Pulse

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Darren D "Pulse," Kiyoshi Kurosawa's ghost story brings an escalating feeling of an apocalyptic level of dread. Kurosawa doesn't deal with jump scares or scenes of gore-soaked violence, as "Pulse" rather plays out with scenes that perform like a nightmare you can't wake up from. "Pulse," could be seen as using social issues like Japan's high suicide rate or its loneliness epidemic, as the scariest aspect is the cold emptiness & the depression brought out from the loneliness throughout the story. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/20/25 Full Review Audience Member A slow, subtle horror pervades the first half of the film. It’s that childhood fear of something inescapable haunting your computer, waiting for you to be alone and showing your too-curious, naive self terrors beyond imagination. Beautiful and restrained use of audio – this is one of those films you want to watch alone, with your headphones on. Really enhances some of the scares which are already visually impactful. The overall message of loneliness and isolation is very heavy-handed, but I can’t say it detracted from the overall experience. What did detract was the ending. It felt like the director’s back was up against the wall of thinking “how would something like this actually end IRL?” and that made for an unsatisfying, rushed conclusion that could’ve been helped by limiting the scale to its cast instead of the entire world. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/15/25 Full Review Joshua H A plodding movie full of baffling character choices, painful dialogue, and frustratingly creepy scenes that don’t seem to go anywhere Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 07/14/25 Full Review Spike D Pulse is a masterful and pivotal piece of horror that warrants renewed interest and examination in the face of the genre's second renaissance. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/11/25 Full Review Aidan B While the fact the fact the film is as bonechilling as it is without a single jump scare being used is a massive feat in and of itself, the dull pacing, predictable story, and incredibly underwhelming finale make "Pulse" an overall disappointing but admittedly frightening watch. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/23/25 Full Review Ian S Maybe the slow build up was a negative but it didn't detract from the overall effect and the ideas about loneliness and technology. One of the best Japanese horror films of the past 25 years and one of the best movies about the dangers of the internet. What is prescient and creepy now must have been even more chilling in 2001. Far superior to the American remake and much more subtle. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/23/25 Full Review Read all reviews

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