Horror Movie Reviews

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Title: Reincarnation (2007) Starring: Yûka, Karina (XIII), Kippei Shiina, Tetta Sugimoto, and Shun Oguri Director: Takashi Shimizu Rating: R (Restricted) Runtime: 96 minutes Avg. Score: 4 Avg Score: Submit Comment Hits: 24

Review of Reincarnation

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Comments for Reincarnation

• Posted on 2008-05-07
  One of the Best Finale's In Any Horror Film . . . Ever
  
  Well, I kept hearing all sorts of disappointing statements about Reincarnation. Needless to say, I was a bit reluctant to see it in my local theater. But then I remembered that I have never seen a Japanese film on the big screen, so I went mainly for the experience. Wasn't I surprised when I realized - after seeing the film - that it's pretty damn good.
  
  I'll keep things vague, so as to not spoil anything for those who haven't seen it yet. I admire originality, and while Reincarnation is no Marebito or Tetsuo on the originality scale, it definitely scores high. Sure, there are a lot of horror elements used in this film that have been seen before, but they are not used in quite the same manner. Perhaps the most impressive thing is that the concept of reincarnation itself is used to bridge and interconnect all of these elements in a new and satisfying way. It's like a chef who takes a bunch of foods that you've eaten before, but uses a special ingredient to shake things up. In short, Takashi Shimizu works well as a movie chef here.
  
  Some have complained that the ending is predictable, but this is a misleading assertion. There are essentially three twists that occur back to back to back. Surely, most viewers will probably be able to guess the first twist, but there is very little probability that they will be able to guess either of the other two.
  
  Of course, you can be sure that incompetent, tasteless reviewers like LawrenceGriffin will criticize this film for lacking "integrity and weight" (as well as entertainment value), only to then recommend completely weightless trash like Friday the 13th in the same breath. For the rest of us who actually enjoy a quality horror film, we'll stick with our Japanese gems.
  
  The pacing is very similar to Audition (although not nearly as violent in its culmination). The first 70 minutes is basically a slow paced set-up for the finale, with some dashes of formulaic scares. Fortunately, the final 25 minute finale is one of the most interesting, original, and compelling horror sequences in recent memory. So for those planning to see it, please be patient, and rest assured, the crap will hit the fan . . . hard. Quite frankly, the final series of events in Reincarnation had this viewer giggling with amazement. Just when I thought I had the next scene figured out, Takashi Shimizu would pull the rug from beneath my feet and turn the film in another direction.
  
  I think that the reasoning behind some negative reactions to Reincarnation is the fact that it was marketed ineffectively. There is nothing extremely violent in this film, yet it was packaged within a Horrorfest of films that were allegedly very violent. I'm sure that the gorehounds entered the theater looking for lots of guts and blood, in which case they must have been greatly disappointed. In addition, no one knew the film was in subtitles. I watch East Asian films almost exclusively, so I prefer subtitles to dubbings any day of the week, but I must say that the audible groans and moans from the audience when the subtitles appeared was remarkably entertaining. Apparently, reading a few lines on a screen is too difficult for American audiences. :)
  
  All in all, this was a classic horror film that scores relatively high in originality. I highly recommend it for those who can appreciate a slow-buring, plot-driven horror film with a fantastic finale.
  Score: 4
• Posted on 2008-04-23
  Reincarnation
  
  I'm not a huge fan of J-Horror, just so you know when going into this review. I probably liked this movie least out of the entire Horrorfest, but it wasn't bad, I just found it to be an hour of boredom before things finally picked up (a common problem I see in J-Horror). And then the pick up in pace and visuals was so great it almost made up for the entire first hour! So to be honest, I had a hard time sitting through this until the payoff came, and even though the last bit of the movie was outstanding, it's still slightly below average.
  Score: 3
• Posted on 2008-01-12
  AMAZING
  
  This is a great movie. It is scary and fun. This is one of the best of the 8 films.
  Score: 4
• Posted on 2007-11-05
  ONE OF THE BETTER HORRORFEST OFFERINGS
  
  At the risk of being thought of as a shill for J-Horror films, I really didn't want to like Reincarnation as the best entry into the After Dark Horrorfest, it just sort of worked out that way. Actually, I'd say it was pretty close between Reincarnation and Abandoned. The film is directed by Takashi Shimizu who directed all of the Ju-On films as well as the American versions, The Grudge 1 & 2. Reincarnation is not a copy of those films, however. In fact, in one of the DVD's special features, Shimizu comments that he wanted to get away from the Ju-On and Ringu type of horror films. He even takes the J-Horror scene to task somewhat for so much copying of those two noted films. He sought to make a ghost story that broke the mold of the curse-style of films. He was largely successful in his efforts although a few of those standard plot elements did creep into Reincarnation, whether it was intended or not.
  
