Shutter (2008/I)

User Rating:

4.8/10   

Director:

Masayuki Ochiai

Writer (WGA):

Luke Dawson (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

21 March 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

The most terrifying images are the ones that are real.

Plot:

A newly married couple discovers disturbing, ghostly images in photographs they develop after a tragic accident. Fearing the manifestations may be connected, they investigate and learn that some mysteries are better left unsolved.

Plot Keywords:

Japan | Photograph | Car Accident | Spirit Photography | Ghost

Cast

Joshua Jackson	...	Benjamin Shaw
Rachael Taylor	...	Jane Shaw
Megumi Okina	...	Megumi Tanaka
David Denman	...	Bruno
John Hensley	...	Adam
Maya Hazen	...	Seiko Nakamura
James Kyson Lee	...	Ritsuo
Yoshiko Miyazaki	...	Akiko
Kei Yamamoto	...	Murase
Daisy Betts	...	Natasha
Adrienne Pickering	...	Megan
Pascal Morineau	...	Wedding Photographer
Masaki Ota	...	Police Officer #1
Heideru Tatsuo	...	Police Officer #2
Eri Otoguro	...	Yoko
Rina Matsuki	...	TGK Receptionist
Tomotaka Kanzaki	...	Client #1
Jun Yakushiji	...	Client #2
Emi Tamura	...	Emi
Polina Kononova	...	Studio Model #1
Yulia Ryzhova	...	Studio Model #2
Mika Kinose	...	Office Lady
Masakazu Nagakura	...	Pachinko Parlor Employee
Shinji Furukawa	...	Pachinko Parlor Customer
Maria Takagi	...	Waitress at Japanese Restaurant
Akihido Ando	...	Restaurant Manager
Alessandra	...	Model #1
Katrina B.	...	Model #2
Tanya Allen	...	Model #3 (as Tanya)
Takao Toji	...	Tokyo Doctor
Shizuka Fujimoto	...	Tokyo Exam Room Nurse
Yutaka Mishima	...	Ghost Magazine Layout Designer
Maiko Asano	...	Mother on Train
Rei Sato	...	Boy on Train
Homare Hasegawa	...	Passenger on Train
Kei Hirosawa	...	Passenger on Train
Michiyo Kaneko	...	Passenger on Train
Koichi Kase	...	Passenger on Train
Yasuke Kawarada	...	Passenger on Train
Ayuko Koyama	...	Passenger on Train
Konomi Moriyama	...	Passenger on Train
Akira Sato	...	Passenger on Train
Miyoko Yamaguchi	...	Passenger on Train
Runa Kozuki	...	Girl in Park (as Runa Kozuka)
Natsuki	...	TGK Female Staff
Akihiro Shimomura	...	Megumi's Father
Gen Takatsuka	...	Monk
Natalia Tsvetkova	...	Brooklyn Nurse
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Natalia Silkina
Masami Kosaka	...	Japanese Man (uncredited)
Rana Morrison	...	Wedding guest (uncredited)

Directed by
Masayuki Ochiai

Writing credits (WGA)
Luke Dawson		(screenplay)
Banjong Pisanthanakun		(2004 movie) uncredited &
Sopon Sukdapisit		(2004 movie) uncredited &
Parkpoom Wongpoom		(2004 movie) uncredited

Produced by
Paiboon Damrongchaitham	....	co-producer
Boosaba Daoruang	....	co-producer
Doug Davison	....	producer
Gloria Fan	....	executive producer
Satoshi Fukushima	....	line producer
Richard Guay	....	associate producer
Takashige Ichise	....	producer
Roy Lee	....	producer
Sonny Mallhi	....	executive producer
Arnon Milchan	....	executive producer
Visute Poolvoralaks	....	co-producer
Yodphet Sudsawad	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Nathan Barr

Cinematography by
Katsumi Yanagijima		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Timothy Alverson		(as Tim Alverson)
Michael N. Knue

Casting by
Donna Isaacson
Christian Kaplan

Production Design by
Norifumi Ataka

Set Decoration by
Fumiaki Suzaka
Nobuaki Watanabe

Makeup Department
Rick Findlater	....	hair designer
Rick Findlater	....	makeup designer
Georgia Lockhart-Adams	....	hair stylist
Fumi Takeshita	....	key hair stylist: Japan
Fumi Takeshita	....	key makeup artist: Japan
Yoko Yamazaki	....	assistant makeup artist

