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Shutter
Generally unfavorable reviews
Based on 12 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 37 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Horror | Mystery | Suspense/Thriller
Written by: Luke Dawson
Directed by: Masayuki Ochiai
Release Date:
Theatrical: March 21, 2008
DVD: July 15, 2008
Running Time: minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: PG-13 for terror, disturbing images, sexual content and language
Starring Joshua Jackson, Rachael Taylor, David Denman, James Kyson Lee, and John Hensley
For photographer Ben and his new wife Jane, his new assignment--a lucrative fashion shoot in Tokyo--was supposed to be a kind of working honeymoon. With this exotic professional opportunity and the limitless possibilities of a new marriage, Ben and Jane arrive in Japan. But as they make their way on a mountain road leading to Mt. Fuji, their new life together comes to, literally, a crashing halt. Their car smashes into a woman standing in the middle of the road who has materialized out of nowhere. Upon regaining consciousness after the accident, Ben and Jane cannot find any trace of the girl Jane believes she hit. Shaken by the accident and by the girl's disappearance, Ben and Jane arrive in Tokyo, where Ben begins his glamorous assignment. Having worked in Japan before and fluent in the language, Ben is comfortable there, and he eagerly reunites with old friends and colleagues. Jane, a newcomer to the city, feels very much like a stranger in a strange land as she makes tentative, unsettling forays through the city. Meanwhile, Ben has discovered mysterious white blurs--eerily evocative of a human form--that have materialized on an entire day's work from the expensive photo shoot. Jane's concerns escalate as she believes the blurs in Ben's photos are the dead girl from the road, who is now seeking vengeance for them leaving her to die... (20th Century Fox)
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database View The Trailer Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
Surprisingly effective supernatural tale in which there's more to fear from the living than the dead.
Read Full Review >The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Stephen Cole
Shutter has the look and feel of a proper J-horror film. Tokyo is seen as a series of gloomy gun metal skies. And the acting is more subdued than in Hollywood horror movies.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Michael Hardy
If Shutter is any indication, the reputation of professional photographers is still on the wane. Not only are photographs creepy, the film suggests, but so are photographers.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias
The photography hook gives Shutter the potential to be a genuinely creepy ghosts-in-the-machine story like the original "Pulse," or better still, a horror twist on "Blowup." But one effective scene lit solely by a camera flash isn't enough to rescue this from the J-horror slushpile.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Andy Webster
The director, Masayuki Ochiai, conjures textbook J-horror miasma: clammy clinical interiors; overcast skies; diffuse cityscapes. He also gives Alfred Hitchcock a nod, with a sequence nakedly stolen from “Psycho,” and draws unease from Jane’s disorientation in a foreign city. Tokyo, in fact, may be the movie’s most fascinating player.
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Frank Scheck
Genuine scares are few and far between, and the climactic explanation for the ghost's appearances comes as something less than a revelation.
Read Full Review >Variety Dennis Harvey
A blandly cast and crafted remake of the same-titled 2004 Thai pic that itself emulated J-horror norms, which seemed a lot fresher back then.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Andy Webster
Fans of J-horror (for Japan, where the genre was born; its conventions have since spread to South Korea and Thailand) will find Shutter familiar; others may just doze.
Read Full Review >Village Voice Luke Y. Thompson
Ostensibly a remake of a Thai film--by a Japanese director with a Hollywood cast--this plays more like a video copy of "The Ring" that’s been so degraded that all the good bits are no longer visible.
Read Full Review >ReelViews James Berardinelli
Asian horror remakes are typically not screened for critics, and Shutter is no exception. The studios know what they have: watered-down, lifeless shells of motion pictures devoid of characters, drama, or anything remotely resembling horror.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov
The very Thai-specific charms that made the original Shutter such an unforeseen, unpredictable delight when I first saw it – and when I screened it again, last night – are almost entirely absent here, eclipsed by the annoying blonde highlights of Taylor, ex-Transformer babe and forever, as the Thai say, farang.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 6.1 (out of 10) based on 37 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Jacob S. gave it a2:
It really is sad the movies that pass for horror these days. Apparently people that give the green light for modern movies like these seem to think horror movie goers have the IQ of a football. Maybe the Hollywood machine is just assuming that we don't like variety. Whatever the reason, give me a random oldschool Sam Neil flick over this any day. ( I'm of course referring to the In the mouth of madness/Event Horizon days of course ), I've never seen the movie this was based on, so take my feedback as such. As far as American movies go, this movie randomly splices together elements of "The Grudge", "What Lies Beneath" and "The Ring", and it does so pretty badly. It’s simply as predictable as you can get, we're talking you'll know what's up within 15 minutes and the occasional spooky moments just aren't spooky enough to keep you interested. If you are starving for a decent horror flick (and who isn’t with today’s selection) you may want to check it out, but don’t expect much.
tug gave it a2:
This movie is ridiculous. Predictable, boring and the exact same imagery and themes as most other Japanese horror remakes. Almost no redeeming qualities. We laughed out loud more than a couple of times watching the awkward attempts to scare.
Jmaes L. gave it an8:
Unlike what most american critics say in general they dont have an open mind of asian directors and stories. They have just the typical hollywood style filmaking that they are used to. This is an example of a good horror story which these american critics and american movie goers are not used to.
Jay H. gave it a4:
4.5/10. Well enough made, good imagery, but it never once convinced me, and that is essential for this film. Watchable but not memorable.
T N gave it a2:
I saw the original version from Thailand. And I have to say this film disgrace everything the original version owns. It tries to ride on a high of J-horror show which I believe it's now saturated and forgot the real origin of the movie which make the matter worse. When I saw the original one, it scare the shite out of me, but for this version, I dosed off. Can't hollywood respect the original material and stick to it? So far, all those Asian horror (or any other Asian film for that matter) movies that I have seen remade by Hollywood are all crap. I have to say this, just import the original and screen as is would be a much better idea.
Christian D. gave it a0:
Anyone who gives this a good rating is either a plant, or has really low standards when it comes to viewing a film. i'd rather tip my waiter 11more dollars than give it to whoever directed this abortion.
Sean C. gave it a2:
Pretty cookie cutter with the overacting by all the major players. The films doesn't seem to want to scare. Pretty boring... If you really want to see it, wait till dvd and let your friend buy it, then borrow it. Don't waste your money.
