Descriptions of this as the Japanese Blair Witch led me to approach
with caution, though the comparison owes more to lazy critics than much
actual similarity. A journalist (Matsushima) investigating reports
of a video tape which causes the viewer to die within a week, finds there
may be more to it than urban legend, and uncovers a web of murder going
back decades. The story was first a novel, then a TV mini-series, and this
film has spawned two sequels and a prequel, not bad for something made for
a million dollars. It is pretty low-key, to the point of tedium - the tape
itself is certainly creepy to watch the first time, but repeated showings
of it, along with what seems like far too many scenes of people reading
newspapers, etc, dilute the impact. It's only at the end that one key point
is revealed, which actually leaves me anticipating the sequels more than I
should, given my luke-warm reaction here. While there's one excellent
image, and it's solidly acted, it has just too many holes, such as the
heroine's visions which occur only at dramatically-appropriate moments.
According to the posters, Mark Kermode said "will scare the living hell out
of you"; time to put that spine in for an overhaul, Mark.
D+
