Release Date: July 15th, 2008
Running Time: 89 minutes

The Film

I am officially tired of Asian ghost “horror” films, and more specifically, American remakes of those films. The genre has been force fed to us since The Ring, the first major commercially successful one, and ironically, the high point. Shutter: Unrated isn’t necessarily a bad film, the market has just been oversaturated with Asian horror to the point where it no longer holds the same creepy impact it once had.

The film stars Joshua Jackson and Rachel Taylor as Benjamin and Jane Shaw. The newlyweds head to Japan to both celebrate their honeymoon, and for a photography job that Ben landed. The trip starts off on the wrong foot when Jane hits a woman on a back road, but the body cannot be found. This event, coupled with Ben’s job, cuts the honeymoon short and leaves Jane isolated with her guilty thoughts in a strange land. Jane soon develops a roll of film and notices an odd light in the pictures. Ben sees the same flares in pictures he is taking for his job. Ben’s assistant informs him about the concept of “spirit pictures,” photographs that show the ghosts of angry souls that still haunt the world. They investigate further, and soon begin to have visions of the very same girl that they hit. As the instances become more unsettling, and ultimately dangerous, Ben and Jane must uncover the truth about the girl before they become victims to the spirit’s rage.

The idea of spirit photography is interesting enough, but the film explores it in far too mundane a fashion. I’ve seen enough of these films to know that flashing images and loud music cues aren’t scary—just startling. All of the “scare” moments seem very repetitive in nature, and rob the film of any true forward momentum. Maybe I am too closed-minded for Asian horror these days, but the film just didn’t scare me, and thus failed as a horror experience.

The Disc

The video is presented in a 1.85:1, 1080p HD transfer. This is another example that proves Fox knows what they are doing with the format. Minor film grain and some black crush in the darkest areas were the only negative aspects I noticed. The colors are natural, the level of detail is noteworthy in the foreground and background, and the transfer is free of compression artifacts.

The audio is offered in English DTS HD Master Lossless Audio 5.1 Surround Sound, as well as French/Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound with English/Spanish/Cantonese/Korean/Mandarin subtitles. The surround speakers are used well to accentuate the creepy mood and build atmosphere. The positioning of the audio is also very realistic and accurate. Dialogue is balanced in the overall mix as well. It’s not the best I have heard, but certainly exceeded my expectations.

The Extras

The disc is loaded with special features, some of which are intriguing, others not so much.

Commentary is offered with Production Executive Alex Sundell, Screenwriter Luke Dawson, and Rachael Taylor. I was surprised to hear how coherent and structured this track was, with all of the participants providing legitimately interesting comments about the production.

“A Ghost in the Lens” is an 8-minute featurette that looks at Japanese ghost folklore, and compares it with that of the west.

“A Cultural Divide” is a 9-minute piece documenting the cast and crew’s experience filming in Japan and how that helped the overall production.

“The Director: Masayuki Ochiai” (9 minutes) and “A Conversation with Luke Dawson” (5 minutes) are interview featurettes with the director and screenwriter.

“Create Your Own Phantom Photo” (4 minutes) shows how Photoshop can be used to make fake ghost pictures.

“The Hunt for the Haunt” is a generic, 2-minute text piece with ghost hunting “tips.”

“History of Spirit Photography” is a 5-minute featurette on exactly that—the history of capturing ghosts on film.

“In Character with Joshua Jackson” is a 2-minute EPK interview.

The “Japanese Spirit Photography Videos” section runs 17 minutes and is a collection of “ghosts” caught on tape or film.

27 minutes of Deleted/Alternate scenes don’t show anything that would have changed the outcome of the movie. Lastly, an Alternate Ending is offered as well.

Final Thoughts

Shutters: Unrated isn’t nearly as bad as some other ghost films that have come out recently, it is just too tepid for its own good. Fans of Asian horror may get a kick or two out of it, but personally, I need a break from the genre.