Day 13: Shutter
Directed By: Banjong Pisanthanakun and Parkpoom Wongpoom
Starring: Ananda Everingham, Natthaweeranuch Thongmee, and Unnop Chanpaibool
Released: 2004
Genre: Foreign Horror
One night in Bangkok makes a hard man completely deranged.
Continuing the Mayterm Challenge horror streak, I watched Shutter with Armand & Micah last night. This is the Thai version, the 2004 predecessor to the 2008 American remake.
The Premise:
Girlfriend Jane hits a girl driving home from a party one night in Bangkok, and photographer boyfriend Tun urges her from the front seat to leave the scene. They leave the scene.
White blurs and strange images show in Tun's recent photographs, causing the pair to freak out a little, buy Thai tabloids, and have nightmares. The image of the girl from the accident starts making cameos in their lives, and the typical horror movie plot ensures for a while--scary appearances from the forgotten dead, various testing to figure out what the hell's going on, friends committing suicide mysteriously, etc.
Jane eventually discovers that photographer boyfriend Tun was actually a cowardly jerk in college, and one specific instance of douche-baggery has led to his current ghost infestation. She leaves him, photographer Tun se vuelve loco, and the movie ends with a satisfying, creepy twist.
White blurs and strange images show in Tun's recent photographs, causing the pair to freak out a little, buy Thai tabloids, and have nightmares. The image of the girl from the accident starts making cameos in their lives, and the typical horror movie plot ensures for a while--scary appearances from the forgotten dead, various testing to figure out what the hell's going on, friends committing suicide mysteriously, etc.
Jane eventually discovers that photographer boyfriend Tun was actually a cowardly jerk in college, and one specific instance of douche-baggery has led to his current ghost infestation. She leaves him, photographer Tun se vuelve loco, and the movie ends with a satisfying, creepy twist.
The Pros:
Scream in complete terror if you like coherent plot lines!
1. The Wrap Up. There are three or four seemingly random scenes in the movie that are explained at the end. They fit perfectly into the oh-so-eerie twist that even the best horror movie guesser wouldn't predict (I bet). Everything came full circle in the end in a satisfying, logical manner. Well, as logical as can be expected in a horror movie.
2. The Clear Approach. Horror Movies have 2 bases: either there's a ghost, or there's a psycho with a weapon. Shutter took a clear approach toward the first and didn't pull any sneaky moves. There were no cop-out scenes and surprise revelations at the end. Creepy Ghost Girl didn't evolve powers throughout the movie. She didn't ever physically hurt anyone, either. She just used guilt like a boss.
2. The Clear Approach. Horror Movies have 2 bases: either there's a ghost, or there's a psycho with a weapon. Shutter took a clear approach toward the first and didn't pull any sneaky moves. There were no cop-out scenes and surprise revelations at the end. Creepy Ghost Girl didn't evolve powers throughout the movie. She didn't ever physically hurt anyone, either. She just used guilt like a boss.
The Cons:
AKA Tun the photographer.
1. The Indestructible Guy. After Ghost Girl returns to haunt him, he attempts to evade her by descending the fire escape ladder of his skyscraper apartment building. In a rainstorm. And he falls. And he doesn't die. Tun's partners in crime back in the day all commit suicide via rooftop jump in Shutter. Tun follows suit toward the end of the movie and doesn't die. Who survives two drops? Tun has to survive his drops so that the viewer can see just how the ending plays out, but still. Who survives two dips like that?
2. Dream Cliche. There are at least two scenes' worth of scary images in Shutter that turn out to be dream sequences of either Tun or Jane. The dream cliche is an easy-way-out mechanism to show the viewer the potentially horrific things that Ghost Girl can (and probably will) do. While it is useful in that respect, it doesn't do anything substantial to advance the plot. I think it also reveals a slight flaw in the writers' ability to propel things. "We're not sure how to convey the creepy potential while following the plot line, soo....I know! We'll give Tun a bad dream."
The Bottom Line:
1. This is a decent horror movie.
2. Get used to reading subtitles.
3. They are not Japanese. The characters are Thai.
2. Get used to reading subtitles.
3. They are not Japanese. The characters are Thai.