Pulse

Plot synopsis:
The plot centers on ghosts invading the world of the living via the Internet. It features two parallel story lines.
=== First Story ===
Kudo Michi (Kumiko Aso), an employee at a plant shop, has recently moved to Tokyo. Her co-workers include Sasano Junko, Toshio Yabe and Taguchi, who has been missing for some days working on a computer disk. Michi goes to visit Taguchi's apartment and finds him distracted and aloof; in the middle of their conversation, he casually makes a noose, leaves, and hangs himself. Michi and her friends inspect the disk he left behind and discover it contains an image of Taguchi staring at his own computer monitor, creating an endless series of images. In the other monitor on his desk, they discover a ghostly face staring out into Taguchi's room.
Yabe receives a mysterious phone call of a distorted voice repeatedly saying, "Help me." Upon checking his phone, Yabe sees the same image found on Taguchi's disk. He goes to Taguchi's apartment and sees a ghostly black stain on the wall where he hanged himself, before finding a crumpled piece of printer paper bearing the words, "The forbidden room." Upon leaving, he notices a door sealed up with red tape and enters, encountering a ghost. Yabe becomes depressed and uncommunicative, and eventually begins hiding in a storage room. He tells Michi that he had seen something horrible in "the forbidden room." On her way home, Michi sees a woman hurriedly sealing a door with red tape. Michi later witnesses the woman jump to her death from a silo at a cement factory.
Michi receives a call like the one Yabe had received, prompting her to check on him in the storage room. Upon entering, she sees a black stain on the wall similar to the one in Taguchi's apartment. Michi leaves to find Junko and panics when she realizes Junko has unsealed and entered a red-taped door. Inside, Michi witnesses Junko being cornered by a ghost. Michi rescues Junko, who becomes catatonic as a result of the encounter. Later, Michi is asked by Junko if she "will die this way," to which Michi assures her she would not prompt her to reply that she would just "keep living all alone." Upon saying this, Junko steps towards the wall and becomes a black stain. Michi calls her mother for solace, but gets no reply. Becoming worried, Michi goes to check on her mother and meets Ryosuke Kawashima.
=== Second Story ===
Ryosuke (Haruhiko Katô), an economics student, has recently signed up to a new Internet Service Provider. His computer accesses a website by itself, showing him disturbing images of people alone in dark rooms, exhibiting bizarre behavior. That night, Ryosuke wakes up to find his computer on again; the site now shows a man with his face obscured by shadows, then a man with a plastic bag over his head. Before he pulls it off, Ryosuke unplugs his computer in a panic. The next day, Harue Karasawa (Koyuki), a post-graduate computer science student, suggests he either bookmark the page or print the images for her to examine. Ryosuke attempts to do so, but finds that his computer will not follow his commands. Instead, a video plays of the man in the plastic bag standing in a room with the words "HELP ME" written all over the walls.
A classmate mentions the appearance of ghostly-looking people around campus and explains his theory that souls have begun to invade the physical world. Karasawa begins exhibiting strange behavior and suggests that ghosts would want to save humans from the loneliness of the afterlife by bestowing immortality on them. Later that night, Ryosuke visits Harue to find her acting even stranger; the two try to escape to a faraway place using the subway. However, the train stops and Harue is seized by a desire to return home and flees. Upon returning to her apartment, she claims that she is "not alone". When Ryosuke bursts into her apartment later, she is gone.
As more and more people begin to vanish, evacuations of Tokyo begin. There are ghosts appearing everywhere. Ryosuke meets Michi and they find Harue in an abandoned factory, where she shoots herself. Ryosuke later wanders through a door sealed up with red tape and encounters a ghost who explains that "death was eternal loneliness." Ryosuke loses the will to live, and Michi has to drag him to safety. They drive through a burning Tokyo, encountering numerous apocalyptic scenes: the sky turns black, a US Army cargo plane crashes out of the sky, and people leap to their deaths from tall buildings. The pair find a ship about to depart Tokyo, crewed by a small group of survivors who tell them that similar events are happening all over the world. As the ship heads for Latin America, Ryosuke and Michi go below deck, where Ryosuke disintegrates into ash.

