Reincarnation

Another one of the "8 Films To Die For" from After Dark's Horror Film Festival, this little Japanese chiller is a complex and spooky film. The movie follows Nagisa, a Japanese actress who gets the part in a horror movie that is based on a real murder spree that took place in a large hotel forty-some years ago. At first she is excited that she has gotten the part, and is looking forward to filming, although it is a "scary movie" that she is being a part of. But things begin to get a little spooky, when Nagisa begins seeing a ghostly little girl everywhere. Her visions intensify when the film's director takes the cast to the real hotel where the actual murders happened, for inspiration. It seems she has a connection with the hotel and the grisly murders... but how, and why? She may find out the answer very soon...

I haven't seen a lot of Asian horror, I saw part of the original "Ju-On", and I've seen the remakes of those films, but that was about it. Although I haven't seen much of it, I know what it's like pretty well. So, I wasn't quite sure what to expect going into this film - luckily, I was pleasantly surprised. "Reincarnation", or "Rinne" in it's original language, is a solid supernatural horror film that rose far above my expectations. The writing here is really nicely done, I must say. It has a few inconsistencies here and there, but nothing too major. About midway through the film, I thought that I had everything figured out - I was almost positive that I knew what the whole plot "twist" was going to turn out to be. I was pretty confident that I had all of it figured out. Then, during the final five minutes of the film, my entire assumption disintegrated, leaving me minorly shocked. I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I did not see the plot twist coming. I suppose what I was expecting to be the twist in the film was a set-up to trick the audience, and I have to admit it worked on me.

Along with the intelligent writing, director Takashi Shimuzu (who directed "Ju-On" and "Ju-On 2", and both American remakes of those films ("The Grudge" and "The Grudge 2"), has an eye for the eerie. Unlike the style that is found in "The Grudge" films, "Reincarnation" boasts a subtle spookiness that I personally find much more menacing than those annoying 'jump scares'. There are numerous shots and scenes in this film that are hard to forget, and the direction is great. Lots of creepy shots and disturbing imagery (the homemade snuff footage is beyond eerie) really make this a creepy film. The music is good as well, and fits the movie perfectly. It's slow and subtle, just like the film is itself. Acting-wise, I'd have to say the movie succeeds as well. The performers are pretty believable, and while there is the language barrier, I thought they were really good. Again, the conclusion to this movie is the real kicker. I was surprised and creeped out by the way the entire thing came to a close.

Overall, "Reincarnation" is a really good supernatural horror film. Take your traditional ghost story, throw in a hotel, and the reincarnation theme, and you've got this movie. If you enjoy slow moving horror films and/or are a fan of Japanese horror, I'd recommend this film. It has a few very minor problems, but the good easily outweighs the bad. And the ending is really surprising. I'm not sure if it fits everyone's tastes, but for me, I couldn't have picked a better foreign horror flick. 8/10.

Reincarnation is a Japanese film with subtitles. The plot is very difficult to follow but it involves a film crew making a movie depicting the events of a murder. As part of the filming, the director, crew and cast go to the actual hotel in which the multiple murders occurred. The main character is the female lead in the film. Almost from the start of the project, she begins to have visions or hallucinations. She sees people who no one else sees. When the crew arrives at the hotel, her visions become more extreme and frequent. You sort of understand what this film is about when it is over, however the ending left me confused. This is not a haunted house or slasher horror film. Most of it takes place in daylight. Do not expect scantily clad bimbos or knife-wielding maniacs to jump out from the closet. The story reminded me somewhat of the Roman Polanski film "Repulsion" about a woman who goes mad and has hallucinations. Overall, I thought the film was on the slow side. In its favor, it is not one of the gross torture porn flicks that are destroying the horror genre.

1st watched 2/13/2009 – 7 out of 10(Dir-Takeshi Shimizu): Inventive and scary horror story from veteran Japanese horror director, Takeshi Shimizu. I've never seen his other stuff but I guess he was at the helm fro the ground-breaking "The Grudge." This one is about the filming of a movie based on a mass killing/suicide done at a hotel. There was only one survivor, but many of the characters are connected to the incident because they are reincarnated versions of those who died. The main character, who wins an important role of the youngest one killed, begins having dreams and seeing visions after receiving the script. As each scene passes, we start seeing how others are connected to the story. There are actually three movies involved here – the actual movie we're watching, the making of the movie, and the film made by the killer. The killer made a film supposedly because he wanted to prove his reincarnation theory and would be viewed by those reincarnated, I guess. We really don't find out who's who until near the end of the movie, which is the mystery behind the movie. The chills are done in the context of the story which makes the movie interesting, instead of it just being a slasher film like American audiences are used to. OK, so the Japanese are again better at something than we are – OK, not better just different. All in all, this is definitely an enjoyable and scary movie to watch but beware you may have nightmares after it's over.

A young actress is drawn to her role in a horror film and also to a hotel from her dreams: a hotel where eleven people were murdered before she was born. What is her connection to her character and the ill-fated hotel? I have two concerns with this film. First, as the film was in Japanese, I am left thinking there were certain aspects that were left out for the American audience (condensed dialogue in the subtitles). Second, the story is pretty simple and might have been better as an hour-long episode of something like "Masters of Horror" (though by no means am I suggesting it was unworthy of being a film). I could also say certain parts were unclear (there are what I assume to be spirits that are never explained), but this does not take away from the film.

I enjoyed the film taking place largely on the set of a horror film. Horror films referencing the making of horror films (or in the case of "Popcorn", the watching of horror films) have a unique style about them. A self-critique. There is also something ironic about how the actress is told the director in the film will want lots of blood and gore, while the film we were watching had relatively little (and compared to some of the Japanese films I've seen I thought this was about as tame as you can get).

The film also offers a great bait-and-switch I cannot reveal. Through most of the film you will be expecting a particular direction or ending. But I assure you what you think you're going to see after the first several minutes will change considerably.

If you find dolls creepy, there's a doll in the movie for you to be creeped out by. Personally, I did not find it very disturbing, but I can see how for others it might be. (Also, there's something less scary about reading words on a screen rather than hearing them whispered ominously to you in a language you understand.) Not a bad film by any means. As far as Asian films go, I'd sooner recommend "The Untold Story" or "The Eye", but this one is alright. And if "Ju-On" is any indication, we'll soon be seeing an Americanized version of this piece. So catch the original first, while you can.

Take a spiritual concept and really make it gruesome. Reincarnation was a reminiscent of The Shining with the whole haunted hotel and spooky kids thing going on.

Reincarnation was less horror and more a supernatural thriller packed with suspense and intelligence. The film start off with a basic horror movie feel, and for the first part Reincarnation feels like an average movie this unfolds and takes on a different pace as the movie carries on, ending with a very unexpected conclusion. Wow, I didn't know sublety can knock me on the head that way. Though not as scary as previous films, Reincarnation is original.