Matsuoka will begin to hear those chimes, just as Kurosawa spread hypnotic murder in "Cure" and Internet ghosts in "Pulse" and he will use his signature muffling and elevation of sound...

There’s no explanation given here, just a series of unsettling incidents delivered with Kurosawa’s usual low-key exactitude.

Chime is interested in so much more than simply disturbing the audience. It’s a startling look into the hidden horrors of routine and how easy it can be to lose your identity and gradually become dehumanized through normalcy.

Sometimes what’s scariest is a lack of certainty, and in [Kurosawa's] short feature about a ringing sound that imbues people with violent tendencies, the question of "why" is an endless journey with no clear destination.