31 Nights of Halloween Horror - Night 26 - Shutter

Shutter

97 mins.

Dir. Banjing Pisanthanakun & Parkpoom Wongpoom

2004/Thailand

This was remade in America in 2008, never saw the remake so can’t compare.  But I can only imagine it was lame as most American remakes of foreign films are.  If you have seen it and haven’t seen the original.  For shame, get on this one because it packs the creepy Asian ghost girl in plenty of frames.

Jane and Tun are driving one night when Jane accidentally hits a girl walking across the street, the car spins out of control and hits a sign.  Tun tells her to drive off when they see the girl’s body in the street not moving.  Apparently, they did not now that in Asia when someone is done wrong when they die, they will come back and haunt your ass and that is exactly what happens next. 

Tun is a photographer, and first notices some strange images in some film he has developed.  At first he thinks his camera is broken, but after having it repaired he clearly sees the image of a ghostly woman’s face.  Soon enough the ghost girl starts manifesting outside of film and into the lives of Jane and Tun.  As the story unfolds it is revealed that Tun actually has a connection to the girl they hit and maybe she was already dead when they hit her.  Soon all of Tun’s friends die from suicide and Tun’s fears he is next as the hauntings become more and more frequent.  Can anything put this ghost’s spirit at ease?  Watch it and find out because I am not spoiling this one.  The more Jane digs into Tun’s past the more that is revealed.

Shutter definitely has some good scares in the long black-haired ghost vein variety.  Unfortunately, this was all probably more impactful when this movie first came out.  By now the long black-haired Asian ghost girl has been played out and has lost most of its threat.  Regardless though they are still creepy looking and I have no desire to ever encounter one.  As good as this movie is, and it is a good one, I found the story to move a little slow.  But that just might be the story telling style in these Asian films.  The first time I saw this flick, I loved the ending, thought it was a great reveal and something I had not seen in a movie before.  Upon this second viewing, I was able to catch some nuances that lead to how this would all be revealed that I had missed upon first time seeing this.  But it still totally holds up.

Like long black-haired host girls or Asian horror?  Definitely check out Shutter.  Only seen the American remake?  Make sure you watch this one.  Despite the ghost look we have seen numerous times before, this movie has a good story to back it all up and plenty of creep factor to make you take a second look at the pictures you take.