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67 out of 90 people found the following review useful: The creepiest horror movie ever made, 23 July 2005 Author: Zev from Israel
Sorry for the hyperbole topic but I mean it. I am a horror movie fanatic and I have become desensitized to cheap scares with loud noises and murderers running around with axes. I am very picky and only like one out of every few dozen horror movies I watch. I also don't like nonsensical supernatural horror that uses creepy images as a gimmick without actually bothering to make any sense. So when I say that this is the creepiest horror movie ever made, it is not hyperbole.That said, this movie will bore or confound the average horror movie watcher. It is not linear or logical and it doesn't explain everything that is going on, but it doesn't have to.This is an apocalyptic horror movie about loneliness and how people may become distant islands and ghosts even through connecting technology like cellphones and the internet. I don't know how anyone can make a horror movie about loneliness and make it creepy as hell but Kiyoshi Kurosawa pulled it off.That's all you need to know. Experience it with the lights off, no breaks, noise or distractions, or I will lock you in a room with a depressed ghost and tape the door shut with red tape until you become so lonely you will evaporate into nothing.
53 out of 64 people found the following review useful: Major Creep Fest, 17 July 2004 Author: dbborroughs from Glen Cove, New York
Why isn't this available in the US?I don't know how to describe this with out making it sound like something its not, but I have to say that this is one of the creepiest and most disturbing films I've seen in quite some time. Its not perfect, even if I gave it a 10 out of 10, simply because few films have left me that uneasy.Operating well with a sense that I can only describe as dream logic this concerns the really weird events surrounding several people who notice something is wrong when a friend goes missing. The friend is not the trigger, but the event that they notice making them suspect that all is not right in their world.Everything about how this story is calculated to send slowly building shivers up and down your spine. There are no real moments of shock, just ever growing horror and unease. I hated the way that this movie made me feel but couldn't stop watching.If there are any flaws is that the film is a bit long at just under two hours. The pacing wears and the logic, while frightening gets stretched almost to the breaking point.If you can stand slow calculating horror films that freak you out with images and implications then see this movie. Its one of the best I've seen in a while.
54 out of 76 people found the following review useful: Incredibly Creepy and Haunting, 5 November 2002 Author: shark-43 from L.A. CA
This film works on many levels. What's odd is that one place it is weak in is the plot - it does somewhat tie it all up and make sense but my main point is it doesnt really matter - the director set out to make a scary ghost story and that it is! I see horror films from all over the world so I am pretty jaded when it comes to something "scaring" me but this film has many sequences that truly are frightening and disturbing. Some of the images have stayed with me for weeks. The lighting, the art direction and the use of muted colors (aside from reds used effectively)all make up for a creepy, eerie visual. I have to laugh at the arrogance of some of the comments on this and other "horror" films that claim since it didnt scare them the film is NOT SCARY. That is b.s. What scares one person may not scare another. You can say the piece didn't scare you but to make such a sweeping statement is vain. I personally didn't like any of the Friday of 13th movies, but obviously those films work on some level for millions of people. This film is so non-American in it's pace and core that that is what might turn off some viewers, but that's what I loved about it. The director just sets up the camera and keeps it on a space and then has things slowly emerge from the sides - he has you start to look and scope and wonder if you are REALLY seeing something as opposed to the lazy, bloated SHOCK moment of most US horror films. There are moments when people are confronted by visions/images of ghosts that move and terrorize just like real dreams - slow movements, awkward movements as the ghost approaches you. Terrifying. The film definitely doesn't know how to wrap it all up but in many ways, I found this film even scarier than the original RING. Well made ghost story. Seek it out, fans.
44 out of 63 people found the following review useful: Forever death is eternal loneliness., 2 March 2004 Author: HumanoidOfFlesh from Chyby, Poland
Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "Kairo" has to be one of the most mesmerizing supernatural horror films I have ever seen.The film is loaded with extremely dark and brooding atmosphere and some scenes actually scared me.The photography by Junichiro Hayashi is truly beautiful and the score is very haunting.The theme of "Kairo" is that at the end of the line there isn't anything except a fearful nothingness-no heaven or hell,just a miserable eternity of living in between states.The film is cold and bleak,even nihilistic in its portrayal of total isolation."Kairo" is pretty slow-moving and there is absolutely no gore,so fans of "Scream" or similar crap will be disappointed.Still the visuals are amazing:dark skies,deserted streets and crawling shadows will leave you stunned.A must-see for fans of Japanese horror.10 out of 10.
