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Pulse (2001) R
A suicide, weird internet page and people missing or grown distant lead young Tokyo residents toward a mystery that has major consequences.
Pulse is pretty unique J-horror that is in some ways closer to the likes of Cronenberg and Carpenter than contemporary Japanese films. It's a strange hybrid of Prince of Darkness, Shivers (or Rabid) and typical J-horror ghost movie like Ringu. The result is a great movie that manages to blend all of its elements into highly emotional apocalyptic vision.
While Pulse is mostly considered a horror film it isn't very scary. It is very sad and depressing film though. Its main theme is loneliness and its depiction of it is devoid of hope; in life everyone is ultimately alone and death is no salvation but an eternity of cold and hopeless solitude. I often like sad films and Pulse surely delivers.
Technically the film is good: it's not visually flashy but its static or slowly moving camera fits the film's slow pace well, CGI is clearly dated but it still kinda works and soundtrack is really nice. Acting is OK too. Plot doesn't always make that much sense but like in Fulci's films it's more about the atmosphere anyway.
One of the best J-horrors (maybe even the best). It's not as scary as some others but it has almost unsurpassable feeling of loss and hopelessness.
A suicide, weird internet page and people missing or grown distant lead young Tokyo residents toward a mystery that has major consequences.
Pulse is pretty unique J-horror that is in some ways closer to the likes of Cronenberg and Carpenter than contemporary Japanese films. It's a strange hybrid of Prince of Darkness, Shivers (or Rabid) and typical J-horror ghost movie like Ringu. The result is a great movie that manages to blend all of its elements into highly emotional apocalyptic vision.
While Pulse is mostly considered a horror film it isn't very scary. It is very sad and depressing film though. Its main theme is loneliness and its depiction of it is devoid of hope; in life everyone is ultimately alone and death is no salvation but an eternity of cold and hopeless solitude. I often like sad films and Pulse surely delivers.
Technically the film is good: it's not visually flashy but its static or slowly moving camera fits the film's slow pace well, CGI is clearly dated but it still kinda works and soundtrack is really nice. Acting is OK too. Plot doesn't always make that much sense but like in Fulci's films it's more about the atmosphere anyway.
One of the best J-horrors (maybe even the best). It's not as scary as some others but it has almost unsurpassable feeling of loss and hopelessness.