Watch Me - Scopofile Productions (2006) |
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Posted 22 Sept 2006 The Internet. Pornography. Snuff films. Forbidden Files. Spam. In recent years, horror (especially Asian horror) films have focused on the dangers of computers and technology rather than organic and mythological monsters. Most of us don't really understand technology. Oh sure, we know the basics. But what and where is cyberspace? How does it work? If you turn off all the computers in the world at the same time, does the Internet still exist? Can ghosts be captured on video cameras? Modern folklore lends a mix of magic and metal to the everyday devices we rely on so much. Asian horror films in recent years have merged the world of ghosts and the world of machines quite effectively, and the resulting prospect is frightening; Technology won't keep you safe from the supernatural. The Ring , The Grudge , Videodrome , Slaughter Disc , and less spectacular but equally relevant Fear.com and Pulse set the standard for Melanie Ansley's Watch Me , the aptly titled Internet/Email/Ghost story that makes Hostel 's supposed Asian Influence look like an amateur attempt at best. Watch Me is a truly creepy Asian-inspired modern ghost story about vengeful spirits and illegal pornography... A snuff film clip is being passed around via email amusingly titled “Watch Me”. Not so scary, except that the emails all come from people who have already died. Think that's bad? Better not watch the email film clip attachment; cause if you do, an uber-creepy redheaded ghost comes to wreak her revenge upon you... You never see the person behind the ghost, and she never gives her victims a chance. There's no way to redeem her, and there's no way to save yourself once you've watched the clip (if you enjoyed it). The protagonist of Watch Me is a female “sleuth” who tries to save her own life as well as solve the mystery of the ghost email. She, along with an underground porn-savvy film student, devise a way to keep the emails from being sent to anyone else. It's the only way to stop the killings. Already you might notice a similarity to the plot of The Ring . And there is a strong resemblance in many ways. Despite this drawback, Ansley has a superb understanding of the manner and subtlety of Asian Horror. This film does not cop-out with the effects, but neither does it rely on fake blood to scare you. All the creepiness is created by the amazing camerawork, editing, and tremendous soundtrack of eerie, grating, and pulsating music that backs up the storyline. There is a blatantly unresolved ending and a vengeful, unreasonable spirit that embodies the core of Japanese ghost films (and not an excess of gore, as less educated fans and filmmakers would have you believe) in true Asian tradition. But the plot is really similar to The Ring , and stylistically, Watch Me is pure Shimizu. What Watch Me makes up for in quality and entertainment it lacks in originality and feels more like an English-speaking remake of an Asian original rather than an Australian production. While Watch Me is a very good interpretation of a horror filmmaking style, it doesn't create any new styles for us to aspire to. It's not a mix of Western and Eastern horror methods, it's a rehashing of the finer points of Asian horror cinema. I feel like Ansley could have taken her project one step further to develop her own personal style which could have taken Watch Me to a whole new level. Watch Me is also a testament to the growing talent coming out of Australia recently, blowing away most of the mediocre American horror movies saturating the industry. Watch Me is just as entertaining as the recent high-budget remakes of The Grudge and Dark Water . Though technically inferior only where budget prohibited, Watch Me holds its own against the bigger theatrical releases by showing them what can be done without all the overpaid actors and overpriced special effects. It's called technique. And seriously, when you think about it; what's scarier than all that Spam in your inbox? |
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