Megumi Okina in a scene from "Shutter."

“Shutter,” a remake of a Thai horror film directed by Masayuki Ochiai, opened nationwide on March 21 and placed third over the weekend behind “Doctor Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who” and “Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns.”

For photographer Ben (Joshua Jackson, “Dawson’s Creek”) and his new wife Jane (Rachael Taylor, “Transformers”), his new assignment — a lucrative fashion shoot in Tokyo — was supposed to be a kind of working honeymoon. With the limitless possibilities of a new marriage, they arrive in Japan.

But as they make their way on a mountain road leading to Mt. Fuji, their car smashes into a woman who materialized out of nowhere, standing in the middle of the road. Upon regaining consciousness after the accident, they cannot find any trace of the girl Jane believes she hit.

Shaken by the incident, Ben and Jane arrive in Tokyo, where Ben begins his glamorous assignment. Having worked in Japan before and fluent in the language, Ben is comfortable there, and he eagerly reunites with old friends and colleagues. Jane feels very much like a stranger in a strange land as she makes tentative, unsettling forays through the city.

Ben discovers mysterious white blurs, eerily evocative of a human form, that have materialized on an entire day’s work from the expensive photo shoot. Jane’s concerns escalate as she believes the blurs in the photos are the dead girl from the road, who is now seeking vengeance for them leaving her to die.

The cast also includes Megumi Okina (“Ju-on: The Grudge”) and James Kyson Lee (“Heroes”).

Ochiai’s credits include “Kansen” (Infection) in 2004 and “Saimin” (Hypnosis) in 1999.

While many Japanese horror movies have been adapted by U.S. studios, this 20th Century Fox released is based on a 2004 Thai film by Banjong Pisanthanakun and Parkpoom Wongpoom.

“Shutter” is 1 hour, 25 minutes long and rated PG-13.

About Us | Privacy Policy | Contact Us

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: copyright 2006-2008 by Hokubei Mainichi, Inc.; all rights reserved