This is a superior sequel to the 2003 original, directed then by Takashi Miike. ONE MISSED CALL 2 is better because there's a better director on hand, Rempei Tsukamoto, who actually seems to believe in his source material, rather than Miike who adopted an offhand, workmanlike approach in the original film. This one benefits from similar scares but a deeper plot that goes further into the origins of the curse story to try and find out that makes the ghost tick, rather than just being a string of gruesome and inexplicable murders. It also recalls the kind of Hong Kong horrors of the 1980s in which characters head off to foreign locales (here it's Taiwan) and run foul of backwards characters and the kind of primitive superstition that's supposed to have disappeared in the modern world.
The acting from the cast is excellent – whether it's the young couple caught up in the chaos or the female journalist trying to fix her own mental problems as well as solve the case. This is the main reason the film is better than the original – the actors just feel better here and the film goes off in a different direction, rather than just copying the formula of JU-ON: THE GRUDGE or RING, as did the original. That said, there are still plenty of effective scare moments and some grisly deaths, so fans who enjoy the formula will find something here for them as well. Camera-work and effects are fine. This may not be the loudest, most shocking or original horror film out there, but its mix of an intriguing and horrific storyline and solid chills and acting make it a superior one.
The acting from the cast is excellent – whether it's the young couple caught up in the chaos or the female journalist trying to fix her own mental problems as well as solve the case. This is the main reason the film is better than the original – the actors just feel better here and the film goes off in a different direction, rather than just copying the formula of JU-ON: THE GRUDGE or RING, as did the original. That said, there are still plenty of effective scare moments and some grisly deaths, so fans who enjoy the formula will find something here for them as well. Camera-work and effects are fine. This may not be the loudest, most shocking or original horror film out there, but its mix of an intriguing and horrific storyline and solid chills and acting make it a superior one.