Shutter (2008)

2008
Directed by Masayuki Ochiai
Starring Joshua Jackson, Rachael Taylor and Megumi Okina

I've recounted the story on a few occasions that the 2006 remake of Black Christmas is the only movie that I've ever walked out of in theaters, but the movie in question today came close a little over a year later.  I don't know quite what it was about the stateside version of Shutter, whether it was the acting or the tone or the fact that there were two bastard kids thundering up and down the aisles throughout the duration of the flick's brisk 85-minute running time, but watching this movie was an incredibly taxing experience.  Much like last week with my Texas Chainsaw Massacre redux viewing, I decided to give this flick another shot.

Lo and behold, it's a little better than I remember, and certainly better than the reception that this movie got at the time of its release (myself included).  Folks, this movie got a 7% on Rotten Tomatoes.  7%.  That's the type of rating that should be reserved exclusively for the cinematic works of Friedburg and Seltzer, right there, not for a clear cash-grab remake that nonetheless is occasionally creepy and occasionally pretty tense.  It also probably helps that I've never seen the Thai original, and thus won't be making any annoying extended comparisons between the two versions like I did last week.  I will, however, point out that this movie was produced by Taka Ichise.  I'm a pretty big fan of Taka, all things considered, seeing as he produced Ringu, Ju-On, and their prospective American remakes.  Put him slightly ahead of Michinoku as far as coolest Japanese men named Taka.   

PLOT:  Ben Shaw (Joshua "I don't want to wait for our lives to be over" Jackson) and his wife Jane (the certifiably hot Rachael Taylor) have just moved to Tokyo, where Ben has an oh-so-convenient job as a photographer.  Upon arrival, their car hits a local woman wearing a dress in the middle of nowhere, only for the police to turn up no body, no blood, and no evidence of any vehicular manslaughter.  Not soon afterward, strange things start a-brewing within Ben's photos, not the least of which being several large, mysterious lights, and it isn't long before the "spirit photography" aspect of the movie begins.

As it turns out, the spirit in the photos is Megumi, ironically enough played by another Megumi.  Yes, folks, it's Megumi Okina, the star of the first theatrical Ju-On film (a.k.a. the greatest horror movie ever made).  The CHARACTER Megumi (confusing, I know) once dated Ben but eventually became obsessive and clingy after the death of her father.  The origin scenes of the ghost combined with what is admittedly a few very tense scenes after we learn what the f**k is going on is enough to make this a fairly interesting story, even if it occasionally treads into predictability and hokiness.  Not quite as hokey as the deer attack scene in The Ring Two, but close.
PLOT RATING: *** out of ****.

CHARACTERS AND ACTORS:  Rachael Taylor is really, really, really great to look at, but unfortunately that's about all I can say for her.  Her character is meant to be the center of the film, the new woman who has replaced Megumi in Josh's life and thus the source of much harassment and potential audience sympathy, but unfortunately, she isn't able to get it.  This is where the movie falls short, and it's a damn shame, because Jackson was all kinds of aces as the (eventually) douchey Ben, and Okina...you know, I saw the movie in theaters before I became borderline obsessed with the Ju-On/Grudge series, and I really looked at her character differently this time around with that additional knowledge.  She was without a doubt one of the five best horror heroines ever in Ju-On and loses none of her vulnerability or likability here despite the fact that she's supposed to be a quasi-villain.  There's a whole lot of other inconsequential characters (Ben's assistant and his college friends who help him in the heinous plot to ditch Megumi that shockingly goes awry after she enters her "clingy girlfriend" phase) who aren't worth wasting valuable typing energy on.
CHARACTERS AND ACTORS RATING: ** out of ****.

COOL FACTOR:  There's actual a couple cringe-inducing death scenes in this movie (and I'll leave it up to you, loyal reader, to figure out the identities of those two deaths from the "Character and Actors" section), and a few very good scenes as Megumi begins torturing Ben and Jane.  Overall, the character of Megumi is definitely not the standard bearer for coolness that Kayako Saeki is, but she has her moments.  In between, the movie has its fair share of tedium, but the ending that just might stick with you for a few days after watching it almost manages to make up for it.
COOL FACTOR: ** 1/2 out of ****.

OVERALL:  Shutter is a movie that I like to call a "half-asleep masterpiece."  Namely, if it's on TV, you're tired and don't feel like paying too much attention to what's onscreen, it'll do wonders to lull you into a further zombie state yet also, amazingly, not put you to sleep.  That's bound to happen when you've got a gang rape scene seemingly out of nowhere that occurs midway through your movie.  Spoiler alert.  I honestly can't remember if this movie came out before or after the American remake of One Missed Call, but this is a movie that actually gets a little bit better - and less generic - with repeat viewings.  That, and there is one scene (that I remembered from the theatrical viewing, by the way) that manages to be gut-wrenchingly tense without a single drop of blood being spilled.  Just remember what I told you about dark rooms and humming women.  Anyway, not a great film, but give it a shot.

OVERALL RATING: ** 1/2 out of ****.  Which means, ultimately, thumbs down.  But with the exception of Rachael Taylor, this is actually a pretty enjoyable little flick.