Production Management
Brady Vant Hull	....	production supervisor: second unit, Tokyo
Keizo Shukuzaki	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Kazuhiko Kondo	....	first assistant director: Japan
Ed Licht	....	first assistant director
Youichi Matsunaga	....	second assistant director: Japan
Amy Wilkins	....	second assistant director
Takaji Yamaguchi	....	third assistant director: Japan

Sound Department
David Betancourt	....	foley mixer
James Bolt	....	sound re-recording mixer
Smokey Cloud	....	first assistant sound editor
Ronny Cox	....	adr mixer (as Ron Cox)
Dawn Fintor	....	foley artist
Alan Freedman	....	adr mixer
David Grimaldi	....	sound effects editor
Scott A. Jennings	....	sound effects editor
Masato Komatsu	....	sound mixer
Cliff Latimer	....	adr editor
Timothy E. Lauber	....	adr recordist (as Tim Lauber)
David Lucarelli	....	adr mixer
Chuck Michael	....	sound designer
Chuck Michael	....	sound re-recording mixer
Chuck Michael	....	supervising sound editor
Nash Michael	....	foley editor
Takashi Nakazato	....	boom operator
Chris Navarro	....	adr mixer
Paul Pavelka	....	re-recording engineer
Eliza Pollack Zebert	....	supervising dialogue editor
Charleen Richards	....	adr mixer (as Charleen Richards-Steeves)
Alicia Stevenson	....	foley artist
Shinji Watanabe	....	boom operator

Special Effects by
Hidekazu Kishiura	....	special effects coordinator

Visual Effects by
Andrea Caretta	....	digital lighting and compositing artist
Thomas F. Ford IV	....	visual effects producer: New Regency/Twentieth Century Fox
Bonnie Kanner	....	visual effects executive producer: Pixel Magic
George Macri	....	visual effects producer: Pixel Magic
Hajime Matsumoto	....	visual effect supervisor: Big-X
Ray McIntyre Jr.	....	visual effects supervisor: Pixel Magic
Josh Mossotti	....	visual effects artist
Reid Paul	....	senior digital effects supervisor: Pixel Magic
Neal Sopata	....	digital artist
Bob Wiatr	....	digital effects compositor: Pacific Title

Stunts
Masanobu Anamiya	....	stunts
Shunsuke Gondo	....	stunts
Nami Hanada	....	stunts
Shinji Noro	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Michael FitzMaurice	....	aerial director of photography: Tokyo
Takahiro Imai	....	first assistant camera
Bill Kaye	....	still photographer
Shigeto Mizuno	....	second assistant camera
Kohei Suzuki	....	electrician
Shinzi Suzuki	....	camera operator
Yoshimi Watabe	....	chief lighting technician
Katsuyuki Yanagisawa	....	key grip

Casting Department
Caitlin McKenna-Wilkinson	....	adr voice casting
Masashi Yamaguchi	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Minako Matsumoto	....	assistant stylist
Akiko Nomura	....	stylist
Stevie Sterman	....	costume assistant

Editorial Department
Gary Burritt	....	negative cutter
Gilbert Carreras	....	lab color timer
Mel Friedman	....	first assistant editor
Yoshie Ishiguro	....	first assistant editor
David Kennedy	....	digital intermediate assistant

Music Department
Christine Bergren	....	music legal and clearance
Audrey DeRoche	....	score supervisor (as Audrey deRoche)
Dave Jordan	....	music supervisor
Lise Richardson	....	music editor
Damon Tedesco	....	score mixer
Rebekah Touma	....	music coordinator
Jojo Villanueva	....	music supervisor

Transportation Department
Takahiro Himeno	....	driver
Joetaro Kitamura	....	driver
Keiichi Sugimoto	....	driver

