There are great horror movies that become even better every time you watch them, and then there are those that are so unremarkable and disappointing that they are better stricken from the anals of cinematographic history. Unfortunately, 2006 Pulse that features Kristen Bell belongs to the latter category.
Kristen Bell became known as a cheeky PI in Veronica Mars, sinner Eleanor who got 'accidentally' placed in Heaven in The Good Place, and, most recently, a nosy and paranoid neighbor Anna in a horror spoof The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window. She shines best as a comedy actress, with just a sprinkle of drama — and many believe it to be her sweet spot. When she decided to venture into the realm of horror in 2006, Bell was clearly getting out of her comfort zone, and it wasn't pretty.
Pulse is an American remake of Kairo, a cult J-horror from the master of supernatural tension Kiyoshi Kurosawa. The original tells a story of ghosts invading the world of the living using the internet and stripping them of the will to live. While the remake seemingly follows in Kairo's path, it tries to add its stamp but ends up losing the creepy minimalism, the growing sense of quiet terror, and the appeal of the gradually unraveling story that made the original so compelling.
Directed by Jim Sonzero — and originally written by Wes Craven, who later distanced himself from the project and denied any relation to the final product — Pulse follows a psychology student Matti (Bell), who comes to check on her weirdly acting boyfriend, only to witness him hanging himself on an internet cable. Following that, Mattie and her friends start receiving unsettling messages that are seemingly coming from the deceased and become affected by apparitions coming out of monitors. Mattie teams up with tech-savvy Dex (played by pre-Vampire Diaries Ian Somerhalder). She discovers that her boyfriend hacked into the system that contained the ghosts (who resided on a mysterious, previously unknown frequency) and accidentally set them free. Now, it's up to her and Dex to set things right.
There are many things that make Pulse a sub-par horror movie that is best left forgotten. And chances are, Bell wouldn't mind striking it from her professional career sheet either. The fact that the movie was vaguely parodied in one of Bell's other films, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, only proves the point. In it, her character Sarah, a crime TV show star, is being mocked for starring in a ridiculous and failed horror flick about killer cell phones.
While the premise seems closer to One Missed Call or The Ring, the theme of supernaturally possessed technology turning on humanity is certainly reminiscent of Pulse, even if the director Nicholas Stoller denies the direct link. The comparison is just too striking to be coincidental. One of the movie's characters, rock star Aldous Snow (Russell Brand), even goes as far as calling the referenced horror film a "metaphor for a crap movie" rather than a suggested "metaphor for addiction to technology." Sadly, it's quite an accurate description of Pulse. So what exactly makes this American remake so painfully forgettable?
Incoherent Plot And Flat Characters
Pulse's issues go beyond occasional plot holes. Many elements and plotlines — like a mysterious man with the face hidden by a plastic bag, Mattie's bizarre dream sequences, or her inexplicable therapy sessions — seem to be inserted at random, never to be explained or resolved. Unlike the J-horror original, there's no explanation given as to the unkillable ghosts' motivations or, for that matter, their modus operandi. Technically, (some but not all) future victims see a mysterious message on screen, asking them whether they want to meet a ghost. The question is followed by a series of disturbing live cam images of other people affected by the apparitions. Some viewers get attacked right after seeing the bizarre message, while others carry on with their lives for a significantly longer time, with no clear distinction between the two groups. At first, the apparitions act just like apparitions should — they are mostly ephemeral and 'attack' the human's soul. As the movie progresses, they seem to become more potent and corporeal, culminating in a scene where they chase Dex and Mattie's car, physically clinging to it rather than ghostly passing through it. Like many other elements, the reasons behind their evolvement remain unclear.
When it comes to Pulse's characters, their motivations and actions are just as obscure. Unlike other supernatural horror movies, where characters try to solve the mystery and uncover the reasons for the ghostly actions, Mattie and her friends remain clueless pretty much until the end, displaying an astonishing lack of curiosity and survival instinct. Sonzero makes it nearly impossible for the audience to relate or empathize with his created characters without clear motivations or aspirations.
Disappointingly Blunt Acting
Kristen Bell is an excellent comedy actress. Her characters usually have the sass, the cheek, and a ton of attitude. All that is stripped clean from Mattie in Pulse. Nothing seems to perturb her or evoke strong emotions, including the death of her boyfriend. She's not shocked to find a decaying but alive cat in his closet, doesn't look that terrified of the murderous apparitions, and is not particularly shaken by what seems to be an impending apocalypse. The rest of the actors deliver performances bordering on Tommy Wiseau's infamous "I didn't hit her" monologue in The Room.
Occasional rays of decent acting come from inexplicable cameos and short parts of Octavia Spencer, Ron Rifkin, and Zach Grenier, but unfortunately, those are as fleeting as the movie's logic.
It's Simply Not Scary
Sonzero fails to deliver a tense and gripping experience despite surprisingly decent visual effects and sleek camera work. The potential jump scares are too on-the-nose to be effective and would benefit from a gradual setup, so expertly done in the original. While Pulse tries to mirror some of Kairo's cinematic moments, it lacks the thrillingly creepy atmosphere and sinister feeling of dread of the original that suggests the impending danger rather than throws it into the audience's faces.
After the crushing failure of Pulse — that still managed to spawn two sequels, growing impossibly worse with each installment — Kristen Bell made a wise decision to stay away from the horror genre, only venturing into its territory from the comedic sidelines of an excellent spoof that is The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window. And perhaps, her previous genre endeavors should be mercifully forgotten, just like the unfortunate Pulse itself.