If you're a huge fan of the Fatal Frame series or a huge nerd when it comes to Japanese folk culture you would probably be just as disappointed as I am.

The Fatal Frame series always included the Camera Obscura and several vengeful spirits that have major occurring roles. This movie barely has both except for a few occasional appearances and cameos.

Also, call me biased just because I'm an ex-Catholic, but I didn't really like the fact that Christianity, more specifically Catholicism, plays a role in this film. It just seems very foreign and more akin to western horror stories that have more Abrahamic themes to them. The original game series had a dark Shinto/Buddhist motif to them, even more faithful to the traditional Japanese horror theme it always conveyed. Meanwhile this film had none of that. Not a single torii, or Buddha statue was seen, and those two are even major cornerstones of Japanese culture. Yes, this is pretty much opinionated as I like Shinto and Buddhism more than Christianity, but still.

Ghost stories are often mislabeled as "horror" and found disappointing by American standards, but once you remove expectations and watch the movie as a cultural exploration of female relationships, it becomes quite beautiful. Yes there are horror elements, but fall into the story of love and female bonding, and find significance in the evolution of feminine roles in Japan. It takes a little while to unfold, and the repetition early on can be discouraging, but eventually it makes sense. We need to see how invasive this curse has been, and how necessary it is to be removed.

Note: Check me out as the "Asian Movie Enthusiast" on YouTube, where I review tons of Asian movies.

Zero: Fatal Frame (2014) (Japanese Horror).

Using references to the character Ophelia from William Shakespeare's "Hamlet", this film revolves around a Catholic girls school in Japan where strange events occur after a girl inexplicably becomes an anti-social shut-in. This has a classy, Gothic Euro vibe to it that is supplemented with horror elements that utilize zero jump scares. As one online reviewer noted, "the director builds her fright effects more from whispered rumors, girlish crushes and the nebulous border between dreams and reality, the living and the dead." The atmosphere is thick, resulting in a dreamy, hypnotic experience. There are some very cool, lengthy shots to enjoy. Good scoring too. The ending is somewhat run-of-the-mill, but this is high quality stuff.

This film is loosely based on the popular video game, which I have not played. Internet rumblings say that this movie is entirely different, and not as scary.