Kairo
2001 / 119m - Japan
Horror, Mystery, Thriller
3.0*/5.0*
Pulse poster

Watches

January 23, 2004

2.5*/5.0*

March 02, 2024

3.0*/5.0*

An interesting premise and some memorable scenes. Pulse is a worthy horror from Kiyoshi Kurosawa, but it's a bit too long and there's too much filler in between the good parts. With 30 or so minutes cut, this could've been a real J-Horror classic, but fans should give this one a shot if they haven't already.

Michi works for a small computer firm. One of her colleagues goes silent, when Michi pays him a visit she finds him hanging from the ceiling. Nobody understands why he committed suicide, but a mysterious image found on his hard drive seems to have a similar effect on Michi's coworkers.

There's some real thought behind the premise, and there are some creepy, haunting scenes. The grim cinematography and subdued performances help with the mood, but Kurosawa drags certain parts out too long. The pacing issues make it harder than necessary to get fully immersed, which is a shame for this type of film. Slightly better than I remembered it to be though.