A
Japanese actress named Nagisa Sugiura (Yûka) whom
was so excited for winning a part in a
fact based horror flick on a murder that
took place in a hotel about a crazed,
local professor whose murderous rampage
at a hotel left 11 guests dead, including
his young son and daughter.
The filmmakers start to shoot in the area
where these people were murdered and
Nagisa is expriencing some hauntings on
the people who were once murdered there
including two little kids named Chisato
(Mao Susaki) and Yuya (Hiroto Itô) as
they seem to follow her as well as
holding this doll with a borken eye which
seems to be drawing her attention and
acting evil towards her.
One of of the most
creative Japanese horror films during the
millenium in the same vein as One
Missed Call or the Ju-On
flicks but delivering more scares and
made on a good budget too.
There's many great effective scene's with
the hauntings as they did look like real
hauntings and not some low budget flick
that they can't afford to pay for
haunting effects.
Plus this one was nearly Americanised too
with their influences using bits of
elements like Dawn of the Dead,
The Shining and Child's
Play. At the same time the story
was a bit more original in some spots
with what was going on.
Even if it's spoken in Japanese language
the story is still great to watch and can
please any fan of foreign horror films.
The ending is very strange and definetely
leaves a door open for a sequel so let's
keep our fingers crossed that there will
be one. In fact, they should make an
American version on this flick like they
did with One Missed Call
and Ju-on (It was
retitled The Grudge as I know I will
really dig it if they do since I dug
those one's mentioned.
The acting is hard
to tell since it's spoken in Japanese but
yet it looked very strong especially with
lead actress Yûka showing
excellent characteristics aliong with
good emotions and screaming too when she
is terrorised by the doll or ghostly
objects. She pumped up the energy big
time in this flick.
Kippei Shina showed a great
serious attitude and bluntness to his
role. He really brought his part out very
well as a serious businessman for the
film.
Miki Sanjo had a nice supporting
role in the film as one of the family
survivors of the killings showing a good
depressed attitude talking about what had
happened and having a nice basket case
reactions to all she did in the film.
Some bloody shots
on people as well as blood spluritng out
here and there
There's a nice
scene with Yûka acting eager
for her tryouts along with a good shot on
cast members like Mantarô Koichi watching
her audition in which the directing on
this showed alot of spunk to it.
There's also a good reaction on Yûka
after she is handed the script by Kippei
Shina who acts serious with her and
acts natural jumping for joy that she got
the part.
We have a good shot on Yûka doing
a film shoot and then a nice close up
shot on her eyes growing wild and
screaming in terror as well as a good
disatant shot on her passing out.
There's a good shot on Yûka in
a subway and then turning her head with a
good shocked stare at child actress
Hiroto Itô holding a doll and
staring at her as well as a shot on her
falling on some tracks with a subway
coming towards her which looked creepy
when Yûka tries to call to her.
Next there's a nice camera shot looking
down on the subway with Itô underneath
looking up on Yûka giving it a
good haunting feel.
There's a good camera shot looking up on Yûka
in the hotel with ghostly
figures walking up a corridor in the area
and then she turns her head when she
thinks she sees something and they're
gone as all of this had nice timing.
There's a good moment with Marika
Matsumoto talking on her cell phone
in a library and then spotting a ghostly
face staring at her across by a shelf of
books with an empty space appearing and
her freaking out as well as a good shot
on some ghostly hands grabbing at her and
then dragging her up while Karina
comes in trying to look for her and she
vanishes right on time with the camera
rising up over the library. This looked
terrific.
There's a nice shot on Yûka looking
at the model display of the hotel and
then suddenly she's in it.
There's a good anxious dialogues between Yûka
towards Shina on the what
she's seeing in the hotel with him being
blunt towards her which was energetically
directed.
There's a perfect dialogue between Yûka
and supporting actress Miki
Sanjo acting upset about telling her
the history of what happened to her
family in the hotel and showing her a
doll with a good close up shot on the
doll.
There's a good shot on Karina
entering the front doors of the hotel
holding a doll in the mist with ghostly
figureds walking towards her with her
freaking out which looked good as well as
spotting Yûka looking half dead
walking too.
There's a good shot on bit part actress Takako
Fuji as a ghost of a hotel maid hung
and then she moves which makes you jump a
bit as well as Yûka who spots
her does well getting scared screaming.
There's many good shots on people
mysteriously dying arounfd the hotel as
well as Yûka running away or
screaming in a corner. There's also good
takes on her running outside around the
streets with featured extra's as zombie's
coming up to her as the direction on this
looked very freaky and twisted. There's
also a terrific scene with her in a
corner getting scared while the doll
walks up towards her talking to her with
the face changing and looking evil. A
great special effects during that moment.
We hear some nice
moaning windy type of music for the
creepiness of the story as well as lots
of deep classical violin music for the
film which sounded terrifically well done
along with some chants for the opening
sequence all brought together by Kenji
Kawai.
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