Product Description

Treading territory similar to JU-ON: THE GRUDGE (2003), RINGU (1998), and ONE MISSED CALL (2003), all Asian horror films remade for American audiences, SHUTTER is the first English-language film for director Masayuki Ochiai, whose career has been primarily within the horror genre. The result is another potent ghost story able to conjure up feelings of dread through a single longhaired, poker-faced female apparition. Newlywed New Yorkers Ben (Joshua Jackson, THE SKULLS) and Jane Shaw (Rachael Taylor, TRANSFORMERS) have traveled to Tokyo, where photographer Ben is investigating a potentially lucrative job opportunity. While driving on a dark road at night, the couple runs over a mysterious woman who seems to appear out of nowhere and can't be found after the accident. Over the next few days, Jane goes sightseeing while Ben works, only to see strange apparitions that also appear on the photos she takes. After Ben's photos show the same ghostly forms, he confesses that he knows something about the woman they ran over, but it may be too late to stop her trail of terror. Another Hollywood remake of an Asian horror film, SHUTTER has a tricky lineage: the 2004 original was made in Thailand, while this version is U.S.-financed, but shot mostly in Japan. By setting the film in Japan, director Ochiai retains an element of exoticism for American audiences, which also allows Ben and Jane to be out of their element, la DON'T LOOK NOW. As the menacing spirit, Megumi, Megumi Okina is adept at conjuring fear with a simple glare in a minimal but effective performance. SHUTTER doesn't stretch the boundaries of horror cinema, but it provides a handful of decent shocks and a couple of crowd-pleasing gross-outs, all within the limits of a non-restrictive PG-13 rating.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #39748 in DVD
• Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
• Released on: 2008-07-15
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.25 pounds
• Running time: 85 minutes

Amazon.com
Based on a 2004 Thai horror flick, this surprisingly effective Hollywood remake is actually set in Tokyo. That's where newlywed hubby Joshua Jackson has taken bride Rachael Taylor (Transformers) for an ill-advised honeymoon. They hit a woman standing in the middle of a spooky road, after which all sorts of ghosts seem to emerge from Jackson's camera (he's come to Japan for a fashion-photography gig). Can our plucky heroine, a fish out of water in a confusing city, find the answer to this haunted puzzle? Well, yes, but she won't like what she finds. Shutter is distinguished by director Mayasuki Ochiai's compositional eye, which favors the empty, creeped-out spaces in which ghosts might dwell. The movie also gets into the phenomenon of "spirit photography," which suggests that the dear departed make their presence known as white flashes in snapshots. That stuff's kind of fun; unfortunately, Ochiai's ear for dialogue is as clunky as his eye is sharp, and Jackson and Taylor are saddled with some truly unfortunate exposition. The actors don't leave much of an impression either, although Megumi Okina (leading lady of Ju-on: The Grudge) is sufficiently spooky as a woman who will not be ignored. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews

Tired of Horror Movie Snobs - This Movie Wasn't That Bad!!!
Ok, I hesitated buying this movie because of the reviews here and from what I had heard. I own the original Thai release of this movie and love it. I decided to buy this movie and I'm not sorry that I did. It is not that bad. The photography was good, the effects were good, the actors were good...the story is not original, it is borrowed...but then again so are most the stories out there. I liked the twist on the ending that this one had. Give this movie a chance and don't listen to horror movie snobs who probably only give a 5-star if peoples limbs are hanging on by a thread and there are buckets of blood and guts. If you want a good movie about a ghost haunting someone that did them wrong, then you won't be sorry with this movie.

Check It Out!
I wanted to buy this movie, so I figured I would check out some reviews here on Amazon.

After reading said reviews, I was somewhat discouraged and thought renting might be a better idea. Since I knew I would at least enjoy the location shots in Japan, renting wouldn't be a waste.

Well, I was pleasantly surprised! I really enjoyed this movie. It may well have some minor plot flaws, but what movie doesn't? All in all, I found it intriguing and pretty well-paced. To me it was as much a mystery as a horror flick. Having both those elements is what maintained my interest.

