Almas Reencarnadas

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.

The Japanese film industry has built up a strong reputation for its chilling horror movies, and many of them have been remade by Hollywood studios whose philosophy goes something like: "Why create something new when so much good stuff has already been made!?" The Ring, The Grudge, and Darkwater are just three examples of Japanese horror films that have been adapted for that Western English speaking market who would otherwise be unable to enjoy the originals. Reading subtitles can be tough.

Reincarnation has the same foreboding atmosphere as the previously mentioned movies: it's a slow-burning, thought-provoking, piece of supernatural horror. The storyline centres around a young actress who wins an audition to star in a movie based on a real-life hotel massacre. Her role is of the last person to be murdered - a little girl - who it turns out has been spooking her for the last few days. When shooting begins, she starts experiencing the murders as if they are actually happening. Do you follow!?

Anyone familiar to supernatural mysteries such as The Sixth Sense (not mentioning Takashi Shimizu's previous movies) will be familiar with some of the plot devices, and fully prepared to expect the unexpected. Still, the revelation at the end is a good one and is not simply there to say: 'LOOK… we FOOLED you!'. Though I'm sure it will.

Those hoping for an unremitting orgy of blood, guts and violence will be left disappointed. Nonetheless, there are still a few scenes here not suited to the squeamish (well, a child DOES get stabbed). This film is more about subtle scares and the power of suggestion, which is usually one of the most effective ways of cranking up the tension, but here they are guilty of over-using the ploy in a predictable way. For example, how many times does a character need to be unsettled by something they've seen out of the corner of their eye? What really does make this film work is the combination of very good storytelling, and a direction that lends it a very dark and intense feel which never lets go. The characters are mostly just an extension of the general mood and atmosphere of the movie. Under Shimizu's guidance it is the supernatural that takes centre stage.

Reincarnation seems longer than its 95 minutes running time, but it's worth sticking with it for a satisfying conclusion that you may want to re-live again.

Mark: 7/10

Mel Dixon

Reincarnation is a brilliant film, plain and simple. It is unique in that it relies on imagination and psychology to scare you and make you think twice about the world around you. The director did a fabulous job constructing the imagery of the film, and I genuinely did not know about the ending until it was revealed. Quite a shock! Reincarnation goes in my book as the single greatest indie horror film I have ever seen. Anyone who bashes it is simply not giving it a chance or doesn't fully realize the complex dialog and imagery around them. It is an intriguing story and has good acting in it and most of all the camera angles are really scary. Japanese film has something the western films do not have, something almost surreal, at least to us, being from a different culture and all. Brilliant!

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.

Well, I kept hearing all sorts of disappointing statements about Reincarnation. Needless to say, I was a bit reluctant to see it in my local theater. But then I remembered that I have never seen a Japanese film on the big screen, so I went mainly for the experience. Wasn't I surprised when I realized – after seeing the film – that it's pretty damn good.

I'll keep things vague, so as to not spoil anything for those who haven't seen it yet. I admire originality, and while Reincarnation is no Marebito or Tetsuo on the originality scale, it definitely scores high. Sure, there are a lot of horror elements used in this film that have been seen before, but they are not used in quite the same manner. Perhaps the most impressive thing is that the concept of reincarnation itself is used to bridge and interconnect all of these elements in a new and satisfying way. It's like a chef who takes a bunch of foods that you've eaten before, but uses a special ingredient to shake things up. In short, Takashi Shimizu works well as a movie chef here.

Some have complained that the ending is predictable, but this is a misleading assertion. There are essentially three twists that occur back to back to back. Surely, most viewers will probably be able to guess the first twist, but there is very little probability that they will be able to guess either of the other two.

Of course, you can be sure that incompetent, tasteless reviewers will criticize this film for lacking "integrity and weight" (as well as entertainment value), only to then recommend completely weightless trash like Friday the 13th in the same breath. For the rest of us who actually enjoy a quality horror film, we'll stick with our Japanese gems. Other reviewers will claim that all Japanese horror movies are the same, but a skim of my user profile will convincingly prove their ignorance.

The pacing of Reincarnation is very similar to Audition (although not nearly as violent in its culmination). The first 70 minutes is basically a slow paced set-up for the finale, with some dashes of formulaic scares. Fortunately, the final 25 minute finale is one of the most interesting, original, and compelling horror sequences in recent memory. So for those planning to see it, please be patient, and rest assured, the crap will hit the fan . . . hard. Quite frankly, the final series of events in Reincarnation had this viewer giggling with amazement. Just when I thought I had the next scene figured out, Takashi Shimizu would pull the rug from beneath my feet and turn the film in another direction.

I think that the reasoning behind some negative reactions to Reincarnation is the fact that it was marketed ineffectively. There is nothing extremely violent in this film, yet it was packaged within a Horrorfest of films that were allegedly very violent. I'm sure that the gorehounds entered the theater looking for lots of guts and blood, in which case they must have been greatly disappointed. In addition, no one knew the film was in subtitles. I watch East Asian films almost exclusively, so I prefer subtitles to dubbings any day of the week, but I must say that the audible groans and moans from the audience when the subtitles appeared was remarkably entertaining. Apparently, reading a few lines on a screen is too difficult for American audiences. :)

All in all, this was a classic horror film that scores relatively high in originality. I highly recommend it for those who can appreciate a slow-buring, plot-driven horror film with a fantastic finale.