Guide Note

Shutter is the remake of the 2004 film of the same name about a recently married couple who start to see ghostly images of an accident in their honeymoon photos. Shutter was released on March 21, 2008 and grossed $10,447,559 on opening weekend at the box office. Shutter received low reviews from the critics.

Fast Facts

1. Release date: March 21, 2008
2. Directed by: Masayuki Ochiai
3. Written by: Luke Dawson
4. Starring: Joshua Jackson, Rachael Taylor, and James Kyson Lee
5. Distributed by 2Oth Century Fox
6. Run time: 85 minutes
7. First ever remake of a Thai film
8. Filmed in Tokyo, Japan
9. Rated: PG-13

Yet another black-haired, pale-faced, wraithlike ghost girl comes crawling back to terrorize the living in "Shutter." First English-language feature for Japanese horror specialist Masayuki Ochiai ("Infection") is a blandly cast and crafted remake of the same-titled 2004 Thai pic that itself emulated J-horror norms, which seemed a lot fresher back then. Low on real scares, atmosphere and character (both human and directorial), mediocre pic looks to do commensurately pedestrian biz. — Variety

Asian horror remakes are typically not screened for critics, and Shutter is no exception. The studios know what they have: watered-down, lifeless shells of motion pictures devoid of characters, drama, or anything remotely resembling horror. The PG-13 rating, while opening the gates to bored teenagers, will turn hardcore horror aficionados in the other direction. The novelty of these low-gore ghost stories has long since worn off and audiences no longer care. It's time for this critic to realize that the time has come to give up on the subgenre and leave the viewing of these disappointments to those few hearty souls who still care. — ReelViews