Shutter (2008 film)

Infobox_Film
name = Shutter(unrated)


caption = Theatrical release poster
director = Masayuki Ochiai
producer = Doug Davison
Takashige Ichise
Roy Lee
Sonny Mallhi
writer = Luke Dawson
starring = Joshua Jackson
Rachael Taylor
music = Nathan Barr
cinematography =
editing =
distributor = 20th Century Fox
released = March 21, 2008. Australia May 15 2008 [ [http://villagecinemas.com.au/Movies/Shutter.htm Shutter - Village Cinemas ] ]
country = United States/Japan
language = English
runtime = 1 hr 25 min
website = http://www.shutter-movie.com/
amg_id = 1:397305
imdb_id = 0482599
genre =Suspense, horror, thriller, gore
studio =Regency Enterprises
rating =PG 13 for terror, disturbing images, sexual content and images.

"Shutter" is a 2008 remake of the 2004 Thai film of the same name. The remake was directed by Masayuki Ochiai, and was released on March 21, 2008. [ [http://www.filmjunk.com/2007/11/29/thai-horror-remake-shutter-gets-release-date/ Thai horror remake Shutter gets release date] , Film Junk; retrieved 2007-12-01] .

Cast

*Joshua Jackson as Benjamin Shaw
*Rachael Taylor as Jane Shaw
*Megumi Okina as Megumi Tanaka
*David Denman as Bruno
*John Hensley as Adam
*Maya Hazen as Seiko
*James Kyson Lee as Ritsuo
*Yoshiko Miyazaki as Akiko
*Kei Yamamoto as Murase

Plot

Ben and his new wife Jane leave New York for Tokyo, Japan, where Ben has a job as a photographer. While traveling, Jane hits a girl in the middle of the wilderness, wearing a thin dress, despite the cold and snow. They later start to find mysterious lights in their photos. Ben begins to complain of severe shoulder pain, and his friends begin to comment he's looking bent and hunched over, though the doctor he goes to see can find no cause. Ben's assistant takes them to her ex-boyfriend, who says that the lights are spirits, manifestations of intense emotions. They then go to a psychic, Murasame; however, Ben refuses to translate what Murasame says, claiming he is a hack.

Later on Jane decides to visit the office building in the photo. When she gets there, she goes to the floor where the light has gathered, and takes pictures in the empty office. She encounters the spirit, and learns that the girl's name was Megumi Tanaka and that Ben knew her. When she confronts Ben about it, he admits that he and Megumi were once involved in a relationship, but that after the death of her father, she became very obsessive and clingy, and eventually dumped her, with help from his two friends. Jane is upset with Ben and decides they need to find Megumi.

They go to Megumi's home, only to find her decayed body; she had committed suicide with potassium cyanide. Meanwhile, Ben's friends, Adam and Bruno, are killed by Megumi. Adam's eye is torn out while shooting pictures and dies from shock; Bruno commits suicide by jumping from up his apartment. Finally, Ben is attacked by the ghost of Megumi, who attempts to choke him. After nearly throwing Jane through a nearby window, Megumi stops, leaving Ben alive.

After Megumi's funeral, Ben and Jane return to New York, thinking it's all over. However, Jane finds some recent photos in an envelope which still show Megumi. She then finds more photos, taken by Ben, Adam, and Bruno forcing themselves on Megumi. Ben tries to explain he felt it was the only way to drive Megumi away, as nothing else was working. This explains why Ben didn't want to translate what the psychic said earlier in the film. Realizing that Megumi was trying to warn her and disgusted by Ben's past actions, Jane leaves.

Angered, Ben begins photographing the apartment looking for Megumi. After throwing the camera across the room, it takes a picture of him, showing Megumi sitting astride his shoulders. The movie pans back to the hospital where a nurse is weighing Ben, showing a weight of 275 kg, the weight of two people. In an effort to rid himself of her, he electrocutes himself. He is rendered completely catatonic and sent to a mental institution. The last scene is a reflection of the glass from the door, showing Megumi still draped across him.

Critical reception

The film was not screened for critics, often an indication that the studio feels it will receive poor reviews, but also common among horror films in general, which stride away from a younger audience that does not tend to abide by reviews as much as other demographics.

The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 7% of critics gave the film positive reviews based on 51 reviews, and Top Critics has a 10% rating based on 10 reviews. [cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10009254-shutter/ |title=Shutter Movie Reviews, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes |accessdate=2008-06-27 |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 37 out of 100, based on 12 reviews. [cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/shutter |title=Shutter (2008): Reviews |accessdate=2008-05-12 |publisher=Metacritic]

DVD release

Shutter was released on DVD July 15, 2008 and the unrated edition will include commentary, Featurettes, deleted scenes and an alternate ending.

The theatrical version will be sold as well.

Box office performance

The film was released March 21, 2008 in the United States and Canada and grossed $10.4 million in 2,753 theaters its opening weekend, ranking #3 at the box office. [cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=shutter.htm |title=Shutter (2008) - Weekend Box Office Results |accessdate=2008-05-12 |publisher=Box Office Mojo] As of June 19, 2008, it has grossed a total of $43.7 million worldwide — $25.9 million in the United States and Canada and $17.8 million in other territories. [cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=shutter.htm |title=Shutter (2008) |accessdate=2008-05-11 |publisher=Box Office Mojo]

References

External links

* [http://www.shutter-movie.com Official website]
*imdb title|id=0482599|title=Shutter
*rotten-tomatoes|id=10009254-shutter|title=Shutter
*metacritic film|id=shutter|title=Shutter
*mojo title|id=shutter|title=Shutter
*amg movie|id=1:397305|title=Shutter