Invaderbank
The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.
Nayan Gough
A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
Erica Derrick
By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
Ely_Jacob
a really interesting movie but i didn't quite get the end.. let's see who can understand the ending :P I mean, the story line is interesting even if at the beginning nothing really happens... or at least that's what it seems there will also be a scary moment but I won't say where at the beginning you believe there is just one ghost but the event will take a sudden turn and the one that is very intriguing is the ending pay attention at what the small girl says at the end and what happens to the other girl? I guess you have to see the movie and maybe then you will tell me what's the whole point with the ending... you should watch it... anyway about the title "pray" i guess the real pray must be the friends of the main character; the main character seems bad but in the end you will understand why he behaves like he does.. I also found this comment about the movie: This is better than a lot of the very recent straight-to-video horror I've recently reviewed. It is easily superior to Ghost System in both plausibility and impact, and comes across as far more mature and developed than even the best of the Kadokawa Horror series (in which Mizukawa Asami likewise appears) or any similar collection.But this remains squarely in the B-Grade tier, leaving a bit to be desired in terms of narrative creativity, overall dramatic acting, and cinematic style. Regarding style, this film seems quite dark (literally) throughout. The stylistic reason for this, of course, is to juxtapose the brilliantly lit flashback/supernatural scenes so as to create greater visual/emotional impact. But that said, you will undoubtedly wonder why the vast majority of this storyline takes place in incredibly under-lit settings. In terms of acting, I felt Tamayama Tetsuji did a fine job. This was the first time I've seen his work and won't be surprised if he reappears in future films reviewed here within the hallowed halls of SaruDama. The other cast, by and large, come across as mediocre at best and I myself was about to start haunting Mizukawa Asami due to her over the top hysterics and constant scream-whining. And finally, as regards narrative creatively, I won't go into detail any further than I already have when I noted that the creativity here involves solely the (perhaps unique) interweaving of otherwise established themes into an interesting whole.
Michael_Elliott
Purei (2005) ** (out of 4) Japanese horror film has an interesting set up but half way through the film hits a wall and never recovers. Two drug dealers in desperate need of cash decide to kidnap a young girl and ask for a ransom. When the dealers call the girls parents they learn that the girl died a year earlier. I had really high hopes for this ghost film and things started off well but went straight downhill pretty quickly. The storyline is very interesting and should have made for a creepy film but the director never really builds any atmosphere and the screenplay is full of annoying characters that it becomes hard to really care what happens. The first twenty-minutes contain a few creepy scenes but after this the film relies on flashbacks and a side story with the girls parents, which move at a snails pace.
Scarecrow-88
Mitsuru and Maki(Tetsuji Tamayama & Asami Mizukawa)are looking for a big pay day fast and kidnap a girl asking for a heavy ransom, but are in for a wallop of a surprise..the girl they kidnapped is said by her family to be dead for exactly a year on the letter!! Well, it isn't as simple as that in this intriguing ghost story whose ambition outweighs it's execution. The setting is a now-closed down school where our couple believe to be a good enough place to hold a child hostage until they get paid. But, as the story develops, we get an understanding of who this spooky girl really is. But, not just that..we find out who REALLY done the selecting to begin with. Right away the girl shows an eerie attachment to Mitsuru. She doesn't want him to leave her but often plays disappearing acts with Mitsuru and Maki. The first fifteen or so minutes shows them trying to find her throughout the halls, but we soon find that it isn't they who do the finding but she who allows them to see her. Soon, Mitsuru's "buddies" come to the school, but how they got their information of this location comes in play with a plot twist that changes the whole relationship between our couple's life together. An important thematic element..Yasuda(Mitsuyoshi Shinoda)is the major source of conflict and his relationship with a certain girl(s) will come to major importance as the film comes to a close. Yasuda puts pressure on Mitsuru to get the ransom so that he can pay for drugs. This shows how far Mitsuru has sunk in his life. A key turning point in the film comes when we actually find who this girl really is, what happened to the girl Mitsuru and Maki were supposed to have kidnapped, and the reasons behind several murders and spooky goings-on in the school.The setting and it's selection, not to mention the girl's fascination with Matsuru's "not leaving" are key components in the overall scheme of things in this ghost story. The deaths that occur to certain characters who get what's coming to them is secondary to a surprise ending which gears more towards a sad closing between two people who make peace with themselves. That final fifteen minutes will probably not work for most people because it's quite a mood changer that really creates a bit of an unevenness, but overall the film provides some good creepy moments as characters search dark hallways as something hiding in the distance lurks. Overall the film doesn't quite hit the high marks like it wishes, and we question who was actually killing all the people in the film.
neko_shahal
It was a really good movie. It kept me guessing and trying to figure out what happens. A few things weren't answered though, so I counted against that. It wasn't very gory at all (lest someone believes blood to be very gory). If it were longer and had more scenes I believe it would be way better. Being a 2005 movie the computer graphic parts could have been way better, there were some cheesy parts that just made me giggle. I'm certainly not used to Japanese horror movies, because American's rely mainly on suspense. They should have given a few of those actors a bit more air time, and not everyone should have died. The main guy should have gotten out of it alive, but thats my opinion (he was cute after all). I rented the movie, but I certainly would buy it any chance I got. I like it enough though, two thumbs up.
