If you're tired of American remakes of Japanese horror movies, definitely scratch Shutter off your watch list. Like virtually all of the other highly ritualized, thematically similar films in this genre, Shutter's shudders are rooted in spectral manifestations of young people who died before their time under tragic circumstances. In this specific case, it's a woman who once worked for and had a relationship with Ben Shaw (Joshua Jackson), an American fashion photographer in Japan. After narrowly surviving a car accident with his new bride Jane (Rachael Taylor), Ben notices wraith-like streaks showing up in his photos, and Jane, who believes these occurrences to be examples of “spirit photography,” embarks on an investigation that ultimately reveals the truth. Like other entries in the J-horror field, director Masayuki Ochiai's Shutter is slowly paced, relying more on creepy atmospherics than shocking surprises to raise the hair on the backs of viewers' necks. But in the end very little suspense is evident in this story featuring a predictable outcome. Not recommended. [Note: Available in either unrated or PG-13 rated versions, DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary (by production executive Alex Sundell, screenwriter Luke Dawson, and costar Rachael Taylor), 11 alternate/deleted scenes (15 min.), “A Cultural Divide: Shooting in Japan” location featurette (10 min.), production featurettes on “The Director: Masayuki Ochiai” (10 min.), “A Ghost in the Lens” (8 min.), “A Conversation with Luke Dawson” (6 min.), and “A History of Spirit Photographs” (5 min.), a four-minute “how-to” segment on creating your own phantom photo, a “The Hunt for the Haunt” segment on tools and tips for ghost hunting (3 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a run-of-the-mill horror flick.] (E. Hulse)
Shutter
Fox, 86 min., avail. in PG-13 or unrated versions, DVD: $29.99, Blu-ray: $39.98, July 15 Volume 23, Issue 3
Shutter
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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