Here we go again. The tried-and-true formula for spooky Asian horror, this time recycled in Thailand. I was already yawning at the sight of yet another waterlogged dead girl with long black hair crawling the walls. The scares are pretty typical also; lots of ghastly faces quickly jumping into the frame or glanced in reflections, punctuated by loud orchestra hits. Surprisingly, in spite of all the cookie cutter creepiness, Shutter genuinely gave me chills. The seemingly simple story (a drunk young couple run down a girl who then appears menacingly in their photographs) becomes more complex and twisted with each act. The numerous “jump scenes” keep the audience entertained while we get to know the players, and the final shocker is pretty freaky. What makes this movie work after so many derivative ghost stories is that instead of being just some girl that fell down a well, the spectre has a real connection to the main character, something painful that we can probably all relate to on some level.

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