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Reviews
Pyega (2010)
Hard To Get Through, But Not In a Good Way
I am a huge fan of Asian horror, as well as an avid watcher of found-footage horror. I've seen a lot of terrible movies in both genres, so I can safely say that this was not the worst.
However, this was far from a good movie.
Its main problem was the pacing. It was boring, and disorienting in an uncomfortable (read: awkward) way. After over an hour of some bad actors trudging through a dilapidated building, I was feeling hopeless. I nearly turned it off had it not been for a few prime scare scenes, which were actually half decent.
The real saving grace, though, was the atmosphere. The dark corners and moldy walls build a kind of suspense, and this may be because the building in which the action takes place is quite literally falling apart. I seriously hope the film crew got some tetanus shots before making this movie.
All in all, I wouldn't recommend it. The ending didn't make sense, the plot fell to pieces after ten minutes, and it just wasn't worth watching for a couple of semi-creepy jump scares.
There is better Korean horror, and there is better found-footage.
Chakushin ari (2003)
Pleasantly Surprised!!
I went into One Missed Call expecting that it was going to be another terrible chapter in Japanese copycat horror films. My hopes were raised when I saw Takashi Miike in the opening credits (longtime fan, didn't know this was one of his).
Midway through the movie, my expectations were rising. It was actually good! There was a deep central theme, the story was carried out well, the pacing was good, the characters were accessible and believable, and it was damn scary. For a campy horror flick about cell phones, there was a lot of refinement.
The reason I didn't rate it higher was that it had some obvious flaws. For one, it was longer than it needed to be. A campy horror flick is, after all, a campy horror flick, and doesn't really need to be two hours long. Also, the ending threw me for a bit of a loop, but I won't spoil it.
Watch it for yourself, preferably in high-def and with the lights out. Seriously scary.