Guys, seriously... It's been on YouTube for a long while now, and it's still there. Check it out. The remake doesn't hold a candle to it. Please don't allow the remake to give you the impression that the original is not scary at all...because it totally is. You'll see. :)
shareI watched it on youtube today and yes you are absolutely right. I watched half of the remake then watched the original and the original had moments where I just gasped at some scenes as they were so unexpected. The remake on the other hand, had no suspense whatsoever and once again like so many american horrors, relies to much on gory specia effects. I'm sorry but it just ain't convincing.
The original has a lot more elements to it which make it successful as a horror film and I think it also touches more on the cultural elements such as the spirit etc.
I think the main problem with the American remakes is that it relies too much on effects and elements which work so well in Asian horror that it is more relevant to them and their culture. But it is also due to the fact that Americans rely too much on special effects and cheap thrills.
I saw the original version a couple of years ago and thought that it was above average, AND it had some genuinely scary, jump-out-of-your-seat moments which I found pleasantly surprising. There was a level of tension there that reels you in and keeps you invested in the film.
I then caught the remake on FX today, and was bored to death. I'm sitting there, sitting for approximately 40 minutes into the movie, waiting for something to happen...and nothing. Just dull, pointless meandering. I continue to watch, and still...nothing. The atmosphere is off, the characters are boring, and I'm not sensing any originality, nor interesting developments, nor anything else to distinguish it from the superior, original version. Coupled with the fact that there was NO suspense whatsoever, it made this movie very dragging. It was not entertaining, and it was just very uninteresting overall.
I beg to differ. While the American remake of Shutter was not all that impressive, neither was the original source material. IMO, Korea's Shutter was just another rip on Ringu and The Grudge what with the ghost in massive need of a scrunchie or ponytail holder. Also, I thought Megumi's rape was much more effective in our version with her just being carried off then gangbanged in the hallway.
I also liked how our's focused more on the wife then the husband. Where the original dealt primarily with the husband's guilt, I thought the wife was pretty much forgotten about and she came across as a bit of a btch. Jane was much more of a stronger person even when she discovered the truth about the man she thought she knew.
"What's the fastest way to kill a slasher flick? Slap it with a PG-13."
Sorry for sounding snobby, but I think you meant Thailand instead of Korea. :)
The blonde actress in the remake is drop dead gorgeous...so it's a given that they'd focus on her. With the original, one of the reasons why the story is so effective is because they DO focus on the guy. HE is the one who erred in the biggest way..NOT Jane. Jane had nothing to do with Tun and Natre's past, so why the need to focus so much on her? Despite what I think though, the movie still included her in a lot of scenes, and I could really appreciate how creepy and suspenseful her "stairways" scene was.
Getting back to the remake, I honestly think it wouldn't have bothered me as much if they had actually made the ghost appear scary. It's almost as if they didn't even try. I've even come across some comments on this board about how the ghost looks like a normal girl who's...alive. LOL
(SPOILER ALERT...maybe not? lol)
One last thing I wanna share is how I think the remake's most major flaw is how they changed up the deaths. The original version actually makes sense with the ghost killing everyone in the same manner that she herself died. This aspect of the story was so consistent that even the main character falls out of a building in the end, even though he survived.
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Glad I could make you laugh :) I only mentioned Youtube since it's quick to access, and the website is, without a doubt, well known. Apparently, a lot of people on these boards don't want to make the effort to watch the movie since they don't feel like taking the time to download it or rent the dvd. I've even come across some people who think that since it's a Thai movie, it's not readily available for us to watch it in the states. Ridiculous, I know.
shareI have just watched a couple of minutes of it and noticed it was set in Tokyo, then there was a flashback and a Japanese looking girl jumped on a car and I thought "is this a remake of something better?" Now I see it is and I'm going to watch the original instead after Family Guy has finished.
shareI just watched the remake, having not seen the original - something I don't think I've ever done before where Asian horror is concerned, and, having watched this all through (in the forlorn hope it might improve. It didn't), will not do again in a hurry.
The remake was dull, its characters uninteresting, and at times it was downright laughable. All I've gained from watching it is a load of spoilers for the original, which I intend to watch asap anyway, because even spoilt, it has to be better than this was.
"Three years...I promise."
Me too. Just watched the remake not realising it was a remake..... until all of the usual Ring rip-offs started showing up after the first 5 minutes!
- A pale oriental ghost with lank hair and scary eyes. Check
- Menacing shadows and noises in rundown apartment blocks. Check
- Young couples being stalked through various Japanese landscapes. Check
Etc etc etc....
After the initial scenes it played out as a derivative, cliched sub-standard remake, although it did contain some effective and quite striking images (although I'm guessing all of the best ones were stolen from the original). And I disagree with the earlier post that it relies on gore - I found there was very little compared, for example, to some of the Oriental horror of the past decade or so. Good final shot too (SPOILER) - the idea of having a nutty ex hanging around your neck for the rest of your life is certainly a frightening one!
6/10
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