30 out of 39 people found the following review useful: Remarkable, intensely creepy, 4 June 2002 Author: Robert W Saint John from San Francisco, CA
I don't want to give away anything about this wonderful, haunting film. If you liked "The Sixth Sense", "The Others" or "Ring", this will show you how those films pale in comparison. I felt my skin crawl so many times, and the movie has been haunting my thoughts for days now. I sincerely hope that a wider audience has a chance to experience this dark, beautiful film.
16 out of 23 people found the following review useful: Made me squirm..., 12 March 2007 Author: saladin-10 from Slovenia
I'm an old horror buff. I've seen some of the more notorious stuff around (Salo, Cannibal Holocaust, Caligula,...), but they all more or less about visceral horror.Which doesn't work if you helped slaughter a few pigs.What does work? Psychological horror. Impending doom you cannot prevent. Things you can't see or understand, but that are there right in front of your face. Music that shouldn't be scary, but which lingers anyway.It's a typical, slow moving J-Horror with an atypical idea behind it. That oblivion is actually preferable than immortality. Gore doesn't scare me - but some ideas do. Like i said - it made me squirm... One of the best horror movies ever made - for the patient ones.
14 out of 20 people found the following review useful: truly frightening, 13 June 2007 Author: Ryan Miller (rtil@washington.usa.com) from United States
a horror film hasn't given me chills in a while. this film made me feel as isolated and terrified as the characters in the movie. I had seen the American re-make before this film, and i'm kind of glad I did, because I got to save the best for last. If you were disappointed by the American Pulse, this predecessor will certainly make up for that sorry excuse for a horror.I can say without a doubt this is one of my top films to watch alone in a dark room if I wanted to scare the hell out of myself. And that just puts a big grin on my face. Not to mention, the lighting and cinematography in this film is also really well done, and adds a lot to the completely creepy mood throughout. While the story may be hard to follow if you don't know the history behind the film beforehand, it's scary either way. I've watched it twice now, and it's just as good the second time around. Even though this film is considered an older J-horror film, it's still fresh in my book.I think horror film makers that rely on cheap thrills and gore should take Kairo for a spin, they'd learn a lot from it. Kairo is a truly haunting, scary film that will leave your eyes wide open in terror. 10/10
12 out of 19 people found the following review useful: This film is not for everyone---I found it VERY tough going, 4 February 2008 Author: planktonrules from Bradenton, Florida
This film is about a gap that exists between the real world and the world of the dead. There's a lot of mumbo-jumbo about the internet (i.e., if you install a program on the computer, you see dead folks--much like if you play a videotape you'll die in RINGU). Frankly, most of this seemed rather silly and lost me. What I did find interesting is the idea that the dead live within their own separate existence--being totally alone for eternity. This was sobering and fascinating.I love Japanese films and have seen a huge number compared to most Americans. However, one genre that has become popular in recent years that I just can't relate to very well are these horror films. I know they are super popular--especially since they seem to be remade so often in the States. I've seen both RINGU as well as THE RING, JU-ON and THE GRUDGE and was rather ambivalent despite their popularity. About the only recent horror film I really liked from Japan was SEANCE--a reworking of the great British film, SEANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON. And what, do I think, made SEANCE different? Well, unlike the other films as well as KAIRO, gobs and gobs of money weren't spent on special effects or trying to scare the audience--instead, the emphasis was on the story. The bottom line is that these other films are a lot like American films like HALLOWEEN or Friday 13th--with scary things jumping out just to scare the audience and plot is purely secondary (at best). For me, I want story--not cheap thrills or ghosts as the primary focus of the film.With a relatively high rating, I know I am in the minority, but I just don't find this a very satisfying film. All too often, minor things occur that might startle someone slightly--but the characters begin screaming and crying and acting as if to say "this is the scariest film ever made so you'd better start shaking". Well, I think it just tries too hard and I wish it had focused more on the afterlife seen at the end of the film and plot progression--not scare tactics.
