Shutter (American remake)

(2008) * 1/2

I’m not going to rehash the plot (which I mentioned in the Japanese version) because although they changed things around and not for the better, it primarily is the same. Instead, the lead roles are played by some blond chick and the sickening Pacey from Dawson’s Creek. Rather than just dating they are recently married, it takes place in Tokyo rather than Bangkok, and Pacey appears to be a much more established photographer than Tun.

Who the hell cares about Pacey?

Instead of plot summary I’m going to list the reasons, which JPX and I discussed while watching, why the Japanese version is far superior and makes the American remake look more like a Disney special than a horror movie.

1.) The American version shows the ghost for too long. JPX mentioned that by doing this, you get used to it, which makes it become less scary.

2.) Color scheme. The American version chose a more vibrant and bright palette, in contrast to the Japanese that chose a subdued and darker one. This is not to say that bright and vibrant doesn’t work, but in this film it doesn’t. It needs that darker, murkier look. It adds intensity, mystery, and a melancholy tone. Also, it makes you wonder what is lurking in the shadows. In the American version this tone is lost and you don’t go into it feeling the same as you do in the Japanese one.

3.) The Japanese version takes its time; this pertains to both the entire movie and particular scenes. It slowly moves through time revealing what you need to know at the appropriate moment. It doesn’t feel forced. It flows as if there isn’t necessarily a script there to guide it, in essence making it feel more real. The American version, on the other hand, is a paint by numbers. It moves from point A to B to C to D to the end, and quite rapidly. Having watched the Japanese version first, there were a number of times that I turned to JPX and said, “we’re already at this part of the movie.”

The Japanese version takes its time in some very important creepy scenes that the American version chose to rush through ultimately stripping the scare out of it. The result was that in the Japanese version I was not always sure when something was going to happen, or if it was, making me sit on the edge of my seat in anticipation. The American version was boom, boom, boom, here it is, now aren’t you scared. No, I’m not. When you fly through a scene in two seconds and make it blatantly obvious what I’m supposed to be scared of, then no, I’m not frightened, I’m bored.

4.) The American version was obvious clueless in how to make a scary ghost.

This is by no means a comprehensive list, I could go on, but I think I’ll stop here. Bottom line, don’t waste your time watching the American version, it is not in any shape or form superior to the Japanese one, and with the exception of one minute scene at the very end of the American version, not one other scene is equal. I will admit that maybe if I had watched this and not the Japanese version maybe I would have given it a higher rating, but certainly not by much.