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andrushcourt
Reviews
Kakashi (2001)
Dumb...plain and simple
The thought of dead people being brought back to life through scarecrows really doesn't scare me at all. I watched this film in it's original form in Japanese and basically worked not to fall asleep.
The movie is predictable, boring and the premise is just comical. At times, I was thinking "why don't these people just carry some lighter fluid and a match." Here's the premise-this village of people bring dead people back to life through these stupid scarecrows. Of course, there's a bad apple-some freaky child ala Samara in the The Ring who was brought back or something like that. That screws everything up. This lady is looking for her long lost brother who ended up in this village. She finds him, escapes and of course at the end stays in the village.
When the scarecrows are chasing people, it's hard not to laugh. In short, the movie just sucked....bad. Add Jackie Chan and a flame thrower and you have a movie. The only scary part is the tunnel that you have to cross through to get to the village. Watch that over and over about 200 times and you may have a full length movie.
Ju-on (2000)
Wonderful fear that will remain with you
I saw the US version in the theatre and wasn't very impressed. I guess it could have been the fact that I was in a ghetto theatre in the inner city with people yelling the obvious or the strange smell emanating from beneath the seats that reclined way to far past horizontal.
So, upon returning home, I watched the Japanese version. Since the US version took liberties to change the plot somewhat and over-explain every single detail of the movie, I was doubtful. True to form, the Japanese version was exquisite. The atmosphere created closely resembles the creepy feeling you get in a cursed house in Japan. The sounds and special effect sounds were some of the best. US horror films should emulate the lack of sound in spots to create tension as this film does.
Personally, this film caused me to glance over my shoulder every now and again expecting to see a little painted white Asian boy or a black cat lurking in the dark. This film is a must see for horror buffs and those that enjoy a good scare. The film starts with a horrific scene while the US version just has you confused from the very beginning. Great Movie.