Other crew
Chiho Asada	....	interpreter
Richard Guay	....	production consultant
Naomi Hatta	....	assistant: Mr. Fukushima
Taishi Hirahara	....	location manager
Yoshiki Imaoka	....	location manager
Hideaki Jimbo	....	production coordinator
Kyohei Kato	....	production assistant
Kelly Kiernan	....	production executive
Chisono Kikkawa	....	production assistant
Hideo Kunimatsu	....	dialect coach
Rana Morrison	....	location assistance
Keisuke Nakata	....	production assistant
Natsuko Nezu	....	production accountant
Mariko Nishizawa	....	clearance
Frédéric North	....	camera helicopter pilot: Tokyo
Rina Ohashi	....	interpreter
Akiko Okada	....	bilingual production assistant
Yoko Oyabu	....	production coordinator
Shinya Saeki	....	production assistant
Kazuko Shingyoku	....	script supervisor
Bryan Smiley	....	assistant: Arnon Milchan
Hiroko Stanhope	....	assistant: Mr. Ichise
Tsuzumi Takagi	....	bilingual production assistant
Katsuya Tsukui	....	bilingual production assistant
Chiaki Yanagimoto	....	assistant: Mr. Ochiai
Kazumi Nakamura	....	adr voice (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Regency Enterprises (presents)
• New Regency Pictures
• Vertigo Entertainment
• Ozla Pictures

Distributors

• 20th Century Fox (2008) (Japan) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (2008) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox de Argentina (2008) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox of Germany (2008) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Fox-Warner (2008) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (2008) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-Ray Disc)
• FS Film Oy (2008) (Finland) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-Ray Disc)

Special Effects

• Big X (visual effects)
• Pixel Magic (visual effects)

Other Companies

• DeLuxe Laboratories  prints
• Dolby Laboratories  sound post-production
• FedEx  trademark used by permission
• Fellah Pictures  production services
• Imagica  color processing
• Lakeshore Records  score album
• NAC Image Technology  camera equipment supplied by
• Nihon Shomei Co.  lighting equipment supplied by
• Pacific Title and Art Studio  digital intermediate
• Pacific Title and Art Studio  main and end titles
• Pacific Title and Art Studio  opticals
• Rockbottom Rentals  walkie rentals
• Runway  post-production services
• Toho Studios  sound stage

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for terror, disturbing images, sexual content and language.

Runtime:

85 min | USA:90 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Ireland:16 | Singapore:PG | Malaysia:U | USA:PG-13 (certificate #43974) | UK:15 | New Zealand:R16 | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Ontario) | Sweden:15 | Germany:16 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | South Korea:18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-15 | Singapore:NC-16 (DVD rating) | Italy:VM14 | Ireland:15 (video rating) | Netherlands:16 | South Africa:16LV | Hong Kong:IIB | France:U (with warning)

Filming Locations:

Tokyo, Japan

Company:

Regency Enterprises

Trivia:

Not screened for critics.

Goofs:

Factual errors: While in the honeymoon cabin, the camera Ben is using is clearly a medium format camera. Later however, when they are looking at the pictures Seiko dropped off, the negatives attached to the envelope are 35mm negatives.

Movie Connections:

Remake of Shutter (2004/II)

Soundtrack:

Seventy-Seven

A Mediocre Remake

In North America, after getting married, the photographer Benjamin Shaw (Joshua Jackson) and his wife Jane (Rachel Taylor) travel to Japan for a job opportunity with Ben's friends Bruno (David Denman) and Adam (John Hensley). While driving on a lonely road in Japan during the night, they have a car accident with Jane hitting a girl first and crashing a tree. When they awake, the police do not find any body and Ben believes that Jane imagined the situation. Later when Ben reveals his latest pictures, he finds some mysterious shadows, while the couple is systematically haunted by the ghost of the girl. Jane investigates and finds that the victim was Ben's former shy and weird girlfriend Megumi Tanaka (Megumi Okina), who worked as translator for Ben. Later Jane discloses deep and hidden secrets about the relationship of Megumi, Ben and his friends Bruno and Adam.

The American version of "Shutter" is a mediocre remake of a great Asian horror movie. Actually it is ridiculous, with the author poorly using the same storyline and transforming a creepy and dark story in another Hollywoodian standard of silliness – shallow screenplay but with beautiful actresses, handsome lead actor and wonderful locations in Japan. If the viewer has never seen the original "Shutter" (2004) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0440803/), watch it instead. If the viewer has already seen the Thailand's movie, prefer watching it again. It will be better than wasting time watching this terrible remake. My vote is four.

Title (Brazil): "Imagens do Além" ("Images from Beyond")