STUDIO: Fox
RELEASE DATE: July 15, 2008
STARRING: Rachael Taylor, Joshua Jackson, James Kyson Lee, and David Denman
WRITTEN BY: Luke Dawson
DIRECTED BY: Masayuki Ochiai
FEATURES: Commentary By Producer, Screenwriter And Actress Rachael Taylor
A Ghost In The Lens Featurette
A Cultural Divide: Shooting In Japan Featurette
The Director: Masayuki Ochiai Featurette
A Conversation With Luke Dawson Featurette
A History Of Spirit Photography Featurette
Create Your Own Phantom Photo
The Hunt For The Haunt: Tools And Tips For Ghost Hunting Featurette
In Character With Joshua Jackson
Japanese Spirit Photography Videos
Alternate And Deleted Scenes, Including Alternate Ending

Haven't we had enough? Show me an Asian horror remake and I'll show you a film loathed by nearly every critic and ticket-buying movie goer who saw it. This year alone, we've suffered through One Missed Call, The Eye, and Shutter. Could these actually be final nail one, two, and three in this failed trend? (Probably not, as there are still a few more, including A Tale of Two Sisters, in the pipeline.) They all end up with nearly the same stats - a 3 to 5 user rating on IMDB, $25-35 million in domestic box office, and under-25% on Rotten Tomatoes. Why do we keep doing the same dance to only vaguely different tunes? If Asian audiences scream, Hollywood finds a way to mess it up a few years later. So, the question is does Shutter break the pattern? The problem is that even if there was a good Asian horror remake, no one would give it the credit it deserved. We've all been scarred way too many times. Of course, that would imply that Shutter is a good Asian horror remake. It's not. Certainly better than the horrible One Missed Call (with its legendary 0% on Rotten Tomatoes) but a nearly-lateral move from the bad The Eye, Shutter keeps the Asian horror train rolling on the same mediocre track. Once again, the only way to go couldn't be more obvious - rent the original.

Shutter is about a pair of New York newlyweds (Rachael Taylor and Joshua Jackson) who move to Japan for the new groom's latest photography assignment. Early on their arrival, the pair are driving late at night and see a woman standing in the middle of the road. They hit her and spin out. Or did they? After that, they start to see ghostly images in their photography and it gets weirder from there. Based on an effective Thai film, Shutter makes the classic mistake of taking a moody piece and trying to make it more traditionally American.

What works about Shutter? Star Rachael Taylor (Transformers) has screen presence and Joshua Jackson (Dawson's Creek) is a reasonably charismatic lead. They're not as hard to watch as some of the leads in this tormented genre (see One Missed Call for the definition of dull acting). In fact, they almost push Shutter to a moderately recommended rental. Even more remarkable is that Shutter actually looks good. The film has been expertly shot by Katsumi Yanagishima (Battle Royale, Zatoichi) and the fact is that so many of these remakes look horrible. Finding one that looks expertly made, especially on Blu-Ray, goes a long way in dulling the pain. But it's still there and this time it's being inflicted by writer Luke Dawson and director Masayuki Ochiai, two men who don't clearly understand how to scare an audience. The original Shutter was no masterpiece, but it had a central concept that was effective and a good mystery at its core. Dawson and Ochiai make the classic mistake of using noise and drastic cuts and zooms to scare the audience. There's still nothing scarier than a creaky door or a banging window but Asian horror remakes try to deafen their audience into fear. Shutter is no exception. What should have been frightening is just loud and Taylor, Jackson, and Yanagishima can't save it.