Saturday, May 7, 2011

Pulse (2001)


This weekend we're taking a break from Eden's Moebius series to take a look at two films by Kiyoski Kurosawa. Kurasowa recently had an art house hit with Tokyo Sonata. He also directed one of the first films I reviewed here at Unseen, Sweet Home. The films today are from the last decade and are two of his best. (More Moebius films will return next weekend)

I don't know how to describe this with out making it sound like something its not, but I have to say that this is one of the creepiest and most disturbing films I've seen in quite some time. Its not perfect, even if I gave it a 10 out of 10 at IMDB, simply because few films have left me that uneasy.

Operating well with a sense that I can only describe as dream logic this concerns the really weird events surrounding several people who notice something is wrong when a friend goes missing. The friend is not the trigger, but the event that they notice making them suspect that all is not right in their world.

Everything about how this story is calculated to send slowly building shivers up and down your spine. There are no real moments of shock, just ever growing horror and unease. I hated the way that this movie made me feel but couldn't stop watching.

If there are any flaws is that the film is a bit long at just under two hours. The pacing wears and the logic, while frightening gets stretched almost to the breaking point.

If you can stand slow calculating horror films that freak you out with images and implications then see this movie. Its one of the best I've seen in a while.

I should point out that the film was remade for American audiences (and even spawned sequels) however what works in the remake is directly lifted from this film.

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