Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!
Plot Summary: Weary with life, students play a rumored internet game that supposedly summons ghosts.
Review: Let me start off by saying this film and its sequel have multiple alternate titles (like "Creepy Hide and Seek"), but, since this was the title on the DVD, I'm listing it as such. Essentially the story is three separate tales involving students who have participated in an internet game called "hide and seek alone" and the fates they meet as a consequence. The first girl kind of sets the tone as she hears about the game from her friend who loses her mind while playing the game. The buildup is good and helps establish how the rules for the game work to the audience. The second story is about a group of kids that try to film the process of playing the game which was nice even if the ghost coming at the camera scare has been done to death at this point. The last story involves a girl who wrote an apparently popular "phone blog" (whatever the hell that is) in which she first introduced many to "hide and seek alone" unintentionally. This one was the best so it was just right that they saved it for last and further explained why individuals would even try to summon a ghost. Basically, kids feel like there is no real meaning to life or they are lonely, and this weird phenomenon makes them feel alive or invigorated in a way. Unfortunately, we don't learn much more about how this game came into being or who seems to be running the show trying to get others involved. All we know is the last girl, Hanamura, saw a comment on her blog that led her to a website detailing how to play "hide and seek alone." I must applause the writer here because I found the story to be quite original and the ritual itself was imaginative. For those who would like to know (or perhaps try it out for themselves!) how to play "hide and seek alone:" you take a doll, cut it open and rip out the stuffing, then fill it with rice, sow it back up with red thread, wrap the remaining thread around the doll, name the doll whatever you want, then at 3 AM turn off all the lights and everything but the TV (they have classic static in the film), put the doll in something like a bucket or tub of water, then stab the doll with a knife saying "I see you what you named the doll," finally say, "now you're the devil" and then hide somewhere like a closet. I know, really complicated, huh? But hey, you might get to see a ghost...or look like a complete dumbass. If you want to know how to end the game...well you'll just have to see the movie! Anyway, at a glance, many may be put off by the slow pacing or even be bored, but the strongest part of this film is the incredible use of atmosphere as this movie and its sequel are prime examples of how to properly engage the audience instilling a sense of dread. While I count this as a massive positive, others may be turned off to it so fair warning. Pacing is always a delicate matter anyway, but it depends on the story being told to justify whether it is necessary to be slow or quick. The scares are subtle, and a bit scattered, but when you see them they are mostly effective. I especially liked the unsettling voice that is always chanting, "ready or not...here I come" when the ghosts have appeared. The ending itself is interesting as it poses a somewhat introspective look at living with depression, or at least I interpret all this "loneliness" as depression. Of course the only solution to all of this is "hide and seek alone!" I definitely would have rated this film significantly higher if it were longer and with less filler. I mean, it's barely 70 minutes and that's with tons and tons of scenes of just text on the screen as people message each other back and forth! Oh come on! I understand some of it was for effect, but this could have been overlapped into scenes or something. I would have preferred more ghosts or at least something truly memorable to put it up there with the J-horror legends. Overall, this is a solid horror flick with a strong sense of atmosphere and a deliberately slow buildup meant for the more patient horror lover. This isn't for everyone, but there were some great ideas here even if they weren't realized to their truest potential. This one is most certainly worth a watch, and I recommend watching it with the sequel to further appreciate the creativity of the story.
Notable Moment: When Hanamura is playing the game then realizes she forgot her salt water and gets out of her hiding spot early. You could kind of already tell the ghost was in the corner, but it was still cool, and I liked the lighting effects.
Final Rating: 6/10
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