Told in the Blair Witch-esque documentary style, this film is one of a very rare few to successfully give me chills. I've been creeped out before, but it is incredibly rare for me to actually get chills run down my spine, but Noroi managed to do just that. How? I've always been the type of person not to be scared of horror flicks themselves, but for some reason get creeped out easily by documentary-type stories and reenactments that are supposedly based on actual events. Robert Stack's voice, combined with the eerie music in Unsolved Mysteries would always freak me out for really no apparent reason.

Noroi the Curse follows a similar formula, focusing around a journalist whose job is to investigate the paranormal. The movie is played out in a very real documentary style, as we're shown the case the man was last investigating leading up to his disappearance. Combined with clips from news reports and variety shows, we follow along as the man slowly unravels the mystery behind all these strange supernatural occurrences, and eventually follow the trail back to an old legend and the curse of a small town.

This movie grabs you from the beginning and doesn't let go. The way the story is told keeps you glued, as we essentially put together pieces of the puzzle along-with the journalist. The eerie atmospheric music combined with a number of creepy scenes involving symbols and strange images in the background will likely give anyone chills down their spine. We are shown strange things here and there, but the film is mostly an investigative piece that forces you to pay attention to detail. This is what makes the movie achieve a creepy factor that many other cinematic efforts attempt to reach, but fail along the way.

Viewers may recognize Kôji Shiraishi's name behind his mediocre films Ju-Rei and Carved, which both have US DVD releases. For some reason the only movie in the man's record that's worth a damn isn't available here yet. However, word is that it will get a release later in the year, so keep an eye out.

The film's story is told in a realistic documentary style and forces the viewer to pay attention to detail, as we put together clues along-with the journalist. That, combined with the eerie atmospheric music and strange supernatural events, the movie reaches a stage of creepiness that's uncommon in today's modern cinema. Give this baby a check, but be sure to watch it with the volume up and the lights off.