Toshikazu Nagae’s Paranormal Activity 2: Tokyo Night is another Japanese remake of a U.S. hit, Oren Peli’s 2007 shocker Paranormal Activity, though the remaker is not a Hollywood major but local distributor Presidio, just as the original film was not a Hollywood studio product but a zero-budget indie that ended up grossing $193 million worldwide. (Confusingly, there is also a Hollywood sequel, Paranormal Activity 2.)
Like the original, the remake is a fake documentary about spooky goings-on in an otherwise ordinary house. The main difference is that, instead of the original’s young couple, the two principals are a sister and brother. Haruka (Noriko Aoyama), 27, has returned to the family home after breaking her legs in a car crash while traveling in the U.S. Her younger brother Koichi (Aoi Nakamura), 19, is caring for her while he studies for his college entrance exams. (Their father is often away on foreign business trips, while their mother is no longer among the living.)
Koichi is recording Haruka’s stay with a new camcorder and when strange things start happening in her room at night he sets it on a tripod there to catch whoever — or whatever — is responsible. No ghosts show up on camera, but Haruka’s wheelchair moves on its own and a pile of salt — intended to spiritually purify the room — suddenly scatters across the floor. These otherworldly events escalate and, though the siblings try to get help from outside, the unquiet spirit harassing them is not easily quelled.
Nagae, a veteran of both the horror and mockumentary genres — his credits include the cult hit Banned from Broadcast (Hoso Kinshi) TV and film series — changes the original enough to keep things interesting without deviating too far from its successful formula.
He is greatly aided by Aoyama, who may be fashion-model beautiful, but lets out blood-curdling screams, while melting down most convincingly into a pool of quivering, bug-eyed hysteria.
The climax recalls those of certain J-horror films, but still delivers a satisfactory shock. And if Hollywood ever remakes King Kong in Japan we now know who to call for the Fay Wray role.