This movie will probably not appeal to anyone who does not enjoy Japanese horror movies. It begins with an attempt at seriousness that is discarded within the first 10 minutes of the movie. The FX never exceeds made-for-TV movie quality and is often times worse. My personal view is that they are intentionally bad to draw attention to the fact that it is a movie and poke fun at how low budget it is. Some of the higher-end effects obviously required good computer software and skill that seems to be deliberately left out of other scenes, most notably one involving a pigeon where the fishing line keeping it suspended in the air is visible. The action in the movie is some of the worst I have ever seen. Most of the time there is not even an attempt to add in blood or otherwise make it appear believable. The set design is similarly awful, with telephones and electrical lines in the background of a 17th century castle and a car chase that suddenly ends up in the hallway of a movie studio. Again, this can only be there to draw attention to the work-as-movie.
That being said, the movie can be quite enjoyable once you get in to the cheesiness and unbelievable plot twists. The movie uses symbols and ideas from other horror movies, but out of their original context they are never scary. Within 30 mins in any logic driving the plot breaks down and the movie progressively becomes more enjoyable.
That being said, the movie can be quite enjoyable once you get in to the cheesiness and unbelievable plot twists. The movie uses symbols and ideas from other horror movies, but out of their original context they are never scary. Within 30 mins in any logic driving the plot breaks down and the movie progressively becomes more enjoyable.