4 out of 6 people found the following review useful: A film about ghosts, both living and dead, 23 March 2008 Author: Graham Greene from United Kingdom
Although perhaps not a great film in the traditional sense, Pulse (2001) is nonetheless a completely fascinating work, offering a great mood and atmosphere rife with claustrophobia and a continual sense of loneliness and cultural alienation. The themes and concerns expressed here are very much Japanese in context - both in terms of their design and in their actual presentation - with the slow pace, inexplicable supernatural element and concern over the growing seclusion and alienation of Japanese youth enslaved by their technology. It would seem to be a persistent fear/concern for most Japanese filmmakers, with other films, such as the massively successful Ringu (1998), Shinya Tsukamoto's Bullet Ballet (1997) and Takashi Miike's masterpiece Visitor Q (2001) also looking at the breakdown in communication between the different generations, as well as the overwhelming and often negative effect that technological dependence and consumer culture has had on the post-war generation, in regards to slowly eradicating the basic principles of traditional Japanese social values.The central character of Pulse is a clear representation of this phenomenon; secluded in his small flat, wandering lonely through nocturnal streets and attempting to master the use of his home computer in the apparent attempt of forging a literal connection with other, similarly lost souls. However, instead of attempting to create a straight drama from such a pertinent social dilemma, director Kyoshi Kurosawa has instead presented the idea within the context of a horror film. It is important to establish and appreciate these deeper themes if you're hoping to get the most out of this film, as Kurosawa structures it in such as way as to create horror from the simple premise of globalised alienation. Is the theme successfully conveyed? Well, perhaps... but that eventual judgement will really be down to the individual. Regardless, the film presents an intelligent idea - backed by a series of stark, atmospheric and heavily cryptic images - and invites the audience to interpret them on a subjective and entirely personal level. It can occasionally be quite confusing, with the film often feeling incredibly austere or dreamlike. A waking nightmare of sorts in which the loneliness and alienation of one character is visualised on an almost apocalyptic scale. There's also the theme of suicide and the various social taboos and spiritual aspects that such a notion can present in regards to the afterlife, which again, comes back to the central idea of alienation and characters being disconnected from other characters, even in death.If there is a representation of the afterlife here then it is one that is every bit as lost and lonesome as the depressing presentation of our everyday life, with the characters here forced to live out every morbid, repetitive, soul destroying action again and again in the most excruciating detail. This is where the horror aspect of Pulse arises; not in scenes of quick cuts and the occasional burst of loud, spectral noises, but in the cultural wind of change, melancholy and alienation in which the empty, soulless void that for many people can come to represent their everyday life spills over into the eternal afterlife; giving us the representation of ghosts haunted by their own terrified memories of a life they never knew. If you attempt to view this within the context of a conventional, westernised idea of what a horror film should deliver you may be incredibly disappointed. As with the majority of Japanese cinema, the mood is sombre, the narrative slow and the characters prone to much in the way of silent brooding. However, if we view the film within the context of the social and spiritual concerns described above we get a greater sense of the true horror threatening these characters.The depiction of drab, empty loneliness presented here is frightening and very unsettling; with the gloomy cinematography, ambient music and grey, minimal production design turning Tokyo into a cavernous, empty ghost-town of truly epic proportions and reminding me very much of Danny Boyle's similar, socially aware nightmare 28 Days Later (2002). Whereas that film targeted post 9/11 fear and the rising sense of aggression apparent in British youth, Pulse takes isolation, technological overload and the loss of traditional Japanese values and creates a labyrinthine underworld of wandering lost souls, both living and dead. The ending of the film takes these concerns and turns them into something epic and apocalyptic, but the focus remains tied to the human struggle. Yes, it can at times be slow and muddled, and does requires a great sense of understanding Japanese cultural taboos to really becomes accessible, however, this is a fascinating film; one that despite falling short of true greatness is nicely directed and very much worth experiencing by anyone with a fondness for films that make you think.
4 out of 6 people found the following review useful: A unique Japanese horror film, 21 December 2007 Author: LoneWolfAndCub from Australia
Kario (Pulse) is unlike any Japanese horror I have seen. As much as I love the Ju-On series, the scares come from creepy ghosts that pop-up from unseen places. They are good movies, but those scares wear off after awhile. However, in Kairo the ghosts don't pop up suddenly and they aren't accompanied by loud music. They are just there and boy are they creepy. Sometimes they do nothing, they just stand there, staring. It creates a feeling of unease and constantly keeps the viewer on edge.It's not just the ghosts that are unique, the story is incredibly interesting and intelligent. But it is not linear, logical and it doesn't explain everything (it doesn't have to, though). It really leaves it up to us what to decide. This is what is so good about this movie, it's much unlike most horror films. Forget all the recent American horror films, although some are excellent they really aren't like this. This film is almost like a dream in some ways. It goes at a very slow pace (clocking in just under 2 hours) and there aren't a lot of scares. At times the story may seem illogical but I beg to differ.Kairo is really an apocalyptic horror much like the 2002 British horror film 28 Days Later (just replace zombies with ghosts). Also like 28 Days Later, this film carries a very profound social message but unlike 28 Days Later this one is about loneliness and how people become distant through the use of technology. There's also a heavy emphasis on the evils of suicide.Kiyoshi Kurosawa has created an intelligent, unique horror film that doesn't quite get the attention it deserves. If your willing to experience movie that will leave your unsettled and weired out afterwards, look no further than Kairo.4½/5
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