Shutter

I saw this movie for the first time 2 weeks ago at the Bangkok International Film Fest and it is amazing!! Not only is it scary as hell ( I've never screamed so much in a movie before and I'm an avid horror movie fan), it has a wonderful and original plot line. Throughout the entire movie, i thought i was going to have a heart attack i was so scared. I give a lot of credit to the 2 young directors of this movie. They are only in their early 20's and concocted a unique and entertaining film. Yesterday I just bought it on DVD and I cannot wait to watch it with my friends at home; they'll love it! This is a definite must see for all horror/thriller fans!

It's no big news that the horror industry has been in decline for the last 10 or so years. Western horror movies have all been dry-ed up and Hollywood is desperately remaking any Asian horror that has a 5 plus rating on IMDb. Because there people are still making good horror and of course Hollywood has to cash in on that. One such movie that will probably be remade in the next two years is "Shutter". Coming straight from Thailand this is not just good, it's fantastic, probably the most terrifying ride I had since I saw "In The Mouth Of Madness" a few years back. Grabs you by the hand from the first minute and never let's go until the end. The way horror is supposed to be.

"Shutter" follows a pretty standard formula in terms of plot. A photographer is haunted by the ghost of a woman and as the story unfolds we understand the reason why. Not the most original work, but it's solid in terms of writing and dialogue. The final conclusion is a very ironic yet satisfying experience, in touch with the atmosphere and tension build up to this point. Characters are likable enough so it get's very nerve-wrecking when they find themselves in danger. In fact it's safe to say that the entire movie is nerve-wrecking, psychologically painful and outright scary. This is all done with no small thanks to directors Pisanthanakun and Wongpoom through great camera-work, intimidating make-up effects and careful use of digital effects to enhance the horror elements. It is this careful balance that makes "Shutter" brilliant, it didn't allow itself to be dominated by CGI instead it used a combination of classic horror effects with modern computer generated ones. The atmosphere created is so wonderfully scary and that is no small feat to accomplish considering what is spewed from the U.S. these. Stuff like "Hostel" or "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (remake) that just pour down gore and think it creates horror. It does not, "Shutter" shows that you must have a certain amount of skill, understanding of the human psyche, what makes us tick, what makes us afraid and then exploit that. Bombarding us with only gore won't do the trick. Hopefully someone will learn that lesson once and for all. Another aspect that is worth noting is the score, once again brilliant stuff composed with a low key piano piece that greatly boosts the atmosphere.

Somewhere out there in Hollywood the cash-filled minds of screenwriters are "preparing" "Shutter" for remaking . They will try to make it "better" by casting some A-list overrated pop-idol celebrity. They will dumb it down to a PG-13 rating so that kids would go and see it. They will butcher the story entirely and in the end it will be turned into a shallow, tasteless film devoid of any sort of merit. Hopefully through that remake somewhere, someone will be able to discover the true "Shutter" a horror movie made with more love and devotion than all of those remakes combined.

Shutter starts with using the ghost appearance phenomena on photograph as the main theme, but as far as the movie goes, it reveals the plot regarding to long-lost love and bitter past life of the main character. i didn't expect too much from Shutter cause i thought it'd be another regular horror movie. (and it's from Thailand, which has produced some bad quality movie of this genre) At the end, i liked it. OK, it contains Asian-horror cliché, but the plot, the story and the puzzle are well-connected. not to mentioned the shocking sound effects and the superb conclusion. it's a big treat for Asian horror fans. very recommended (8/10)

In Bangkok, after celebrating a drinking party with his closest friends, the photographer Tun (Ananda Everingham) and his girlfriend Jane (Natthaweeranuch Thongmee) have a car accident on the road, with Jane hitting a girl. Tun does not allow her to help the girl and they ran away leaving the girl lying on the road. When Tun reveals his latest pictures, he finds some mysterious shadows, while the couple is systematically haunted by the ghost of the girl. Tun investigates and finds that the victim was his former shy and weird girlfriend Natre (Achita Sikamana), who studied with him in the college. Later Jane discloses deep and hidden secrets about the relationship of Natre, Tun and his friends.

"Shutter" is a creepy and a very, but really very scary horror movie. The story is very well developed, in an excellent pace, with a twist to an unexpected direction and with a great and consistent conclusion. The cinematography intensely explores the red and some black and white very well and the effects are simple but stunning. There is an interesting Message Board, where an IMDb User brilliantly asked: "What is your scariest moment?" It is amazing to read the number of different scenes selected by the users. My favorite scene is when Tun is in the black room revealing a photo, Jane arrives and the phone rings. These samples show that the film offers many frightening moments. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Espíritos, A Morte Está Ao Seu Lado" ("Spirit, Death is At Your Side")

Not that i've seen every Asian horror movie out there of course. i've seen most of the biggies though - ring, ring 2, ju-on, dark water, cure, plus some others i can't remember the names of, and this is up there with the best.

Style-wise its not very original and borrows heavily from the Ring in its presentation, but whats wrong with that? Especially when its done as well as this. It's also scarier than the ring in terms of jump-out- of-the-seat moments, though it doesn't have any scenes quite on a par with the ring's freaky crawl out the telly scene, but then that's probably the best horror scene ever so I can forgive it for that! As well as the scares you've got good acting, good well structured plot and a really great ending - I didn't see it coming at all.

In conclusion, if you liked the ring you will love this. 9/10