Japanese 'Pulse' fails to scare

Though Japanese and American horror films share the same objective — to scare their audiences — these two genres "scare" in completely different ways. American horror is full of massive gore and jolting scenes in which the monster/ killer/ bad guy pops out from behind the victim. Japanese horror films, however, build atmosphere using sound and creepy images, keeping the audience uneasy throughout the film. If this is done well, even the smallest motion, like someone turning his head, can be terrifying. Unfortunately, "Pulse," directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa (no relation to the renowned Japanese director Akira Kurosawa), is never really scary, and instead features an unoriginal plot and (mostly) bad acting.

"Pulse" deals with an evil ghost-infected Internet browser that causes anyone who logs on to die and disappear. This is not an isolated threat, but a worldwide pandemic. The film follows two groups of people trying to deal with the horrors of the haunted Internet. The hero (Haruhiko Katô) is a student who, in an ironic twist, is nearly computer illiterate. All the main characters have logged on to the Internet and are plagued by all sorts of ghosts. While the Internet concept may make an interesting comment on how the Internet reduces all users to ghosts, it ultimately feels like a recycled concept, borrowing the haunted electronic device gimmick from better Japanese horror films like "The Ring."

Moreover, the film is packed with bad dialogue. It's so terrible that, at times, I actually laughed out loud. This sort of dialogue makes the film seem like an episode of "Scooby Doo." In one scene, a character remarks that something strange is going on and a man beside her concurs, saying, "There are indeed strange happenings." At that point, I half-expected that someone was going to cry out "Jinkies!" when a clue is found.

The film also contains several long speeches that, while important-sounding, often seem out of place, since they are either said at a completely off-time or by the most random of characters, like a gardener. The writing in general seems better suited to a B-movie from the 1950s than a modern film.

Along with the stilted dialogue, the acting seems to be borrowed from a B-movie as well. The damsel in distress, Harue (played by Koyuki) oscillates from cool and confident, to philosophical, to terrified, back to philosophical, then depressed — all in the same scene.

But, to be honest, it wouldn't have mattered if the acting was silly or if the dialogue was poor if the movie was scary.

Instead of creating an eerie atmosphere, Kurosawa cheats. The biggest offender is the sound, which is far too overpowering. When the audience needs to be scared, the background consists of loud semi-musical moaning. The sound direction has no subtlety — which is a shame, because the director manages to create some unsettling images. Ghosts, for example, appear unfocused on camera, giving the specters an amorphous quality. This effect is surprisingly frightening and effective.

The director fails to even frighten us visually, as he repeats the same sequences over and over again. Each of the victims meets their fate in the "Forbidden Room," a dark room with the door ajar. At first this is heart-pounding, but it quickly grows tiresome.

The only completely commendable aspect of "Pulse" is the performance of the lead male protagonist, Ryosuke. Unlike anyone else in the film, he confronts the supernatural goings-on not in a state of abject fear, but with bafflement and disbelief. When his computer begins to act oddly, he shuts it off and goes to sleep. He character behaves consistently and rationally — a rarity in this film. His character is also the source of much comic relief, as Ryosuke's mannerisms and expressions are often hilarious. This character is the film's most original and interesting creation, and it is a shame that the rest of the film isn't nearly as good.