Internet Janitor
Oh, the difference it can make going to the source. Directed by legendary director Takashi Miike (Auditon, Ichi The Killer), this is so far superior to any American remake of Japanese horror. This is how you take what is, in theory, an odd, almost silly premise and make it work. Yes, it stumbles a little near the end, but ultimately, it’s a satisfying watch.
The story is simple: a tight group of friends receive missed calls on their cell phones and get voicemails. The voicemail, from a few days in the future, foretells their death. They laugh it off, as you would until it proves to be a horrifying truth. Yumi Nakamura (played by Kô Shibasaki) must then race to figure out where the calls are coming from and why before she gets one herself.
There is a realistic atmosphere around this story, and wholly, Jesus, God damn, Christ on a stick, the difference it makes when you have characters that seem like and act like real people. I’ve not seen the American remake of this, but I believe I can safely wager that it’s awful. Yumi struggles to get the police, almost anyone, to take her seriously. This makes sense. It is ridiculous, but you see in the film that destiny is laid out in the voicemail, and it is coming for them, believe it or not.
Don’t get me wrong; being the Japanese original is not an automatic “it’s better” or that all American remakes are awful. I rather liked what they did with The Ring remake in 2002. The creepy little kid in that movie still gives me nightmares.
Takashi Miike knows what he’s doing here. His expertise makes a ridiculous concept work because they take it seriously. There are not a lot of lousy jump scares, and there is very little blood even, but it’s still atmospheric.
Give it a try. Just don’t miss that call.