnel’s entrance, weirding them out. Eiko tries leaving but the two find themselves at the exit again. She tries experimenting and realizes she and Anna can’t leave the tunnel. Eiko suggests they keep going back and forth to see if they’ll eventually have the power to leave the tunnel. Anna continues sharing insight about the psycho killer with Eiko to pass the time. Eiko and Anna grow concerned when they realize they may be trapped for good.
Meanwhile, Yayoi asks Keitaro if he’s sensing anything strange about the Old F Tunnel right now. Keitaro says he does and Yayoi reveals the spirit whisked the real Eiko away somewhere and that they’re being monitored by a spirit. She didn’t want to tell Keitaro earlier because she’d attacked the spirit while they were outside the tunnel, he would’ve stopped her and the spirit would’ve fled. Yayoi plans to force the spirit to confirm Eiko’s whereabouts.
As Anna and Eiko walk and reach the exit again, Anna reveals she’s already dead and is one of the psycho killer’s victims. Eiko turns around and spots Anna’s torn-up corpse on the ground. Eiko ends up escaping the tunnel but finds herself at the Old Old F Tunnel and in front of a sealed-up door. Anna explains that her former friend she traveled with abandoned her. She thanks Eiko for accompanying her on this short excursion and hopes they can suffer together.
Eiko runs for her life while being chased by the psycho-killer spirit. She reaches a dead end as other victims laugh at her failed attempts at escaping. Suddenly, Keitaro succumbs to an agonizing sensation and says it’s coming from another location. Yayoi believes it could be coming from the Old Old F Tunnel and that it might be where Eiko is. Yayoi attacks the spirit accompanying them and we learn it was Anna’s former friend. She tells Keitaro and Yayoi she wants them to experience the same suffering she and Anna went through.
Fortunately for Eiko, the S Tunnel Ghost leaves its imprisoned doll and fights the Psycho Killer Spirit. The Psycho Killer spirit prevails and dons the S Tunnel’s Spirit’s face as their own. Yayoi and Keitaro arrive late to the scene as the Psycho Killer spirit taunts them. Yayoi suggests they chase it down to save Eiko. However, Yayoi doesn’t plan to use any Graduate-level spirits because the fight could cause the locale to collapse. She suggests they find a way to lure the Psycho Killer spirit out of the tunnel.
The episode closes with Yayoi and Keitaro entering the tunnel again to save Eiko.
The Episode Review
Dark Gathering’s been throwing heavy swings as of late. While earlier chapters were fine and dabbled in heavy themes, the series’s lighthearted scenarios often downplayed its horror content. Yet, like the previous segment involving the Castle H Spirit, the Old F Tunnel harbors enough spooky and unsettling content that’s best experienced on an empty stomach.
From Eiko’s constant torment to Anna’s gruesome fate, horror fans have a lot to enjoy with the content showcased in this week’s episode. While the episode has touches of humor, Dark Gathering’s gore and tension are what appeal to fans the most. At the same time, the episode contained a fun skirmish between the S Tunnel Ghost and the Psycho Killer Spirit.
Although it wasn’t on par with the High Priest’s bout with the Castle H Spirit, hearing the S Tunnel Ghost’s shrieks during her battle with the Psycho Killer spirit made the scene feel exhilarating and uncomfortable to watch.
Overall, this was a fun chapter to sit through. It had some nice tension, solid imagery, and great sound design. I’m excited to see how Yayoi and Keitaro’s battle with the Psycho Killer Spirit will turn out next week.
Previous Episode |
Next Episode |
You can read our Season 1 review of Dark Gathering here |
-
Episode Rating -