FilmFan
10-07-2009, 09:40 PM
http://www.hauntedhouse.com/blog/uploaded_images/juon-745884.jpg
Ju-on aka The Curse
Running time: 70 minutes
Directed by: Takashi Shimizu
Starring: Yûrei Yanagi
IMDB rating: 6.8
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0330500/
The film begins with a man and his pregnant wife. He's a teacher, and he heads out to the home of a male pupil who hasn't been in school recently. He finds the kid alone, and looks around the house a bit. As he does so, the boy begins to make a weird, cat-like sounds behind him, and the screen cuts to black. From this point on, there are 4/5 segments, each showing various events taking place in and around the same house, but it's unclear whether they are from the past or future. We then go back to the man and boy from earlier, and then there's a final chapter that clears things up a bit.
Most of these scenes created an unnerving atmosphere, and the endings in particular were very good. But part of this was negatively affected by the fact that I spent a fair bit of time wondering if I'd somehow missed or misunderstood something that had come before, as I couldn't quite figure out how the different characters knew one another, or if they knew one another at all.
The film looked low budget, but also very well made, a good example of what can be achieved very little money and a good idea. Although it was released straight-to-video, it earned a good reputation through word of mouth, leading to higher budget sequels and then an American remake starring Sarah Michelle Gellar (all of which were directed by the original director, Takashi Shimizu)
A lot of Japanese horror films do seem to have an element of "Hmm, this is a bit confusing" to them, and that was certainly the case here. Overall, I think that the film is worth watching if you're a fan of J-Horror, but mostly because of the merits of individuals scenes, rather than the the plot development or overall story arc. It's not one of the best of the genre, but, despite the overly familiar young-Japanese-ghost-girl, it's a pretty original offering.
6.25/10
Ju-on aka The Curse
Running time: 70 minutes
Directed by: Takashi Shimizu
Starring: Yûrei Yanagi
IMDB rating: 6.8
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0330500/
The film begins with a man and his pregnant wife. He's a teacher, and he heads out to the home of a male pupil who hasn't been in school recently. He finds the kid alone, and looks around the house a bit. As he does so, the boy begins to make a weird, cat-like sounds behind him, and the screen cuts to black. From this point on, there are 4/5 segments, each showing various events taking place in and around the same house, but it's unclear whether they are from the past or future. We then go back to the man and boy from earlier, and then there's a final chapter that clears things up a bit.
Most of these scenes created an unnerving atmosphere, and the endings in particular were very good. But part of this was negatively affected by the fact that I spent a fair bit of time wondering if I'd somehow missed or misunderstood something that had come before, as I couldn't quite figure out how the different characters knew one another, or if they knew one another at all.
The film looked low budget, but also very well made, a good example of what can be achieved very little money and a good idea. Although it was released straight-to-video, it earned a good reputation through word of mouth, leading to higher budget sequels and then an American remake starring Sarah Michelle Gellar (all of which were directed by the original director, Takashi Shimizu)
A lot of Japanese horror films do seem to have an element of "Hmm, this is a bit confusing" to them, and that was certainly the case here. Overall, I think that the film is worth watching if you're a fan of J-Horror, but mostly because of the merits of individuals scenes, rather than the the plot development or overall story arc. It's not one of the best of the genre, but, despite the overly familiar young-Japanese-ghost-girl, it's a pretty original offering.
6.25/10