Ben seems to be able to forget the entire incident, but Jane can’t shake the feeling that something really strange is at work. She gets even more suspicious when she notices that photographs of her and Ben have an odd blur to them. Ben dismisses it as just a problem with the camera, but Jane can’t let it go and decides to investigate. As she begins, her belief is that the blurriness is caused by “spirit photography,” when a ghost with unresolved issues (i.e. a horrific unexplained death) lingers around the living and poses for pictures with them. Jane believes the blur is the ghost of the girl she ran over, and she wants to find out just who the girl was, so she and Ben can get on with their life together.
After talking to the editor of a magazine, Jane learns that the spirit may actually be trying to tell her something. Eventually, Ben starts seeing ghosts as well, so the couple decides to visit a medium. The medium tells the couple that emotional energy can be communicated on film. As Jane digs deeper, she discovers that the couple (particularly her husband), have ties to the woman that run deep into their past and her husband might not be the man she thought he was.
Shutter brings nothing new to the horror genre, large because this version is virtually a shot-for-shot remake of the Asian original, with a few scenes edited slightly to avoid comparisons to The Grudge like imagery; though if you’ve seen The Grudge, One Missed Call or Pulse, you may feel like you’ve seen this film before.
Director Masayuki Ochiai (Kansen) tries to create a feeling of uneasiness by putting camera, viewfinders, lenses and photographs in a lot of scenes, placing them in various positions to keep the viewer uncomfortably aware. While this method is somewhat successful at the beginning of the film, after awhile the concept loses its scary edge and just seems silly.
This disc presents the “unrated” cut, which has for more minutes than the theatrical release. Don’t expect anything to shocking or gory, as this version still carries the PG-13 rating.
For a film with a lukewarm box office reception the Shutter (Unrated) DVD has an impressive list of extras. First is an audio commentary with production executive Alex Sundell, screenwriter Luke Dawson and actress Rachael Taylor. There are 11 alternate/deleted scenes, which are about as scintillating as they sound: “Jane Eats a Big Mac”, “Jane Watches TV”, “Jane Gets Directions.”The alternate ending is pretty much the same ending with one minor addition, like many of the extended scenes. There’s no extra gore (just a deformed face).
Up next are seven featurettes of varying interest, many of which use movie clips that feel like there include just to pack the DVD with stuff. “A Ghost in the Lens” (8:08) is a collection of interviews (in black and white; the film clip are in color) with actors Joshua Jackson, Rachael Taylor and John Hensley; producer Roy Lee; writer Luke Dawson; and spirit photography expert Hideyuki Kokuho. They all provide general comments on the film as a whole, with nothing too interesting. Lee says he’s picky with his horror, and much prefers a slow-building anticipation of dread as opposed to “jump scares”, which this film has plenty of.
In “A Cultural Divide: Shooting in Japan” (9:20). Jackson, Taylor, Lee and Dawson return, joined by David Denman, stunt man Shinji Noro and interpreter Chiho Asada. Director Masayuki Ochiai does not speak English, so Asada was a key player in translating everyone’s ideas (one brief clip shows her talking with the director and Taylor on set). The feature talks about the cultural differences between Japan and the Western world, with the likeable Jackson coming across as a pretty genuine guy: “I just assume every day that I’m walking out the door that I’m a brute in a very polite culture. So I just assume I’m stepping on everybody’s toes.”
“The Director: Masayuki Ochiai” (9:28) is a subtitled interview, as the man talks about his attraction to the story, his respect for the original, mild alterations that were made, spirit photography and the landscape of J-Horror.
“A Conversation with Luke Dawson” (5:30) sits down with the screenwriter, who talks about the birth and development of the script, as well as the differences between American and Japanese horror films.
“A History of Spirit Photography” (4:42) covers the film’s central idea, the “reproduction of a spiritual materialization or psychokinetic manifestation by film exposure.”
“Create Your Own Phantom Photo” (3:55) is an instructional piece that films two hands at work on a Mac as they make their own fake spirit photo, while The Hunt for the Haunt: “Tools + Tips for Ghost Hunters” (2:23) is a bunch of text tips for those seeking excitement.
