So I just watched the original
One Missed Call.
It was...
Ok. For a derivative, archetypal JA ghost movie, it was pretty average. It hit all of the plot points including Pissed Off Dead Girl, Mysterious Past of Pissed Off Dead Girl, Exploration of Mysterious Past of Pissed Off Dead Girl (incidentally, explored by
another girl with a mysterious past... And a man).
There were some legitimately creepy moments. I have to admit it; I even screamed at some point. It's no surprise that Miike was able to create genuine atmosphere.
HOWEVER, it suffered from the typical pitfalls of derivative JA ghost movies... The Dead Girl's Mysterious Past is a bit contrived... There's some sort of LINK between her and the Investigator (which ultimately doesn't make sense)... The movie could have ended MULTIPLE times before it did and, by the time it WAS finally over... It didn't really make sense.
I honestly did not feel as though there were a whole lot of Miike in this film. Then again, maybe that was the point... he might have been trying to make a pop horror movie. And, in that regard he succeeded. There were some truly creepy and memorable parts to it which, I can only imagine were completely botched when adapted to the American Screen.
But I feel as though I have committed myself to be a Miike fan. And while this didn't necessarily invoke his other ventures, it was not bad. I give it a B/B+
Anyone else... Thoughts on One Missed Call and Miike's divergence from his typical exploitative and torturous style?