Shutter

Introduction

Fashion photographer Ben (Joshua Jackson) and his new wife Jane (Rachael Taylor) go to Japan as he has a job there. To have a short honeymoon before he starts work, they rent a cabin by Mount Fuji but, on the way, they get lost and whilst looking at a map, they hit a girl and spin off the road. Regaining consciousness, they look for her to no avail and the emergency services can find no sign of her.

Jane is haunted by visions of the girl and Ben is troubled by neck and shoulder pains, whilst their photographs display smears and strange images. Ben dismisses these as problems with the camera, but his assistant Seiko (Maya Hazen), says they could be caused by spirit energy.

Unlike Ben, who has worked in Japan and speaks the language, Jane is a fish out of water and uses the time on her hands to investigate these strange photos and, through a spirit photography magazine, discovers the images may be a vengeful ghost.

Video

As it should be for a film only a few months out of the cinema, this is a great transfer. Clear and with good contrast and fine atmospheric location shots.

Audio

The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is similarly effective. Crisp dialogue and good use of surrounds help build the tension and deliver the jumps.

Extra Features

All put together as an EPK, this disc contains many features which don't actually add up to much, containing interviews and features on the director and spirit photography - the 'create your own' photograph is only applicable if you have a Mac. There are numerous deleted and extended scenes, none of which are crying out for inclusion. The best is probably the commentary with Rachael Taylor, writer Luke Dawson and production executive producer Alex Sundell; this is subtitled in the same languages as in the main feature.

Conclusion

This is the latest in a long line of J-horror remakes, all seemingly involving karmic vengeance, technology and a pale lank-haired girl, whose spirit is out for retribution. The original Shutter wasn't that great to begin with; inferior to the likes of Ringu and Dark Water and this is a reasonable remake.

Like the remake of The Grudge, this is set in Japan and helmed by a Japanese director (in this case Masayuki Ochiai) who knows the locations and is best able to use them for atmosphere and effect. Ochiai builds the tension well, with the most effective scene lit entirely by camera flashes.

If you are a fan of the original Shutter, stick to that, but if you have no problem with the remakes, this is acceptable fare with some good jumps.