Reincarnation, East Coast Stizz

I have to say, I'm liking this recent return of horror film cooldom. There's been the Masters of Horror on cable this last year, several new movies in 2006 (The Grudge II, Saw Whatever, and Slither Something), and now Horror Fest. It's nice that the Regal Conglomerate deigned to dedicate one of their theaters for an entire weekend to the unwashed rejects of cinema; horror fans.

Some people might have grumbled about the teeny tiny theater that HF is showing in at People's Plaza. Not me. It felt more nostalgic than anything, reminding me of a time when going to a movie was a fun, friendly occasion and not the vast, ear blasting experience it is today. Call me old, but I liked that I could hear all the patrons giggling or groaning around me. I liked that I didn't have to navigate 50 knees just to get to my seat. I liked the sound of the projector (!!!!) flickering all through the film. And, dear Jeff, I LOVED that there was JUST TWO previews before the main feature. Yes, that's right, "The Twenty," 20 minutes of forced commercial viewing, was not played. I felt like someone had just paroled me from 20 minutes of being buggered while watching infomercials. That alone made "Reincarnation" worth the price of admission.

I have to start by admitting that while I am a fan of the Grudge movies, I preferred the remakes to the original. That's right, J-horror fanboys, I went there. Takashi Shimizu was just too subtle for me after seeing the remake. Plus, no Sarah Michelle Gellar. Duh!

That said, I thoroughly enjoyed Reincarnation. Despite the inclusion of several standard j-horror elements (silly, simpering acting from the female leads, and haven't we all seen enough jerky, long-haired ghosties by now?), and a few jarring elements that played with my suspension of belief (c'mon, he's using a Sony VAIO? Does any arty hipster NOT use a Mac, even if they're Japanese? Discuss!) or mood (that orange roof - so, the ghost hotel was a Howard Johnson's?), I was genuinely creeped out. Shimizu tweaked the ghost aspect enough to keep it creepy, crowding in many faces instead of one, and using a FREAKING WALL-EYED DOLL for most of the creepiest scenes. Gah! And both the ending and the heroine's true identity were fresh twists that I am ashamed to say kept me guessing. I'm usually the annoying jerk that has to predict plot points all through the movie until you want to stuff Jujubees up my nose.

While Reincarnation was enjoyable and scary, I could have used a little more whacked-out Lynchian psychodrama ( as in, A Tale of Two Sisters). After leaving the theater, I promptly forgot about the movie. And that's just sad. The title alone begs for a righteous mind-fuck, which you just don't get. So, Maude's final review? 3.5 stars out of 5. Maybe they'll get Buffy for the American remake, you think? That would be so very.