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If you consider yourself a fan of ghost movies and haven't seen this gem, shame on you. This is truly a classic ghost story in every sense of the term. The plot follows John Russell, a widowed composer who moves into a big spooky house on the outskirts of Seattle (this is really the only part of the plot that stretches belief - why would a single man move into such an enormous house?). After several bizarre happenings it becomes apparent that the house is haunted, and he determines to find out why. The movie is a more old-fashioned ghost story, with a central mystery to solve and a spirit who is tragic as well as terrifying. There's a steady Gothic feel to the whole film, with the main character's loss of his wife and child casting a pall of gloom over everything. The location also helps - the house they chose is equal parts gorgeous and creepy. The film (thankfully) does not overreach the special effects of the day, and everything looks perfectly real. There are few "scares" (there is maybe one scene that will make you jump), but enough creepy scenes to maintain the atmosphere. In particular, a séance scene about halfway through is one of the best I've seen in a movie. Save this eerie little number for a dark night or cold, cloudy day when you want to chill your bones just a little.

Suffice to say I have never seen a film quite like "Noroi". It is perhaps THE creepiest film I have ever watched. Note that I say "creepy", not "scary". There is nothing that will make you jump in this movie, but there is a level of terror and suspense you'll be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. Think "The Blair Witch Project", only stretched out through a longer runtime and a (much) more complex story.

Much like "The Blair Witch Project", the movie is filmed mostly on camcorders and tries (though not nearly as relentlessly as "The Blair Witch Project") to pass itself off as a true story. Purporting to be last documentary of paranormal investigator Masafumi Kobayashi, the movie's real genius is in its construction. It begins with several, seemingly unrelated plot threads, each one kicked off by some mysterious, creepy event. Kobayashi records a bizarre EVP while investigating a reclusive woman's house, a young girl displays psychic powers on a television program, an actress goes into convulsions while investigating a haunted temple. The tension in the movie is maintained beautifully, rising at a steady pace throughout the entire film as bizarre, seemingly supernatural events begin happening to and around the characters. The real horror in the film comes from seeing how these events are all related, a realization the viewers will reach long before the characters, though the plot threads do eventually converge.

A sense of rising horror pervades this entire movie, and by the time the climax rolls around the tension has built to such a screeching pitch it's almost unbearable. Combined with the fact that the last twenty minutes or so contain some of the most unsettling scenes I have ever seen, and you've got a cinematic punch that will stay with you for days. A couple points come off for one character's delirious overacting (although he does play something of a nutcase), but otherwise this movie's got it all. The only question is...are you ready for it?