Enustik Kiyoshi Kurosawa's horror films are known for the uneasy atmosphere that surrounds them, and for the tension that is present in each scene. The director does not aim to merely scare the audience, relying on easy techniques such as the use of jump scares. Instead, he combines soundtrack, cinematography and misè-en-scene elements in a way that makes us feel like something will appear to scare us at any moment, and this expectation is never fulfilled. It feels like there is something observing us hidden in any shadow that appears on the screen. All of this makes watching a horror movie made by Kurosawa a nerve wracking experience. Kairo portrays characters trying to survive in a world that has been invaded by ghosts that travel through internet. Every time someone goes to the "forbidden room", a place sealed by red tape and inhabited by a ghost, this person goes crazy and commits suicide. However, we soon learn that the ghosts are not the horrifying part, but the message they carry. Ghosts are invading the real world neither because they aim to haunt nor to kill: they just do not have anywhere else to go. And when they meet a living person, what drives this person crazy is the message from afterlife that the ghost tells them: that after you die, nothing will change; you will stay the same as you were when alive. In other words, you will be alone for the eternity. Through the film we watch those people who have met the ghosts become lifeless and disappear into shadows while they ask for help. Some of them do not even actively commit suicide - they just slowly disappear, as if they were ghosts. Random computer screens show people who are alive but behave as ghosts. The main theme of this film is solitude, and one of the main characters states at some point that "in fact, ghosts and people are the same".

Panos242 People never seemed so helplessly alone as in Pulse, Kiyoshi Kurosawa's probably best movie. A poetic, melancholy as much as creepy horror allegory. The most impressive features of Pulse are the masterful direction with amazing shots, perfect use of the depth of field and surprising panoramic movements of the camera and the haunting cinematography which creates a gloomy but also beautiful world. 9/10

Mark Turner In the early 2000s a string of horror films were made in Japan that has been referred to as "J-horror". These films were huge hits there and made their way to the US where fans were fascinated with them. So much so that Hollywood took notice and began remaking them left and right. Probably most famous of these are THE RING and THE GRUDGE. Another early entry was PULSE starring Kristen Bell but it wasn't as well received. Now Arrow Video has released a great version of the original film on blu-ray for fans to enjoy.The story involves two separate groups of friends experiencing paranormal encounters that are leaving a mark on them, some literally. The first group works together in a business that supplies plants to buyers. When their tech guy fails to show for work or answer his phone, they check up on him. While there, he walks into another room and hangs himself. Gruesome enough but then they begin to look at a disc he left behind which shows ghostly images from his apartment. A return visit has them exposed to his ghost as well.The second story involves a college student who finds something odd going on as well. When he asks a professor to help, they too discover ghostly images online. These images have an effect on some that view them and they begin to disappear. As someone hypothesizes what happens to souls when they leave here? Do they go to another dimension? And then the question is raised what happens when, after the millions that have died over time, that dimension begins to fill up? Do they try and make their way back? Eventually the two stories intersect with the leads of both uniting to try and discover the answer to these questions. It is their journey and what they discover that makes the film more chilling than you would expect.Some will be turned off to the way this story unfolds. The back and forth between tales, the dismal look of the entire landscape and the somber tone that it emits start to finish. This is not an in your face or jump start scare style film. It is one that creeps into you, crawls under your skin and makes you look over your shoulder even though you know nothing is there. It takes the ghost story we've become acquainted with and melds it with the world of computers, even if these computers look cumbersome since the movie was made in 2001. The pace is slow as the horror unfolds before your eyes. This makes for a movie that deserves attention.Arrow Video, as always, presents this in the best form possible with a hi def 1080p transfer. The extras include a new interview with writer/director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, a new interview with cinematographer Junichiro Hayashi, THE HORROR OF ISOLATION a new video appreciation featuring Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett, an archive making of documentary, premiere footage from the Cannes Film Festival, cast and crew introductions from the opening day screenings in Tokyo, trailers and TV spots and a reversible sleeve with newly commissioned artwork.

Robert Kock I have to say upfront, that you need to be open for the pace of these kind of films and the almost completely different arrangement in story telling. Things that you'd normally expect happening, are left open here. Other stuff is being dragged on for an almost unbearable amount of time. Yet, it is almost within reason and I had a blast watching this. It is as eerie as a movie can be, giving discomfort in almost every scene. I only took away one star due to the fact that it is really long and some stuff, even regarding this kind of way of narrating, seems obsolete.