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.
Sometimes the problem isn’t that a movie is badly made — it’s that you simply don’t care about what it’s telling you. Shutter, a remake of a Thai film that did leave a mark in its time, falls squarely into that category: a string of predictable scares, lifeless characters, and an atmosphere that never quite takes off. Everything feels too mechanical.
The premise, at least on paper, had potential. A photographer and his partner begin to see ghostly figures in their photos after an accident. But what could have been a chilling story about guilt, trauma, and ghosts (in every sense) ends up being just another rehash of J-horror clichés, with apparitions we’ve seen a thousand times and twists that fool no one.
It must be said that the technical side is serviceable, and Rachael Taylor manages to preserve some dignity amid the mess. But even that can’t save a film that never finds its own rhythm, nor delivers any real sense of fear. The buildup is clumsy, tension barely exists, and the climax comes so late (and so poorly resolved) that by then, you've completely checked out.
Shutter isn’t terrible. It simply adds nothing new. In a genre where audiences have seen it all, offering just recycled scares and a soulless story isn’t enough. It’s watchable, sure — but forgettable. And the worst thing that can happen to a horror film is to leave you indifferent.
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