I took a break from Korean cinema because i was concerned that i would run out of material if I carried on at the pace that I watching them and the Japanese did not disappoint.

I can't really say for certain what it is that engages them, I would have to watch the movie several more times in order to figure that out, but this film in centered around the afterlife and how people become ghosts trapped in our world. The initial sequence happens due to some kind of AOL disk that installs an internet browsing platform that asks you "would you like to see a ghost?" while you are installing it. This seems silly and it is. However you have to put yourself in the seat of the people at the time when dealing with dial-up internet (which many of you may have never experienced and trust me when i say you are better of for it) but it was pretty amazing at that particular point in time.

I can't say exactly how the ghosts travel through the interwebs but it is not an important part of the story. The story itself seems to be kind of up to the person viewing it as the characters in the film start to find themselves with fewer and fewer people around them as the days go on. This takes place in Tokyo, and if you have ever been there or any other major city you likely know that the opportunity for you to have a street all to yourself is not great. I mean seriously. I have been to Toyko once and I don't recall a point outside of my hotel room where there wasn't hundreds of people around me.

This seems (to me) to be the message of the movie about people moving from this world to the next because the people who have already passed seem to reach out to those that (maybe) haven't passed yet, but perhaps they have and the ones who are already gone are trying to help them transition to the new afterlife.

I don't know! It was really confusing and that is why i have to watch it again. However, here is the trailer and then i will talk some more.

What made this film so incredible (again, to me) is the fact that there were no scenes where whatever was meant to scare you JUMPED at you suddenly. There was no shock fright in the film at all. What did happen was creepy sequences where something was coming for you (the viewer) and you didn't know what it was but it was coming for sure.

This particular scene was the one that i am sure I am going to have nightmares about. Again, there was nothing that jumped out, you were made aware of the phantom's presence long before it was upon us, yet the imagery and the slow progress of said phantom is (in my mind) so much more terrifying than if the thing jumping around a corner.

This movie is so complex that I can't really tell you for sure what it is about. It has a lot to do with ghosts and attempting to explain the realm that said ghosts live in - and it appears to be quite tragic. The story, in my mind is not nearly as important as how well they did with portraying a genuinely scary ghost story without any shock tactics. This is art folks.... and i rarely get excited about art.

the only reason it is getting just below "stellar" review from me is that the movie is left up to the viewer to interpret a bit too much in my opinion. Even after thinking about if for many hours I have no clear idea about what i just watched but do know it scared the hell outta me. However this may have a lot to do with the fact that I don't speak Japanese and was reading the subtitles. Watch this movie if you are a fan of horror.

Off to my nightmares.