Shutter

Those Asian dead, they just won't let things lie... particularly girls with a grudge and long flowing locks. The latest in the line of hairy hauntings, Shutter, for the most part conforms to expectations, although it has a pay off which lifts it above the pack.

Recent graduate and photographer Tun (Ananda Everingham) and his girlfriend Jane (Natthaweeranuch Thongmee) are in love - which is never a good sign in Asian horror. One night driving home, Jane runs into a girl in the road. Instead of stopping and reporting it to the police, Tun insists she drive off thus triggering the start of a nightmare.

Pictures Tun has taken at the graduation of a pal come back with ghostly images on them and he starts to see nasty things in his dark room. Jane is on the receiving end, too, as it becomes increasingly apparent that the girl in question is not the complete stranger she initially thought.

The idea of ghosts appearing in photos is nothing new - with this sort of plot device a staple of horror series such as Tales Of The Unexpected for years. Also, drenched spirits clawing their way towards people has been, if you'll forgive the pun, done to death, of late. That said, directors Banjong Pisanthanakun and Parkpoom Wongpoom do provide a few original few surprises and manage to set up a decent amount of shocks along the way. It is the last 15 minutes of the film which raises the ante most successfully, it's just a shame the rest of the film isn't as taut.