Line #12 Film/JuRei


1	[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ju-rei_dvd_cover_tvt_size_2176.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:200:Might be overselling it, there...]]
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4	'''''Ju-Rei''''' (called ''Ju-Rei: The Uncanny'' on the US DVD, literal translation is "Spirit Curse") is a low-budget Japanese horror movie from director Kôji Shiraishi, better known for his later films ''Film/NoroiTheCurse'' and ''Film/{{Carved}}''. It's also a [[TheMockbuster completely shameless rip-off]] of the ''Film/{{Juon}}'' movies. Broken into eleven chapters shown in reverse order, it traces the spread of a ghostly curse through Tokyo. It may be the most obscure J-Horror movie to actually get an American release; it wasn't even released theatrically in its home country.
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7	!!Provides Examples Of:
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9	* AnachronicOrder: The story is told in a non-chronological reverse order, going backwards, beginning with chapter 10 and ending with chapter 1 and prologue.
10	* BackToFront: Uses this trope for its story as a simpler alternative to ''Film/{{Juon}}'' and its AnachronicOrder.
11	* CreepyChild: There's [[spoiler:Chitose as]] a little ghost girl and [[spoiler:Junya after he dies as]] a little ghost boy, who looks very much like Toshio from ''Film/{{Juon}}''.
12	* DemonicPossession: [[spoiler:This seems to be Hitomi's predicament after she faints in cinema and right until she dies. Also, Michiko before she dies.]]
13	* DeathOfAChild: At least two children are killed by the curse and appear as ghosts afterwards.
14	* ExcusePlot: ''Film/{{Juon}}'' has a pretty simple plot dolled up with its AnachronicOrder and copious MindScrew. ''Ju-Rei'' hardly even bothers pretending it has any point other than to show a bunch of ghostly suspense sequences strung together.
15	* TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou: The final shot of the movie is [[spoiler:the shadow man characters have referred to as the portent of death rising into frame and intoning to the viewer "You will die."]]
16	* GhostStory: A schoolteacher staying afterschool with Junya waiting for his mother decides to pass the time by telling him one of these... [[spoiler:right before she shows up as a ghost.]]
17	* HellIsThatNoise:
18	** Ghosts often make the exact same "croaking" sound as Kayako from ''Film/{{Juon}}'', in addition to creepy echoing whispers and raspy moans.
19	** Additionally, in one chapter, Noriko's father staying in a hotel keeps hearing loud banging on the wall from the room next to his... [[spoiler:which he finds out is supposed to be empty.]]
20	** The final line of the movie, spoken in [[EvilSoundsDeep a deep, raspy voice]]: [[spoiler:"You will die."]]
21	* InformedAttribute: The curse itself has one. We're told and shown at the beginning that death is foretold by a vision of a shadowy man in a black hood, but after the opening scene people keep dying without his presence, and he isn't even seen again [[spoiler:until the final shot]].
22	* JumpScare: Though the movie is mostly built around pure suspense, it has a couple of these for good measure.
23	* KillTheCutie: Many examples, [[spoiler:but most notably Noriko, Rie and Hitomi.]]
24	* LeaveTheCameraRunning: While the suspense scenes are often effective, they sometimes become this. Particularly egregious is a shot of a scared girl hiding under a blanket which runs uninterrupted for a full minute and 53 seconds, as well as a shot of the scared old woman cowering and whimpering in a hospital bed for much the same amount of time. Probably meant to pad out the runtime, which is barely more than 75 minutes.
25	* LightFlickerTeleportation: Once the camera starts to focus on a flickering stairway light in a mostly-empty school, you KNOW a ghost is going to suddenly appear [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools which is why it's scary waiting for it to happen.]]
26	* MeaningfulBackgroundEvent:
27	** Many. As usual in stories of this type, multiple times, ghosts can be glimpsed in the background while the characters remain unaware of their presence.
28	** When Noriko is leaving her empty, dark house to visit Rie, just as she walks out of frame, the upstairs light comes on, revealing someone's shadow in the window...
29	* TheMockbuster: It's essentially a low-budget, DirectToVideo version of ''Film/{{Juon}}'', including the same pasty white ghosts, out-of-order storytelling, viral curse, and even the same "croaking" sound effect. And yes, the original ''Film/{{Juon}}'' was already a cheap DTV movie. [[NoBudget This one is even cheaper.]]
30	* NiceGirl: Noriko. Also, Rie and Hitomi before her predicament as well.
31	* NoEnding:
32	** The movie counts down in reverse order from "Chapter 10" to "Chapter 1" and then, finally, has a segment called "Prologue." While the prologue shows an event that was mentioned in a later chapter, it does absolutely nothing to explain the origin of or cause for the curse, which had evidently started even earlier.
33	** The final chapter in chronological order has no special significance either, even on a second viewing.
34	* NothingIsScarier: The main thing that sets this film apart from its [[Film/{{Juon}} obvious inspiration]]. Probably due to budgetary constraints, most of the movie relies on the suspense of waiting for the ghosts to appear as opposed to the outrageous nightmare imagery from ''Film/{{Juon}}''.
35	* NeverFoundTheBody: As in Ju-on and other stories of the type, seems to be the case for most victims. [[spoiler:Hitomi being the most notable exception. Also, Inui family.]]
36	* StringyHairedGhostGirl: Given this film's [[Film/{{Juon}} inspiration]], most of the ghosts are of this sort.
37	* TheVirus: [[TheMockbuster Just like in]] ''Film/{{Juon}}'', the curse works this way, assimilating the ghosts of its victims into its service.

Context Film / JuRei