Australia’s entry in the J-Horror revolution begun with (or at least given its major impetus by) Ring [aka Ringu] (Japan-1998, dir. Hideo Nakata) is a low-budget supernatural horror film called Watch Me.
Watch Me (Australia-2006, dir. Melanie Ansley)
Starring Frances Marrington, Sam Voutas and Tanya McHenry, it follows in the aesthetic tradition of films such as the Japanese Ring, Ju-On: the Grudge, Dark Water and Kairö. It tells the story of a film-school student caught up in a supernatural infection spread via email attachment, and involves a snuff video, a red-haired ghost and the deadly injunction to “Watch me!”
Watch Me did the rounds of the film festival circuit nearly two years ago and was generally greeted warmly (though generating a decent chill factor). The Backbrain found it to be an excellent addition to the scary female ghost tradition.
At last Watch Me is about to receive the wider distribution it deserves via DVD, as it is being released on September 2nd from Brain Damage Films. Extras include an alternative opening, interviews with the cast and crew, and the director’s first short film: “Butcher”.
The Backbrain conducted an interview with producer (and star) Sam Voutas a while back:
On J-Horror:
I completely agree that we’re talking about an international aesthetic now. It’s by no means fixed to one country. Mainland China and Hong Kong films are coming out with J-horror style films, too. It makes sense really. Horror was getting a bit repetitive, self-reflexive as they say, then in came J-horror, which just felt completely different, so it’s really added a lot of spice to the genre. Watch Me would be very happy to be added to that family. Even if it is only the tiny ugly cousin three times removed.
On the Shoot:
On the shoot we had very few problems! People pretty much knew that this wasn’t a big film and put their egos to the side. Indie film is really too small for egos. Of course, there were the usual technical or set problems, but doing things indie for the most part actually makes things easier. You do things your way, you have control. No need to take something to a higher authority and seek permission regarding content or style, as you have to do so painstakingly in TV.
Read the full interview here.
Review
Like the best of the post-Ring J-Horrors, Watch Me manages to achieve an identity of its own. What it does is take the subgenre’s basic conceptual elements and forges its own vision of them, melding a slightly different narrative approach, subtle trope variants and some new thematic elements onto the template. Director Ansley and producer Sam Voutas may not be creating a new aesthetic, but they have produced an effective extension of the old one.
Read the full review here.
Source: Sam Voutas
