this one didn't quite work for me, but it did keep me tense and curious for the duration thanks to very good use of darkness and good sound design. everything else was a little weak. the male lead was irritating, character motivation was fuzzy, editing was confusing, dialogue was pretty awful, and the concept didn't really make sense either, the relationship between the internet ghosts and the real ones was never clearly established, it just seemed to be commentary on internet socialization.

A promising first act totally outshadowed by the horrible second and third. It's no coincidence all of the legitimately creepy stuff happens in the first act and the rest is absurd.

This one's strengths are definitely clustered into its first act, while the second and third are a lot messier. But that first act is some of the most nightmare-inducing (or nightmare-recalling, rather) stuff I've seen in a film. The shadow people... and I'm a sucker for themes of isolation and loneliness (and here it resonates with particularly Japanese subtext like post-WWII anxieties and hikkikomorism in the age of the internet). The way apocalypse was brought about was bizarre and unique.

Holy crap this movie scared the pants off of me, and it is even worse because it *refuses* to use jump scares and violin stings, just good old-fashioned "you can't look away" horror.

The cinematography is absolutely gorgeous - this is a scary horror film where nine tenths of what happens happens in broad daylight giving the film a slightly spiritual edge. And the scares really do deliver with the film teasing you and being tense and captivating throughout. The film does proceed to lose its way more and more as it goes on but the ambition is very satisfying. Pulse is frightening, beautiful and a bit shoddy all at the same time.

Good Movie

This movie gave me the creeps. Then I watched the American remake...

Overall Enjoyment: 0/40, Plot/Themes: 5/20, Cinematography/Direction: 5/20, Acting/Writing: 5/20 A Japanese "horror" move with a strange plot that ends up not being scary at all. Unfortunately it's also extremely slow paced, and a strange plot doesn't mean an interesting one.

Some wonderfully creepy atmosphere, but the allegory (the alienating effects of technology and the internet, blah blah blah) is a bit heavy handed, and the story doesn't quite hold together. Not in the same ballpark as Kurosawa's masterpiece Cure which, unlike this film, has a psychological center.

A pretty ambitious use of the traditional J-horror toolbox, spinning itself out into a disaster film by way of extended metaphysical monologues. And as unlikely as that sounds, it certainly gives it more weight than your average horror film, and it's shot quite well in places. Bonus points for mind-numbingly accurate depictions of Windows 95 usage (a never-ending dial-up service installer? count me in!), and the most unsubtle atomic bombing reference in Japanese film I've seen yet.

An unnerving and fascinating allegorical horror film undermined by the low budget and the vagueness of the plot.

The dark atmosphere isn't enough to carry the rest of this movie. Also this movie goes apeshit in the end.

Memorable mainly for the haunting scenes of driving through a completely deserted downtown Tokyo. A creepy ghost scene or two, too. The story's dumb as hell.

An interesting Japaneses Ghost Story,The acting was good and the music really added to the creepy atmosphere of this movie

SO SCARY BECAUSE OF HOW BORING IT IS!!!!!

Not much to this, I'm afraid. It's interesting. Eh, well, that's being a bit charitable. It's interesting for a Japanese horror film. Compared to other films of its kind, it's rather conventional, not to mention tediously plodding at times. Some nice visuals but otherwise nothing special. If you're looking for a Japanese horror film themed around the concept of loneliness, try Audition. Oh, and the internet stuff here is really silly.

Neat idea, some truly creepy moments, a bit slow though, it could have used a little more action.

terribly effective...watch it alone, in middle of the night, and you will not look at your computer in the same way any more ...

Much much much better than the crap American iteration.

I thought this was quite a bit better than the typical J-horror flick. The incomprehensibilty associated with the genre was not as bad as it usually is, I feel like I've got a pretty good grasp on what happened. I liked the end-of-the-world business too, that was a fresh twist on the standard fare. I also appreciated the themes of isolation and loneliness. It was a little on the slow side, and there weren't as many as jumpy-scary parts as, say, Ju-On, but otherwise I approve.

Eh... you've seen one of these modern Japanese horror movies, you've seen em all. If you really have to see one, better Ringu than Kairo.

Almost a good idea, watchable only because i'm in fucking love with Kristin Bell.