Didn't see this section earlier so I have thought of a Film to review, horror of course.
Horror Reviews not my Horror Reviews.
Along with comedies, horror movies are perhaps unique among film genres in that they don't necessarily have to work in order to work. Character development, act structure, changes, choices, climaxes - everything a good movie is supposed to have - they get tossed out the window. Fear, which is an involuntary emotion, can't be intellectualized or compartmentalized the same way pathos can. The heebie jeebies don't stand justification, the collywobbles deny even the best attempts at comprehension. If a horror movie is done right, it should scare the audience, and if it does that then it can be considered a success even if the rest of the movie isn't.
And by that standard, Pulse works.
To be sure, at no point does Pulse make enough sense to be mistaken for anything resembling coherence. The plot is murky, the motivations vague. The filmmakers attempt several times to explain what's actually happening. For instance, there is some talk during the film of increased bandwidth opening a portal to the netherworld, or the spirit universe, or wherever the critters materialize from. Then there's more discussion about how maybe a computer virus can, in fact, kill these creatures. Or maybe the creatures are themselves a virus. And that they can be stopped by red packing tape, because apparently they vibrate at a different frequency than the color red. Or something. Frankly, the whole thing is rather nebulous. In the end, though, what matter are the frights. Here, at least, Pulse delivers.
There are two sequences in particular that deserve special recognition as being especially well done. The first is when Mattie visits her boyfriend's apartment after he stops returning her calls. The scene, as it's written by Wes Craven, is suspenseful to begin with because it's full of dramatic irony; The audience knows, although Mattie doesn't, that her boyfriend Josh has been attacked by the virus people and is now a virus person himself. But notice how the visit isn't about creatures jumping out from behind walls or cacophonous noises, but rather about the unease caused by growing dread - especially the dread associated with knowing when something's wrong with a loved one but being unable to articulate it. The way the scene ends, with a grim discovery, is shocking.
Another scene, near the end of the picture, is equal to the first in its effect. It comes after the false climax, and is a jolt right before the supposed resolution. The scene, which will go unspoiled for those intent on seeing the movie, is a play on the medieval concept of sanctuary, but in a totally original and quite ingenious way. Well done.
Pulse deserves further credit for actually being about something, in so far as a totally incomprehensible film can be about anything. Every character in the movie is constantly on a cell phone, or email, or instant messaging program. This is how at several key points during the film they actually communicate. It's a curious fact that although all these modern day conveniences purport to bring people closer together, they actually drive people further apart. It would be ejaculatory, of course, to declare Pulse on par with the great Romero zombie movies, which were satire writ large. But there's a point here, buried beneath the silliness: hooking everything up to wireless networks will cause you to be possessed by evil, dead spirits who want your soul, causing your body to eventually either a) be sucked into a wall or b) explode in a fiery hail of ash. Texting is no way to go through life. It's true. You can look it up.
As a whole, Pulse itself is something of a rarity among recent horror movies in that it takes itself completely seriously. It doesn't nod or wink at the audience, doesn't contain any knowing looks or in-jokes. And although it uses horror conventions, it doesn't bow to them. It makes no sense, but at least it makes no sense in the spirit of solemnity. To make no sense and be ironic is a fate worse than texting.
Ultimately, Pulse is a competent horror film which delivers a few scenes of sublime terror. It doesn't all make sense, and some of it's quite silly, but it's a success as a horror movie. It works.
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Sorry friends, this is one film you won't be sorry you missed. No thrills, chills or characters you can care about. No one seems to care when his fate is discovered. I'm guessing the props dept had a lot of bugs around and wanted to use them up.