I've never seen the original Thai movie; however, now I intend to buy both versions. Even my husband and daughter liked it!

Maybe this movie isn't one everyone enjoyed, but sometimes it's a good idea to check it out for yourself.

[1.5] "Shutter" won't make you shudder, but . . .
you may die laughing at what these filmmakers consider scary. What is scary is that anyone kept a straight face while filming this latest Asian influenced horror film.

**This review may contain some minor spoilers**

Simply put, with the focus on "simply", this is a tale of a newlywed couple that moves to Japan immediately after their wedding so that the husband, Ben Shaw (played by the wooden Canadian actor Joshua Jackson of Dawson's Creek), can accept a job as a high fashion photographer in a firm that is run by his buddies, Bruno and Adam, who quickly come off as both suspicious and somewhat seedy. Of course, all these young men in this film are once again played with the stereotypical "grunge" look of 5 o'clock shadows and wrinkled suits with no ties and we are again expected to believe these young professionals are "running" a company in Japan which is a country and culture that is known for formality.

Ben's wife, Jane (boringly played by Rachael Taylor from Transformers who was the British computer geek) is onto this quickly, but says nothing. In fact, her blank expression is the best one she has as an actress and only gives us a small snapshot of her "acting" ability near the end of the film. She is just a blank slate throughout most of this film and that is only part her fault as her director should have demanded more of her or he should have given her more guidance, but then again, the script is tremendously at fault as well and speaking of which . . .

On route to their honeymoon spot in Japan, Jane runs over a woman standing in the middle of the road to which her loving and compassionate husband eventually responds with "Don't let something like this ruin our honeymoon." He follows that up with "She's probably fine" since she didn't stick around --even though BOTH the front and back tires rolled over her, bouncing the car like crazy into a ditch. I kid you not. These lines were said; they are direct quotes from this incredible unbelievable and hugely unintentionally funny Asian influenced horror yarn that is beyond cliche-ridden.

After this "tragic" event that is nothing more than a blip on their radar scope, Jane "sees" the ghost of this woman she ran over in her husband's photographs, in misty images, and in reflections all over the place. So does her husband who seems to want to keep it all to himself and make his wife believe she is nuts as he's crawling around on the floor while attempting to allude this ghost in a sensationally and unintentionally funny moment that is followed up with a "Hi dear" when his wife discovers this episode. This film is filled with moments like this and I can't help but point out another one in which Ben takes a photograph of himself that includes the ghost . . . not kidding now . . . sitting on his shoulders and he runs around trying to get her off. Only Jim Carey could have done this moment funnier. I, my whole family, and the entire theater I watched this film in was dying with laughter. This is a horror film??????

Now add to this that the Japanese ghost easily reminds one of the ghost in The Grudge and that film has, unfortunately, been parodied to death. In fact, there is nearly nothing original in this film that copies almost every Asian horror flick known to man. Combine that with lackluster, nearly boring, acting by all involved, tiresome overused special effects, pedestrian direction and you get a film that is a real failure. The only positive thing I can really say about this film is that it gave me and my family a very unexpected laugh. It deserves the 1.5 star I gave it and below is my rating (or "ranting") scale in connection to food:

* = hopeless (may cause intense nausea or death)
* 1/2 = poor (you may survive viewing this film, but Pepto-bismol may be required)
** = mediocre (may leave a bad after taste in your mouth)
** 1/2 = acceptable (this is like eating your not-so-favorite cold cut sandwich - nothing special, but fills your gut)
*** = good (goes down easy enough, but you wish it was a better more substantial meal)
*** 1/2 = very good (you feel well feed after this one)
**** = excellent (glued to the screen while eating your favorite snack w/o guilt)
**** 1/2 = outstanding (you feel like you are at your favorite all-you-can-eat buffet)
***** = masterpiece (you feel like you are at your favorite all-you-can-eat buffet where you can't gain any weight . . . or the film is just a personal favorite and may not truly deserve a 5 star rating --lol) "

-Steve, 3/25/08