The Complex (2013)
Nursing student Asuka has just moved into an apartment complex with her parents and younger brother. On the first night in her new room, she is awoken by a strange scratching sound coming from the apartment of her neighbor, a reclusive old man who has refused all attempts at communication. Concerned over his well being, Asuka enters his home only to find him dead from malnutrition. Worse, it looks as if he had been trying to claw his way into her room. Asuka learns that there have been a number of strange deaths in the complex over the years from Shinobu, the handyman cleaning up the old man’s apartment. Even the girls at school whisper rumors of it being haunted.
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Such a frustrating disappointment
i must have seen a different film!!
hyped garbage
I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.
"The Complex" does deviate a bit from the standard Japanese horror genre with some pretty interesting twists, which was a very welcomed change of pace to the genre. However, the movie was nowhere near being scary, or I am just too seasoned and hardened to horror, and that resulted in a mediocre result.The story is about Asuka who moves into an older apartment complex, and soon after strange things start to happen which threaten to send Asuka's mind down a spiral of despair.Story-wise then "The Complex" was following a stereotypical 'how-to-make-a-horror-movie' blueprint, but it has some interesting twists and turn of events.The acting was good and helped the movie along quite well. Atsuko Maeda actually carried the lead quite well.The effects in "The Complex" were adequate, but not overly impressive or dazzling. But they did serve the purpose well enough.However, the lack of proper scares was the downfall that plummeted the movie into mediocrity. And as such, what could have been a unique movie ended up as a movie that you will Watch once and then never again.
Maybe you've seen this or something similar before and the story itself won't surprise you that much. But the movie is more than decent. The horror does work on quite a few levels, even if you can see the jump scare coming. Plus there is a story (even if it might feel a bit like a cheat in the end).The acting is nice, the characters well defined. There is some of the usual things you've come to known from horror movies from Asia. If you didn't get sick of it (some people can't see another woman with long hair hiding her face crawling on the floor or looking scary in general), you will get entertained and have a really good scary time
Hideo Nakata, director of the original The Ring and Dark Waters, returns with The Complex, supernatural horror about a young woman that moves to a new apartment in a mysterious complex. The Complex is a weird and hard to review movie... It is very intense and very scary at times, with a type of horror that never bets on jump scares, but mostly on anticipation and build-up intensity. The problem with The Complex resides with its structure. The movie changes mood and pace too often and too drastically, leaving the audience confused questioning the legitimacy of some scenes. The scenes seem to be placed with little criteria, like a puzzle that's is missing some pieces and has others upside down. It lacks solidity, leading to the inevitable feeling of unrealism: we are always aware that this is only a movie, and that is a shame because we should be absorbed and bothered by horror films. Scary? Absolutely. Well directed? Maybe this time Nakata got a little sloppy. Visit thefadingcam blog for more!
The director of this film, Hideo Nakata, is most famous as the man responsible for Ring (1998). That film proved to be one of the most memorable and iconic of all Japanese horror movies. And one of the most terrifying. So it was with great anticipation that I approached his new horror film, The Complex. It tells the story of a girl called Asuka who moves into a new apartment complex with her family. She quickly hears rumours that it is haunted and before long sinister unexplainable events begin to occur.The first impression is that this isn't of the standard of Ring. It doesn't have the incredible original central idea that underpinned that one and made it so creepy. However, like that one, The Complex takes its time building an atmosphere of dread that culminates in a pretty intense finale. Events build up piece by piece – an elderly neighbour is found dead next door, strange sounds are heard in the night and Asuka's parents seemingly have the exact same conversation each and every morning. The latter event is a clue of sorts, as it soon becomes apparent that Asuka's family all died in a bus crash leaving her the sole survivor. The conversation that she continually hears is the one they had on the fateful morning. The very fact that Asuka is not immediately aware of the impossibility of her parents living in the same house as her suggests that she may in fact be psychologically damaged. Are all the subsequent events in her head too? It's difficult to say on a single viewing but whatever the case, the supernatural events surround a little boy who it turns out is a malevolent ghost. He was tragically killed while hiding in a bin during a game of hide and seek and he now takes vengeance on the inhabitants of the complex where he once lived. In a similar way to traditional European vampire lore, he can only cause havoc on a person if they willingly let him into their home. Needless to say, one night he is given a chance to exert his evil; the very same night that a spiritualist attempts to exorcise him in an elaborate ritual.While The Complex is not of the standard of Ring, it still remains a very effective horror film. There is some potent imagery, particularly in the latter stages. While the combination of the supernatural ghost story with the psychological workings of the protagonists mind is done well and ensures that this is a film that would invite a re-watch.