Maybe it's the way J-Horror was written back in those days - slow, moody, atmospheric, overly dramatic, etc. Sort of reminiscent of a Hollywood horror, circa 1935 or so. The action moves so slowly that you can practically hear the director shouting just off set, "More passion! Look more scared! Tremble your hands! Walk slower! Give a wide-eyed gaze as if Godzilla was trampling your poppy field!" Pretty cheesy stuff.
The reason I'm willing to overlook the melodrama is, to be fair, back in the day for instance, all zombies walked liked they were constipated. Now, in todays' movies, they can give Usain Bolt a run for his money. In that sense I'm willing to go easy on the film's lethargic development. Some of the writing was just poor, though. Why would you go yelling blindly into an unknown house knowing that the slit-mouthed woman can hear you as well as the girl you're looking for? Why, in the midst of the search, suddenly stop to tell your history of the slit-mouthed woman? Shouldn't you check the house quickly to see if the little girl is bleeding to death or something? 911 (or 999 in some countries) is your friend. Don't be afraid to call them for help.
The reason I'm willing to overlook the melodrama is, to be fair, back in the day for instance, all zombies walked liked they were constipated. Now, in todays' movies, they can give Usain Bolt a run for his money. In that sense I'm willing to go easy on the film's lethargic development. Some of the writing was just poor, though. Why would you go yelling blindly into an unknown house knowing that the slit-mouthed woman can hear you as well as the girl you're looking for? Why, in the midst of the search, suddenly stop to tell your history of the slit-mouthed woman? Shouldn't you check the house quickly to see if the little girl is bleeding to death or something? 911 (or 999 in some countries) is your friend. Don't be afraid to call them for help.