Have you ever taken a photo, and for some strange reason, the picture either turns out okay with exception of a “flare” or “bad exposure spot”, or have you – like many others – delved deeper and seen body parts, whole people, or even faces... ones that you recognize? Such is the case with the main characters in the thriller from Thailand, Shutter. Most people just grab a camera and line it up somewhat and take a picture. But not Tun, he has some serious lenses, and has an eye for taking really great photos. One night, he and his girlfriend Jane are driving home from a friend’s wedding when a Jane becomes distracted by Tun being romantic and accidentally hits a person in the road who steps just in front of Jane’s car.

The shocked two immediately slide off to the side of the road and hit a pole holding up a billboard. Shaken, and scared the two look back and see that they’ve hit a young woman – who isn’t moving at all. Jane – who wants to help the woman – is stopped by Tun, who insists that she just drive on, and try to forget about what just happened. The next day, Tun is at a graduation for the college he himself went to years before taking photos of friends and their families. When the science majors get all lined-up, Tun gets his camera in focus, and sees the woman he and Jane hit the night before. Moving the camera, he looks and – as if you couldn’t guess – the woman is gone.

From this point on, the movie becomes more suspenseful with every turn. I couldn’t stop watching this flick once I started it up. There are so many things to pay attention to, and you’ll need to be sharp when watching the film. The fact that this movie is from Thailand kind of completes the whole Asian Cinema circle. Japan has a LOT of movies, as does China, and Korea has some really awesome ones as well. I didn’t even think of Thailand to be honest. But, having seen this film, along with Bangkok Haunted (which was reviewed in October), I'm happy to see what Thailand has to offer!

The dark tones used in the film give it the “typical” horror feel, while the daylight scenes are crystal clear, and you’ll still sit there, squirming in your seat. The ending? Wow. I didn’t see it coming, and at least not from that point of view. I can tell you, they had me guessing the whole time, and I was waiting for “The Ring”-type of ending. Nope. You won’t even be able to guess how this one ends. You’ll just have to track the movie down (because I’ve not seen it anywhere in any normal video store here in the States. You’ll do much better tracking it down on Amazon. Where’d I find mine? Well, the next time you’re in a mall, and you see someone with a cart full of Asian Martial Arts or “odd” DVDs, don’t pass them by. There’s a lot of little hidden gems on those carts. =)