The Ring, The Eye, The Grudge, and many more with the new addition of Shutter the latest made for America ghost story ripped from the Asian film market. I have really given a try to all these and they just seem to follow a redundant formula as simplistic as a zombie after human flesh, However zombies have endless possibilities and Asian ghosts seem to be limited to ridiculous noises and almost look identical every bloody time. The question I have going into this film is will this break from that routine that we come to expect when we see these Asian ghost revenge re-makes?

Shutter moves along at a fast pace, like the snap of a camera it wastes no time. Within the first few opening scenes there are cameras being used both digital and disposable at the wedding of our main guy Ben (Joshua Jackson) and his freshly wed wife Jane (Rachel Taylor). Back at their apartment you see an enlarged photo of Jane on their wall; this gives you a premonition that some one is a photographer.

The newly wed couple decides to leave their home in New York and move to Japan so that Ben can get a better photography job. On the way to their destination it just so happens to be night time, they just so happen to be in a car and they just so happen to be driving down a spooky road in a forest. You all know what happens and just as you’re picturing in your head some one or something stepping out onto that road, sounds of a body being crunched beneath the wheels of the car ring out, and of course they swerve and crash. When they both regain consciousness, they discover no body, no blood, nothing. Jane feels guilt and paranoia that she hit a girl and Ben tries to give her comfort, convincing her that the girl she possibly hit is ok otherwise there would have been a body or evidence of any kind.

When things seem to calm down, they pick right back up again when Ben’s pictures for work have some mysterious light blotches in them. Thinking this may have been caused by the crash he ignores it, until even more photos show up and happenings that could be only described as supernatural begin to occur. Jane researches this and discovers that these photo mistakes may be linked to the girl she thinks she ran over, who seems to haunt the couple in photos and now physical form. As Jane plays detective to find out the reasoning for this ghost harassing them, she soon discovers that Ben has quite a few secrets that will drive her to a not so pleasant Kodak moment.

This film is going to be rabidly compared to The Ring and the others that follow suit, however for me I have to say I really did enjoy the ghost Megumi (Megumi Okina) a bit more in Shutter because they give you a bit of insight to her life and what kind of person she was, giving the ghost a human value that unveils how fragile the character seemed and how certain events involving bens colleagues would lead to her own sad self destruction. Her quiet mannerisms as a ghost and innocent looks make you feel no fear when viewing her, so when she does something to scare or terrify it really drives the desired effect home sometimes. It’s almost like a raccoon, most people would think are harmless but can exert a vicious trait that is very shocking because it’s unexpected.

In conclusion the movie really tries hard to bring something new and exciting to the table but sadly does not fully succeed. They might do a few scenes that stand out such as the attack on Ben that can only be seen when a flash occurs, or electrocuting yourself in two spots randomly in hopes to maybe make the ghost go away? The small glimpses into the culture around Japan also are a nice added bonus to the film. I think the best thing of all is the fun Photoshopping phantom lesson they give you in the special features section. Knowing this craft makes me feel like I can be a better person by making awesome haunted photos like this (extreme sarcasm here simply because I suck at Photoshop and struggled with this probably like the people trying to make a movie that breaks from the usual ghost story playbook.

If you are into the supernatural, the people responsible for the special feature content really go out of their way for you. The Hunt For The Haunt: Tools and Tips For Ghost Hunting featurette gives you pretty basic tips that would be common knowledge for people who are up on ghost hunting but a good introductory for those interested in seeking out a specter. Create Your Own Phantom Photo as I stated earlier just gives you tutorial on how to make haunted photos which is fun and interactive. And on the subject of photography, A History of Spirit Photography reveals how this phenomenon has been around since the late 1800’s. Rounding out the rest section is A Conversation with Luke Dawson, A Cultural Divide: Shooting in Japan,   and of course the most popular section, Deleted Scenes and Alternate Takes. The Deleted Scenes section really can be a hit or miss, sometimes it adds nothing or sometimes seeing something done differently than what's in the film can sometimes change or give you a better understand of the film. In this case the alternate ending while very brief is strong and well done and would have caused the ending to be even gloomier than it already is.

-derek-