Director: Hideo Nakata
Year: 1999
Country: Japan
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Ghosts
Plot:
Following the discovery of several bodies, a woman and her friend try to look into the connection with a missing person’s case that’s being investigated, and when she discovers the connection to a cursed video tape of local lore involving a ghost girl tries to help her stop the spirit.
Review:
Overall, this is an enjoyable and entertaining sequel. Most of the film’s enjoyable qualities stem from the immersive quality that arises from the continuation of the storylines from the original. With the mysterious incidents only just being found out by the police and trying to piece together what happened to the missing reporter, the events in question are quite impressive to see play out as if there was a true sequel at work. Even the similarities to the first film that emerge during their investigation into the discovery of the real source of the spirits’ power with the connection into the psyche and their mental prowess that’s revealed here.
That gives this one the chance to bring out some chilling supernatural action within that framework. The supposed sightings of the ghost hands watching over her is a simple enough tactic at keeping the ghost centered on the story, while the scenes at the mental hospital with the possessed patient offer some of the most chilling works in the film. From the patient forcing the TV monitor to start playing the video to trigger the rest of the patients to the psychological test being performed that signals the start of this one launching into far creepier terrain. As the searches take her to the island which brings about some fantastic shocks and leading into the fantastic finale, there’s some great scenes here that are quite chilling.
That said, there are a few areas that hold this one back. The main problem is the fact that the film has a pretty troubling issue with the tempo and pacing that drags the opening of the film down. With a major focus on the investigation into the past and trying to uncover the series of connections to everything in the two films, this ends creating a wholly bland feeling for the most part as the deeper investigations prove to offer more grounding in the scenario but keeps the horror focus to a minimum which isn’t the point.
The other real problem with the film is the unnecessary psychobabble that emerges in trying to explain the origins of the ghost and where she came from. The idea of exploring the connection within a person’s mind and their concentration of suppressed emotions is a great topic to explore but here it becomes somewhat laughable to think that can cause a ghost curse to play out in the manner depicted in the series since that has nothing to do with the concept of a ghost killing people through a cursed videotape making the entire experience pointless as a whole. These here are what hold the film back.
Overview: ****/5
While nowhere near as impactful and prominent as the original, that it attempts to explore new ground than most sequels and offers up an attempt to explain the curse is to be celebrated regardless of the outcome. It’s an easy recommend to fans of Asian horror or J-horror in particular, especially for those willing to go back-to-back with the original while those who aren’t fans of the style should heed caution with this one.
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