Shutter (2008)
Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Prepare yourself for bone-chilling terror and suspense with the Unrated Edition of Shutter - packed with shocking uncut footage you couldn't see in theaters and a twisted alternate ending you must see to believe!

Soon after New York newlyweds Ben (Joshua Jackson) and Jane (Rachael Taylor) arrive in Japan for Ben's latest photography assignment, they discover disturbing, ghostly reflections of a young woman in their own photos. This inexplicable "spirit image" may be connected to Ben's past, and she's determined to provide the couple with a horrifying future of relentless vengeance from which there is no escape!

The attempt for this movie was a valiant one... but it failed none the less. They tried so hard to sum up J-Horror movies into one movie that didn't scare you, leave you in suspense, or even guessing. The cinematography was great, but that was probably the only good thing about the movie. You see a side to Japan most movies don't show you, NOT the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, but the side parks, the small houses outside the main cities, the apartments, etc. The movie left nothing to the imagination, you knew what was happening the entire time. There was no point in the movie where I was scared... I didn't even jump. All in all this movie was terrible, don't waste your money on it, watch something else instead... like moss growing, or mentally challenged kids trying to pick up small objects, ANYTHING but this movie.

User Comment: bababear from United States, 22 March 2008 • This was a surprisingly good, old fashioned ghost story.

I haven't seen the original and I'm not a fanboy, so I didn't have any axes to grind going in. The cast is very good if somewhat underutilized, the photography and musical scoring are excellent, and there's a plot twist that caught me completely by surprise.

Watching the previews you'd think this was the one millionth Asian horror with a vengeful female spirit who has long black hair and dark circles under her eyes. There's more than that going on here.

And, without giving any plot points away, the final shot of the film is going to stay with me for a long, long time.

Sure, this isn't the most original piece of work ever. It's part of a long tradition of ghost stories. But the makers had the sense to keep it to 85 minutes so it's over before you really begin to think how familiar some of the material is.

Summary: Way, Way Better than I Expected.

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