A journalist of the paranormal, Masafumi Kobayashi, films a documentary called Noroi. The day after he turns it into the studio, his wife is killed when his house burns down. But Kobayashi is never found. A narrator provides all this info in the first few minutes of the movie, and the rest of the movie is the Noroi tape that Kobayashi made.
The result of this is sort of like the Blair Witch Project or Cloverfield; you're watching a movie that looks like a documentary. Kobayashi is interviewing people, and the cameraman dutifully follows him. And while the movie starts normal with a few interviews spliced with "psychic guests" on variety shows, it's still very engaging. In fact, when something creepy does happen, the transition from the disturbed main characters to overly bubbly Japanese hosts on colorful stages is a little unsettling.
However, when a little girl disappears, Koyabashi investigates, linking together several seemingly unrelated characters, as he's slowly drawn into a world of old rituals and demonic spirits...
Overall, I enjoyed this movie. There wasn't much in the way of spooks or gore, but the slow pace actually worked in its favor, like a slow decent into madness. It's not really scary, per se, but definitely creepy.
Final Score: B
IMDB Link
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