  Nagisa Sugiura is a young actress getting her first big break in a new horror film. From the very beginning, Nagisa keeps seeing a spectral little girl watching her and abruptly disappearing. The cast is told that the film is based on an actual event. Some forty years earlier, before Nagisa was born, Professor Omori went on a murder spree at a hotel, killing eleven people including his two children. The film is based on that event and Nagisa is told she will be playing the role of the little girl who was killed by her father, albeit in a more grown-up version. As part of their research, the director takes the cast and crew to the very hotel where the murders took place. The Hotel has been closed for years and Nagisa has never been there, but she immediately senses something wrong. She has visions of the murders and finds herself sucked into the past, seemingly fleeing from the killer and hiding in a closet.
  
  While the movie is in production, several other cast members and others unrelated to the film, have their own encounters with the specters of that place and the film touches upon themes of reincarnation. Are these people reincarnations of the victims. Shimizu paces the film slowly, building both suspense and mystery. The story can be confusing at first as we don't really know what these other encounters have to do with the rest of the plot, but hang in there. This is like a puzzle that won't quite make sense until all the pieces are put together.
  
  Of course there is the twist ending you've come to expect from most J-Horror films and I have to admit to being completely surprised after thinking I had the ending figured out. Shimizu does a masterful job in throwing out a lot of red herrings to keep viewers stumped. The last 15 minutes are truly among the creepiest moments in any of the After Dark Horrorfest films. The terror is palpable as it builds to a crescendo for its climax.
  
  Reincarnation isn't completely original. Shimizu relates how he recently discovered films like The Shining and The Haunting, and certainly there are influences of both films. I also noted influences from the underrated film The Changeling. Like those films, the horror in Reincarnation is subtle, as it grows and festers.
  
  The film is not without its flaws, however. There was very little in the way of character development, even with the main character Nagisa Sugiura. We end up knowing very little about her and almost nothing about the other characters, but there IS a reason for that, I suppose.
  
  The DVD comes with a number of special features including an hour-long making of documentary, a short Q&A with Shimizu which is very enlightening as he reveals his thoughts on the differences between J-Horror and American horror films. There are also some deleted scenes as well.
  
  Subtle and atmospheric, Reincarnation definitely ranks as one of the best of the After Dark Horrorfest films.
  
  REVIWED BY TIM JANSON
  Score: 4
• Posted on 2007-11-01
  Shimizu's best offering.
  
  Rinne (Takashi Shimizu, 2005)
  
  News flash: Takashi Shimizu makes incoherent movie. Film at 11!
  
  Like Marebito, Rinne is a movie that is head and shoulders above Takashi Shimizu's usual output, but never lives up to what it could easily have been. The story is great stuff (students of Japanese culture will recognize two or three blended fairytales in this one): a young actress, Nagisa Sugiura (single-named TV actress Yuka) lands a role in a movie about a mass murder at a secluded hotel thirty years before, and the odd flashes of memory that have always haunted her suddenly intensify. They have to do, of course, with a mass murder at a secluded hotel thirty years ago, and she soon discovers she's not the only one who has such memories...
  
  Rinne is by far the best of Takashi Shimizu's films to date. To be honest, that's not saying a great deal, but it's a huge leap forward from the PG-13 potboiler pap (yes, even in the Japanese original) of The Grudge and the well-meant but deeply inconsistent Marebito. This one works as a straight mystery, something no Shimizu film to date has done, as well as operating on the ghost-story level. And the mystery is really an absorbing one, as we try to figure out who these characters really are and what their relation to the old story is. And perhaps others saw the ending coming, but wow. I was blindsided. All that said, the setup of the mystery could have been handled a lot better than it was (the first ten minutes of the movie will make no sense to you until you've almost made it through the entire film), and some of the actors probably could've used a bit more coaching. But that doesn't take away from the fact that Shimizu seems to have shown profound growth as a filmmaker here. Now if he'd ever stop directing Grudge sequels, we might get to see the results of this growth. *** ½
  Score: 3