Reincarnation (2006)

Well, I saw this first as I am a fan of Japanese horror movies. I really like the twists and thought that this is unique. But when I saw the movie "The Shining", I am convinced that they adapted the reincarnation plot from this classic Stephen King movie. Anyway, I'm still a fan of Asian horror movies but not this one.

Nagisa Sugiura (Yuka) is a young Japanese actress who comes face to face with a slew of ghosts. These restless spirits begin to appear when she signs on to star in a horror film which tells the true story about a crazed, local professor whose murderous rampage at a hotel left 11 guests dead, including his young son and daughter. The director of the film is making the movie at the actual hotel where the murders happened, so it's not long before Nagisa starts to witness them more and more.Rinne (Reincarnation) isn't actually that bad of a movie. The story itself is pretty simple, but it does tend to jump about a bit so it can get a bit tricky to follow. It's also a wee bit slow in parts, but the parts where it picks up makes up for that slightly but just not enough for me.What kind of saves it bombing totally for me are some of the ghost scenes, especially ones that involve a doll. These scenes - in particular one near the end of the movie - are pretty freaky, so it's just a pity that the rest of the movie didn't have that same kind of creep factor. I know a film can't be just full of scenes like that, but you can't help wishing that it had more to make it that much more gripping.There are some elements that reminded me of Ju-on (which was a much better film), but considering the director of that movie and this are the same, doesn't surprise me.Overall, it's not too bad of a movie to watch, especially if you like pretty creepy Japanese horror films, but there are better ones out there.

I consider myself retired from modern Asian ghost films after having been stung by the likes of The Grudge, The Ring, The Eye, A Tale of Two Sisters etc...but I decided to give this one a chance anyway because it was a part of the Eight Films to Die For series (which I've been slowly making my way through) and because the plot sounded rather interesting. While I would say that this film is above average for its type; and certainly better than most of the other modern Japanese horror films that I've seen, I wouldn't really say it was worth the time or effort. The plot focuses on a young actress that is given a role in a horror film after proclaiming to the producers that she would be perfect for the role as she was killed in a previous life. The film depicts the real life murders of a bunch of hotel guests by a crazed madman, and it's being filmed at the very place where the massacre took place. It's not long before the actress begins to be haunted by the malevolent ghosts killed at the hotel.The film is very slow and takes a while to get going. I've got no problem with this in theory, but unfortunately the build up to the plot and the central character are not very interesting, which makes things a bit tedious right from the start. Once it does finally get going (over halfway through the film), things do get a little more interesting and director Takashi Shimizu (who directed The Grudge, its sequels and remakes) even manages some really creepy sequences; one taking place in a library is the best, but the ending is rather well done too. The film does seem to expect the viewer to invest some thought in the plot; and for me this is the worst thing about it. It's just not interesting enough to captivate the viewer in order to make us want to invest any extra effort in the viewing. To the film's credit, the style is rather good and the director does have an eye for horror. Overall, the film didn't do enough for me to bother recommending it. The fact that it was a part of After Dark's series will (hopefully) mean there won't be a remake on the horizon any time soon.

The easiest way I can think of summing up Reincarnation is as a cross between Ring and The Shining. It's a slow building chiller, directed with a stylish touch by director of The Grudge Takashi Shimizu. While this movie has a few jump moments and some truly creepy ghost moments, it's more of a psychological, supernatural thriller than a haunted house film.A young woman is starting out on a career as an actress. She auditions for a new horror film based on true events, a massacre at a hotel where a university professor went crazy, murdering his family and the hotel night staff all in one night. She leaves the audition and begins to have visions of a little girl and her doll in impossible places. Soon she gets a call back, and goes to meet the director. As soon as she's cast in the film her visions change and begin to include images of the murders. She starts to investigate into why.It's a different story to the average 'this place is haunted, I shouldn't go in here...well, maybe a little...OHMIGOD!' stories that J-Horror is famous for, and it makes the film feel fresh. Also the directions it takes are both unexpected and very creepy. I won't give any of them away to avoid spoiling the film, but the movies twists and turns give it a great storyline and structure.I can't recommend this film enough. Yes it is subtitled, and watching a film this tied up to Japanese culture and beliefs in a dub destroys a lot of the mystique, so I wouldn't recommend it to those who can't sit through subtitled films, but it is an excellent horror, spooky and ultimately quite chilling.It is worth noting that this movie is also at times quite brutal. The flashbacks to the murders though brief are disturbing and explicit, and often seen through the murderers eyes, so the easily upset be warned.However, to avoid this movie simply because of a few short sequences of disturbing violence or it's language would be to miss out on a great horror film with a unique feel and excellent atmosphere. Please watch this movie, you won't regret it.