Fatal Frame

'Fatal Frame' is a Japanese lesbian coming-of-age Gothic ghost mystery with a very Victorian flair, all romanticism, no kink, all yearning, and no consummation. Innocent love? Yes. But anything but harmless.

To go into the film's plot without missing the point its mysteries (and even its main characters) are a bit too ever-changing and evolving, instead I'll say that the main motive of the film has to be John Everett Millais' 'Ophelia', and the film does justice to that evocative painting that is as beautiful as it is tragically sad and even unsettling. The supernatural element (ghosts) can easily be read as manifestations of extreme (often suppressed) emotions like unrequited (and forbidden) love while also being manifestations of a traumatic past. The mysteriousness and eeriness of the film doesn't just exist for its own sake but serves as an apt reflection of what its teenage characters are going through, with their feelings being new, mysterious or even scary to themselves.

If you want to know what you can expect from this film, 'Picnic at Hanging Rock' is probably a good reference point in terms of the Victorian girls' boarding school setting, the ethereal beauty, as well as the eeriness in broad daylight. The plot also involves girls suddenly disappearing, but the way in which this fits into the narrative and its function has much more in common with 'Ringu' and its dooming curse than it does with the inexplicable mysteriousness of nature in the Peter Weir classic. But in terms of the general look, feel and pacing it can be somewhat compared to 'A Tale of Two Sisters'. The way in which the mysteries pile up without ever losing the plot and having everything neatly come together is more in line with Vincenzo Natali's 'Haunter' or maybe a compressed version of a mystery anime series.

Even though its eeriness I thought was at its highest towards the beginning and in the last section the piling up of mysteries and their explanations exceed the film's climactic point, the atmosphere never lets up, nor does the subdued beauty of its visuals (I love the texture and color palette of its 16mm Kodak film stock) ever lose its classical magic. 'Fatal Frame' is conceived in the modern Japanese storytelling mode (teen-centric, lots of emotion-centric voice-overs that never leave you in doubt about character motivations, etc.), which isn't to everyone's liking, but if you are OK with this or maybe even have an affinity for that mode and if my other descriptions also sounded good to you then this one comes highly recommended.

If you're a huge fan of the Fatal Frame series or a huge nerd when it comes to Japanese folk culture you would probably be just as disappointed as I am.

The Fatal Frame series always included the Camera Obscura and several vengeful spirits that have major occurring roles. This movie barely has both except for a few occasional appearances and cameos.

Also, call me biased just because I'm an ex-Catholic, but I didn't really like the fact that Christianity, more specifically Catholicism, plays a role in this film. It just seems very foreign and more akin to western horror stories that have more Abrahamic themes to them. The original game series had a dark Shinto/Buddhist motif to them, even more faithful to the traditional Japanese horror theme it always conveyed. Meanwhile this film had none of that. Not a single torii, or Buddha statue was seen, and those two are even major cornerstones of Japanese culture. Yes, this is pretty much opinionated as I like Shinto and Buddhism more than Christianity, but still.

Note: Check me out as the "Asian Movie Enthusiast" on YouTube, where I review tons of Asian movies.

Zero: Fatal Frame (2014) (Japanese Horror).

Using references to the character Ophelia from William Shakespeare's "Hamlet", this film revolves around a Catholic girls school in Japan where strange events occur after a girl inexplicably becomes an anti-social shut-in. This has a classy, Gothic Euro vibe to it that is supplemented with horror elements that utilize zero jump scares. As one online reviewer noted, "the director builds her fright effects more from whispered rumors, girlish crushes and the nebulous border between dreams and reality, the living and the dead." The atmosphere is thick, resulting in a dreamy, hypnotic experience. There are some very cool, lengthy shots to enjoy. Good scoring too. The ending is somewhat run-of-the-mill, but this is high quality stuff.

This film is loosely based on the popular video game, which I have not played. Internet rumblings say that this movie is entirely different, and not as scary.

Having watched this film, the only notable thing I can say about it is the lesbian relationships and how the relationships between girls are handled, and how its so rare to see in horror movies, or movies in general to be a focus.  But even then, you have the Whispering Corridor movies, which have handled such matters far better, while being more interesting than this.

The acting is fine, serviceable I'd say, but not great. The music, though I don't remember any of it was fine, due to it not annoying me or thinking any choices were bad or distracting. The plot though, is not very good.

Things are pretty interesting at first, a girl who locks herself away and students seem to be infatuated with her, then a photo shows up and a ghostly apparition of her shows up and then people start disappearing. Nothing groundbreaking, but you want to know what happens with a setup like that. Unfortunately, none of the characters really stand out, and are mostly forgettable, and by the third act when things are getting revealed, you start to realise that it's rather stupid and some character motivations start to make a lot less sense. There are no scares here really, no real tension, except maybe with the girls in a 'will they, wont they' thing and some ham-fisted symbolism, no thrills, not even that malaise that occurs in some horror films, where it's not necessarily terrifying you, but you still feel uncomfortable. I'd say it barely qualifies as even creepy.

At times this movie feels like a low rent Whispering Corridors knockoff(where some of the same criticisms could be leveled at some movies in the series, but they at least have better plots with more engaging characters), with very loose ties to its license. The plot and overall tone feel quite trite with a been there, done that bland feeling. It does nothing new, and what it does, it does adequately well and nothing more.

Watch the Whispering Corridors movies instead if you want a horror movie tackling lesbian relationships or tackling female relationships within an all girls environment. If you want to see the Fatal Frame series on the big screen, well buy a projector and get a PS2 and Wii, because you wont get it here. And no, I haven't approached this movie as a fan of the game and wanting to see it represented in movie form, I just wanted to watch a good movie.

I do have to say, it's nothing like the game's plot, while it does share some core similarities. It might even have a Camera Obscura reference, but that's it. Twisted and warped into something creepy and potentially interesting.. until more information is given, and the magic is lost. You could argue that this is the kind of adaptation that takes inspiration more than trying to recreate, and I commend it for it.

Personally, I feel the "final revelation" was completely unnecessary!

Had it reached that point where it was confusing enough to not really be sure as to what was happening, it would have been really memorable.. but it didn't stop short, and it kind of ruined it (not to mention a few moments where it goes too far with silliness like the Shaman moment). In retrospect, parts feel overwritten, and could be better condensed into a simpler script. Still, the creepy moments and really interesting visuals, editing and effects throughout made this an enjoyable movie for those interested in the genre. It also felt longer than it is, which means I was lost in it. I would recommend it if you have the patience for it.

... As a side note, I was shocked the see the annoyingly over-energetic Ayami Nakajou on a primary role in a "horror movie", but now I can see why. And I'm also not sure about the constant "curse only girls are affected by" and the possibility of a subtext (girls falling in love with other girls) and the people involved trying to say something about it. Maybe there's more to it..