This was a huge disappointment. I didn't see it when it came out but I remember everyone talking about how terrifying it was. Yeah, if you're super afraid of people making animal noises, maybe?Karen (Sarah Michelle Gellar) agrees to sub in as a caregiver for a catatonic woman (Grace Zabriskie) after the regular girl (Yoko Maki) doesn't show up. Once in the house, she begins to notice disturbing things like a little boy (Yuya Ozeki) taped into a closet with his cat. Given that the boy is Japanese and the house's owners are white, it's glaringly obvious that something weird is happening. Then people start dying as Karen tries desperately to determine the source of the evil plaguing everyone who has set foot in the house.
I can only hope the original Japanese version was way scarier or at least more engaging than this American remake. The "living" cast is given almost nothing to do, the mystery is banal, and the ghosts are way overused to be effective. Without the sound effects, this movie would be a snooze fest.
Actually, I think that's a pretty good rule of thumb. If your movie isn't scary on mute, you don't get to call it a horror movie. Sound is an important contributor to atmosphere but it can't be the only tool in the box.
Pumpkin rating: 1.5/5
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