Shutter (2008 film)

Shutter is a 2008 American supernatural horror film directed by Masayuki Ochiai and starring Joshua Jackson, Rachael Taylor, and Megumi Okina. The film is a remake of the 2004 Thai horror film of the same name and was released on March 21, 2008. Despite a generally negative reaction, the film was a box office success grossing over 5 times its budget.

Shutter is unique in that it is the first western remake of an Asian horror film not to be Japanese and is instead a remake of a Thai horror film. Despite this the setting of this film takes place in Japan.

Plot

Ben Shaw (Joshua Jackson) and his new bride, Jane (Rachael Taylor), leave New York for Tokyo, Japan, where Ben has a job as a photographer. While traveling, Jane hits a girl in the middle of the wilderness, running over her. They find no body or even a trace of blood and decide to leave, thinking the victim was all right. They later start to find mysterious lights in their photos, which are later identified as spirit photography by Ben's assistant, Seiko Nakamura (Maya Hazen). Jane begins to have eerie dreams and visions as if they are trying to tell her something, and senses a haunting presence stalking them. Ben begins to complain of severe shoulder pain, and his friends begin to comment he's looking bent and hunched over, though the doctor can find no cause. Seiko takes Jane to her ex-boyfriend, Ritsuo (James Kyson Lee), whose career is to investigate paranormal activities, and he tells them that the lights are spirits, manifestations of intense emotions trying to communicate. At a subway station, Jane spots the ghostly presence of the girl she hit, causing her to believe that she killed the girl. Ben later also has a similar terrifying encounter. They go to a medium, Murase; however, Ben refuses to translate what Murase says, claiming he is a fraud.