Some brilliant creative choices by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Definitely has its tense and even scary moments. But unfortunately the story never grasped my interest.

Some brilliant creative choices by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Definitely has its tense and even scary moments. But unfortunately the story never grasped my interest.

“instead, they’ll try to make people immortal. by quietly trapping them in their own loneliness.”

the first half was the most haunting thing i have ever watched. so eerie and so soooo good.

and i love how in this movie ghosts are not described in a malicious way. we see the supernatural who are scared, helpless because of the unending isolation they are experiencing in the after life. they are not evil creatures but echos of human beings and their emotional states. the ghosts are actively trying to escape the eternal loneliness by attempting to get closer to the living. the more they try to get help, the more their despair rubs off on the living, kind of like a disease, pushing people towards insanity.
ily kiyoshi kurosawa

“instead, they’ll try to make people immortal. by quietly trapping them in their own loneliness.”

the first half was the most haunting thing i have ever watched. so eerie and so soooo good.

and i love how in this movie ghosts are not described in a malicious way. we see the supernatural who are scared, helpless because of the unending isolation they are experiencing in the after life. they are not evil creatures but echos of human beings and their emotional states. the ghosts are actively trying to escape the eternal loneliness by attempting to get closer to the living. the more they try to get help, the more their despair rubs off on the living, kind of like a disease, pushing people towards insanity.
ily kiyoshi kurosawa

The world that Kurosawa creates is one that is similar to our own, but the emptiness is one full force, an emptiness brought on by the internet. There are so many ways to look at this whole film that it becomes headache inducing. Are they dead, are they really alone, and is this real?

The ambience of the film is also extremely well done, you feel the droning sensations being presented. The music is used appropriately, the twists and turns of the story are fascinating and make too much sense, and the anaolog-esque setting is well realized. I had problems with some of the inconsistent effects and at times it was pretty difficult to follow but otherwise, this is a very fun time and I had fun discussing it with my friend.

The world that Kurosawa creates is one that is similar to our own, but the emptiness is one full force, an emptiness brought on by the internet. There are so many ways to look at this whole film that it becomes headache inducing. Are they dead, are they really alone, and is this real?

The ambience of the film is also extremely well done, you feel the droning sensations being presented. The music is used appropriately, the twists and turns of the story are fascinating and make too much sense, and the anaolog-esque setting is well realized. I had problems with some of the inconsistent effects and at times it was pretty difficult to follow but otherwise, this is a very fun time and I had fun discussing it with my friend.

what having internet friends feels like

what having internet friends feels like

Perhaps the most frightening film I’ve ever seen, Pulse is truly horrific to its core. It relies purely on atmosphere, lingering moments where it hesitates to cut away, the absence of sound, or the sight of a black shadow standing silently in the corner of an empty room. Its presence is fierce, bleak, and unlike almost anything else within the horror genre.

There’s no gore to speak of, nor are there traditional jump scares. Instead, the film completely envelops you in emptiness, loneliness, and dread, whether through its short, fragmented conversations or its deeply unsettling psychological imagery. What makes the film so effective is how restrained it is; the horror feels quiet yet overwhelming.

I also found the film deeply metaphorical in its critique of emerging technology and the fear that it would ultimately damage society, leading to emotional and social collapse. The “ghosts,” who in many ways act as the film’s central figures, seem to offer an easier way out, Essentially nihilistic, selling the idea that sooner or later life becomes a cup filled to the brim, with nowhere left to go. They prey specifically on the lonely, isolated, and emotionally lost, which makes the film feel disturbingly human beneath its supernatural surface.

The film doesn’t present technology as inherently evil, nor does it offer a direct narrative critique of it. Instead, its depiction feels more ambiguous; technology functions as a conduit or mirror for an existing human isolation, amplifying it and making it impossible to ignore rather than creating it outright.

All in all, what works most for me here is its boldness in approaching real human emotions at the brink of what, at the time, was like a new wave of social and technological change, yet presenting them in the most unsettling and uncompromising way imaginable.

Perhaps the most frightening film I’ve ever seen, Pulse is truly horrific to its core. It relies purely on atmosphere, lingering moments where it hesitates to cut away, the absence of sound, or the sight of a black shadow standing silently in the corner of an empty room. Its presence is fierce, bleak, and unlike almost anything else within the horror genre.

There’s no gore to speak of, nor are there traditional jump scares. Instead, the film completely envelops you in emptiness, loneliness, and dread, whether through its short, fragmented conversations or its deeply unsettling psychological imagery. What makes the film so effective is how restrained it is; the horror feels quiet yet overwhelming.

I also found the film deeply metaphorical in its critique of emerging technology and the fear that it would ultimately damage society, leading to emotional and social collapse. The “ghosts,” who in many ways act as the film’s central figures, seem to offer an easier way out, Essentially nihilistic, selling the idea that sooner or later life becomes a cup filled to the brim, with nowhere left to go. They prey specifically on the lonely, isolated, and emotionally lost, which makes the film feel disturbingly human beneath its supernatural surface.

The film doesn’t present technology as inherently evil, nor does it offer a direct narrative critique of it. Instead, its depiction feels more ambiguous; technology functions as a conduit or mirror for an existing human isolation, amplifying it and making it impossible to ignore rather than creating it outright.

All in all, what works most for me here is its boldness in approaching real human emotions at the brink of what, at the time, was like a new wave of social and technological change, yet presenting them in the most unsettling and uncompromising way imaginable.