I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

If you are a (horror-)genre-fan then a screening is entertaining, but do not expect too much. Mostly, it's style over substance.The visual effects are good, but not outstanding. The main weak point is the story. The story is - compared to the US-"Ring"-Remake - much weaker, more illogical, confusing and much more worse explained. So, mainly, it lacks a new, genuine idea which could lie beneath the horror. The ghosts and attacks are scary, but unfortunately the background is not, it's just not profound enough.I must say that I'm not a particular fan of Kristen Bell. She is okay in the role, but I'm not enthusiastic about her. The other actors are okay, too.Maybe the alternate ending/deleted scene on the DVD can compensate for the weaknesses of this movie, at least a bit.

Pulse is a remake of a 2000 Japanese horror film of the same name, but after seeing the American remake, I am scared to see the original (and not in the way the filmmakers intended). The movie is so dry and lifeless that it is impossible to get anything but a few minor cheap thrills out of it. Whatever feel the director wanted to extract from this dry film whether it be unease or sorrow I do not think he accomplished. These horror filmmakers are not making it loud and bloody, but quiet and dull. Even slasher flicks have more excitement than this dry piece of boredom. It's as if the director and screenwriter Wes Craven think they are making a Hitchcock film.

The spirits of the dead discover a way to contact the living and enter into their world through electronic devices. Moreover, these decidedly nasty and dangerous spirits suck the lifeforce from the living. A select group of folks find out what's going on, but can they figure out a way to stop the angry and lethal spirits before it's too late? Director Jim Sonzero, working from an inspired and intriguing script by Wes Craven and Ray Wright, relates the absorbing premise at a steady pace, stages the shock set pieces with considerable flair and skill (a sequence in an underground apartment laundry room is especially harrowing), and does an expert job of creating and maintaining a potently spooky, paranoid and sinister atmosphere which becomes more increasingly eerie and unsettling as the plot unfolds towards a startlingly downbeat surprise apocalyptic conclusion. This film further benefits from solid acting by the sturdy cast: Kristen Bell is appealing as the perky and worried Mattie, Ian Somerhalder is likewise fine as shrewd computer boffin Dexter, Brad Dourif has a neat cameo as a raving doomsayer in a café, plus there are sound contributions from Christina Milian as the sassy Isabelle Fuentes, Rick Gonzalez as slick internet hustler Stone, Samm Levine as the easygoing Tim, and Kel O'Neil as the unhinged Douglas Ziegler. The ghosts are genuinely freaky and scary. The special effects are excellently done and quite convincing. Best of all, there's no obtrusive silly humor to detract from the grim severity of the bleak premise. The filmmakers warrant extra points for staying true to said bleak premise to the literal bitter end. Why, we even get a valid and provocative central point on how our over-reliance on technology could possibly reap the seeds of our eminent destruction. Mark Plummer's gloomy cinematography gives the picture an appropriately dreary look. Elia Cmiral's shivery and ominous score hits the shuddery spot. An unjustly maligned and underrated fright feature.

Oops I clicked on the link. I was never a fan of the original Japanese film, and this updated American take on the story isn't any better or make me feel any different about it. It's forgettable (like how the victims fade away to ashes) when it comes to shove, but for the moment it agreeably past the time with little worries. Again its plain dreary with a terrifically patient concept (about technology development and obsession being society's eventful downfall when a virus is let loose) that's a little more to it than your normal ghost seeking revenge yarn. Ray Wright and Wes Craven offer up a reliable screenplay. I hand it to the remake that it does feel far less drawn out (brisk pacing) and more complete, but this does lessen the hopelessly apocalyptic downbeat sense that breaks out and goes on to smother the air. Although the ending here is ultimately non-effective. The thing I couldn't figure out though, doesn't anyone know how to turn lights on. Oh there are so many passages… where obviously a light-switch was about. Was it to create atmosphere or to simply save energy? Director Jim Sonzero ably paints some stylish and shady cuts, but the scares are predictable (the usual jump tactics) and suspense minimal. Playing tricks with shadows and sounds feature largely. Elia Cmiral's suffocating score chimes in some eerie numbers. The performances are all solid and very well projected with Kristen Bell and Ian Sommerhalder leading the way. Look out for a short cameo role from an amusingly raving Bard Dourif.