The Japanese are masters of horror. Unlike their Hollywood counterparts, they do not need lots of blood or hi-tech computer effects to make you scream. All they need is a well-constructed plot and their unique spine-tingling atmosphere. One Missed Call is a good example.
This latest movie by Takeshi Miike, one of Japan's hottest filmmakers, is also a suspenseful psycho-thriller.
Rising star Kou Shibasaki plays university student Yumi Nakamura whose friends mysteriously die one after another. The one thing all of their deaths have in common is that, three days before they die, they receive a voice mail or MMS dated three days in the future.
Yumi then receives the same kind of message. With only three days left, she sets out to uncover the truth with the help of Hiroshi Yamashita (Shinichi Tsutsumi), whose younger sister died under the same circumstances.
Miike's previous films, including Ichii the Killer, have won international acclaim and therefore One Missed Call, his first foray into the horror genre, is a highly anticipated film.
Although the plot makes a strong reference to The Ring (not the soulless Hollywood re-make), Miike does not let us down. One Missed Call is a very well-made horror film, and Miike proves himself capable in a variety of genres.
