Review: Reincarnation

Reincarnation (2005)

Genre: Mystery/Horror

Format: FEARnet HD Stream

Director: Takashi Shimizu

Reincarnation is a very interesting take on the Japanese horror genre that will surprise anyone who expects it to be just another Ringu rinse and repeat, especially since it involves Director Takashi Shimzu of The Grudge fame (or shame depending on who you talked to and the version of the film you watched). The creepy child apparition is still a part of this film but at least its usage is really more creepy than annoyingly cheap.

The movie tackles the subject of reincarnation through a terrific movie inside a movie milieu. The story focuses on a young actress who just landed gig for a starring role in a horror movie based on a true story where a demented father murdered his own two kids and a slew of guests and employees in a countryside hotel. Yeah, there's a bit of that The Shining vibe borrowed by this movie but that is pretty much where the comparison ends. You would think that the actress would be happy about the opportunity but weird things start to happen and she keeps seeing a little girl's ghost as well as flashes of memories of the actual murders that took place before she was even born. There are several other characters who are experiencing this as well but they are not even a part of the actual production crew. The connection between these characters and the mystery behind the entire haunting are clearly revealed by the film's excellent climax and exceptional ending.

The film within a film setup is quite entertaining to watch and its significance to the entire movie is quite clever and a bit disturbing. The majority of the movie time is spent on watching the film crew as they work on the pre-production aspects of the filming. The most fun part is when the director decides to take his team of actors to visit the actual location of the now deserted hotel where the murders took place. The multi-layered storytelling is further strengthened by the side tale of another girl who is also drawn to the hotel. Then there is also the actual footage of the murders that is shown on top of everything else. The constant switching between what's real and what's not, who's doing this and who's doing that may seem a bit off-putting at first, but be patient and stay with it for you will be properly rewarded for it eventually.

If you have watched the original Japanese production of Pulse, The Ring, and The Grudge, it would be easy to say that you have watched all of the J-horror films because these movies set such a high standard for the genre that they are often replicated but without much success. It is refreshing to watch a movie like Reincarnation because it honors the tradition of what one would normally expect from these kind of films but then it turned everything upside down to introduce its own unique twist. If not for its more grotesque subject matter, which of course includes the very violent murder of two children (a big taboo here), this movie would have gotten a Hollywood remake.

RATING: 4 out of 5