I admit it: I was far too harsh in my original review of Shutter [1]. Although I enjoyed the movie as it rolled, every person I talked to just after the press screening revealed to me that they hated it. I didn't go that far when I wrote my original review of Shutter, but I did second-guess myself a little bit. Was I just in an extraordinarily receptive mood when I saw it? Shutter is not a love-or-hate it kind of emotion-evoking movie. It doesn't have an important message. There is no deeper meaning. It's just a ghost story. So, there's wiggle room to decide if you really liked or not.
Now that I have seen it again on DVD, and knowing how it ends, able to track all of clues, I like it even better. It does all make sense. (Besides, since when have I needed "sense"? I adore vintage gialli, and those are pretty much the most nonsensical horror movies of all!) Now, that's not to say the characters don't do some pretty dumb things, but don’t they all in this genre at some time or another? Once you let yourself get drawn in, Shutter is serviceable ghost story.
An American remake of a 2004 Thai film by directors Banjong Pisanthanakum and Parkpoom Wongpoom, Shutter follows young newlyweds photographer Ben (Joshua Jackson) and schoolteacher Jane (Rachel Taylor) from their home in the U.S. to his job in Japan, where he will be doing a bucks-up fashion shoot along with some former colleagues of his. Almost immediately, things go terribly wrong when Rachel, driving to their honeymoon cabin with Ben asleep in the passenger seat, hits a pedestrian. Since that pedestrian just happens to be alone on a dark, deserted road, is wearing a white nightgown, and has long black hair and a deathly pale face… well, if you've seen even one Asian ghost movie, I don't have to tell you any more.
Photography is a huge part of the story — and the many kinds of cameras seen and used (Hasselblad, Pentax, Polaroid, Leica, digital, disposable) will be appreciated by shutterbugs everywhere. Furthermore, the cinematography in the movie (by the supremely gifted Katsumi Yanagishima, who also shot Battle Royale) is impeccably composed, beautifully lit, and breathtakingly beautiful at every turn. There is an artistic (but not arty) look to the film that involves a color palette, a crafting of mood, and an eye for detail.
The movie is directed by Masayuki Ochiai, whose other work I have not seen, but I must say that he knows how to tell this story and keep it moving along. He's helped in no small part by the screenplay, which comes from newbie Luke Dawson. True, there aren't any surprises here, but the story as told and interpreted, keeps to a tried and true formula that gives (most) horror fans what they want and expect. Surely, the editors (Timothy Alverson and Michael N. Knue) deserve some credit, as well.
The acting, as noted in my original review, is very good. Taylor pretty much carries the story as our protagonist, but Jackson shoulders much of the load and together they put forth a believable chemistry as newlyweds, and embodiment as haunted souls.
Yes, Shutter is formulaic, but it's presented with style and I do appreciate that.
The unrated DVD contains a lot of additional release material, including a very well-rounded commentary track which includes Taylor and Dawson, as well as production executive Alex Sundell, who remembers all the details such as shooting locations and what happened on which day. More entertaining, certainly, are the recollections of Taylor and Dawson. Dawson was allowed on set for necessary rewrites, and says that being there in that culture and atmosphere helped him out quite a bit with nuance. Taylor has some funny stories, including one about a tee-shirt of hers that the costumer "stole".
Also on the DVD:
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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson
Be sure and check out our exclusive video interviews with Rachel Taylor and Joshua Jackson [2]
Links:
[1] http://www.horror.com/php/article-1920-1.html
[2] http://www.horror.com/php/article-1916-1.html