Ju-on (2000)

Sam Rami said that he thought Ju-On was one of the twenty greatest horror movies ever made and I agree. In this Japanese horror flick, subtleness is the key. I have read reviews where some were taken aback by this approach and I can understand their sentiments, but I think it is all a matter of taste. No one can really deny the skill that goes into this picture and how scary it is. i think what makes this movie so terrifying is that it takes mundane settings not usually associated with horror and turns them into places of terror. The house in Ju-On is just a normal house where abnormal events occurred and as such lead to a supernatural curse. Plus the characters that seem to be involved in this are good people who don't deserve what comes to them. In most American films all the people who are killed are usually drug and sex ridden teenagers who the audience roots against. I feel that doesn't make for a scary picture, like having regular people whose only real crime is being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I would defiantly rate this as one of the elite horror movies ever made. I see so many elements that are present in past films. I like how the skips around in a Quentin Tarintino type way. Also it has that low budget Evil Dead feel. It is easy to see why Sam Rami digs it so much. It also reminds me of old European horror flicks and old American horror flicks that were famous for subtle fear inducing scenes. Now it does have it's faults though. And while I guess this is a matter of taste, I think that some of the actions of the ghosts should of been played out more. I know in Japanese movies, they like to leave more to the imagination, but some variety could of helped the picture I think. Anyway, I defiantly feel this is a good movie to add to anyone's collection.