Tags: violence, murder

Review:
I always liked how the movie never explained the source of the evil electricity.
There was a little too much macro-photography of wires melting, and not enough attention paid to the characters (one of the major ones is inexplicably written out of the story before the climax.) I never thought I'd say this, but Joey Lawrence actually gives a good performance, and there are some nice, subtle moments-- particularly some strong observations about family.
The electricity moved realistically, and the "hypnotic-laser" -idea that struck out of the T.V was an awesome way of showing the Pulse trying to reach out.
Great, intense, electric synth music with a suspenseful ominous low tone that accompanied build-up moments, which i personally love in a film score.
For a rare movie about electricity that builds tension and suspense, makes this film one to be watched over and over.
Pretty soon, David begins to see weird things happening to the television set in the house.
It quickly becomes apparent to both son and father that something is not right, and that an evil electrical "Pulse" is growing within their house.I got Pulse in the horror section, but it's more of a sci-fi/thriller flick.
The plot of "killer appliances" may sound ridiculous, but 'Pulse' does a good job at making it realistic enough for a full length film.
We see that the characters are in actual danger because of the electrical force, and that the pulse can cause serious occurrences such as gas leaks and water burns.
It's done well.The bodycount is pretty much non-existent, therefore 'Pulse' isn't a much of horror film.
It's an effective sci-fi/thriller film that is worth a look if you come across it.6/10.
Good, above average sci-fi / horror / thriller makes the most out of a fairly unique premise.
Ever likable Cliff De Young plays divorced father Bill, whose son David (Joey Lawrence of future 'Blossom' fame) comes to stay with Bill and his new wife Ellen (Roxanne Hart) for a while.
Unfortunately, this happens while a pulse of electricity - which seems to have become some sort of sentient being - is out to terrorize and destroy home owners in the neighborhood."Pulse" offers a fresh change of pace from the slasher films that often took predominance in the 1980s.
Solid support is provided by Lawrences' kid brother Matthew (as a neighborhood child) and top character actor Charles Tyner (as a creepy old man who seems to know the score).
Story has a young boy (Joey Lawrence) attempting to save his dad and stepmother from evil, unseen forces within their home.
And the director's idea of suspense is having perennial horror movie doof Cliff DeYoung look around in dark rooms for minutes at a time.
I'm glad it only comes on once in a while, because it would spoil thethrill of the "evil" pulse electricity destroying a whole house.
I really didn't like Pulse, but I don't think that it's fair for me to say that it was a bad movie.
I just don't like family horror films, those rated PG stories where there may be some action and suspense, but there are no body counts, blood, cursing, and what not that you'd find in your average horror movie.Pulse is the story of a spirit living in the form of electricity and it killed the previous owner of a house that David is spending the summer in with his dad and stepmom.
Only David can figure this out (of course), though he can't seem to convince either parents that he's not crazy and that there really is a dangerous spirit looming about.Even if you're not a kid, but somewhat nostalgic about teens stars of the 80s, you will get a healthy dose of pre-teen Joey Lawrence and his unbelievably tiny brother Matt, who plays inquisitive little next door neighbor, Stevie..
Enter young David (Joey Lawrence), in town to stay w/ his dad and his new wife (Cliff De Young and Roxanne Hart).
A slow-building horror film, PULSE saves most of its thrills for the big finale.
In Pulse, a young boy, David (Joey Lawrence), finds himself powerless against a malevolent electrical force (of possibly extraterrestrial origin) that travels from house to house causing fatal accidents and fires.The premise might sound a little far-fetched, but thanks to everyone involved opting to play it completely straight, the film comes across as a very credible techno horror/thriller, with Lawrence putting in a fine central performance as the boy who struggles to convince his father (Cliff De Young) of the truth.Director Paul Golding keeps the action moving at a fairly measured pace, gradually building the tension up to the inevitable 'humans versus electricity' finale, but he also includes a couple of exciting set pieces along the way—David almost coming a cropper in the garage and the scalding of his stepmother Ellen (Roxanne Hart) in the shower—as well as delivering some impressive macro photography of melting circuits, fuses and wires, and a cool synth score, all of which makes Pulse a nifty little '80s treat..
This causes us to live with the subconscious dread that the very things we rely upon can turn against us on a dime.This film is an under the radar gem, it's also kinda another one of my childhood gems if you can believe it since this is one of the first horror films I've ever seen.I really love the premise which I'll admit is a bit absurd, but I personally think it's a colorful and kinda cool premise, it's basically taking the old Haunted House motif but instead of ghosts it's electricity.I even like that there is mystery to this strange phenomena, we never really know why the hell this is happening, is it some forgotten experiment by the government or is there some cyberterriorst faction that has invented a sophisticated techno virus to attack our technology and infiltrate residences; I'm not sure you guess is as good as mine.
I really like the suspense where is a sort of paranoia were you are constantly afraid that the next appliance the character operate or get near will go haywire and hurt may'be kill them.The music is very good I really like the end theme song which I thought sounded cool and is one of my favorite end themes, it just has this exciting techno feel to it which fits the film.And the effects are great as their all practical, from how the electricity is animated and moves making it seem like some entity that's alive.
Though my favorite effect was with the TV where it was producing this moving lazer beam that just kept building up faster and faster.However what makes this film work the most is in the protagonist whom are likable characters you actually care about.
I really thought he was sympathetic as he's a kid still adjusting to his father's recent divorce and his new life in it.Even like the father played by Cliff De Young and the foster mom by Roxane Hart both of them are some stereotypical disbelieving parents, I really love how this film breaks that tired cliché and actually has them on the kid's side.
I'd personally behave the same way as both of them, with some of the stories we hear about what happened in the last two houses and witnessing how one appliance suddenly turns on without even pressing the on switch you have to wonder.Even like the little drama as we see both the father and son are trying to have a working relationship and even love the final conflict at the end when both are helping each other from the bad situation.
Which I found touching because their doing what any good father and son would do, that's something I don't see often in the horror genre.Overall like any new electrical appliance this film is worth a spin, Pulse has a pulse.Rating: 3 stars.
It has some good scenes and it's interesting how the evil electricity makes the deaths look like accidents but beyond that there's nothing special.
And that's what's in the is film, some evil electricity happens from some when and takes over a house and melts stuff and then sets fire to the house.
I don't want to say any more about this film, not because I would spoil it for you but simply because I know that if I think about 'Pulse' for much longer I will never sleep again, through sheer terror..
The fact that we are treated to multiple shots of stuff like, oh I don't know, the thermostat (accompanied by tense music) to heighten our fear should give you the answer.Apparently an electrical storm causes something to happen at a substation.
Exactly what happens we will never know, because we pretty much see the lightning strike, then spend some time watching different film angles of power lines and equipment overlaid with the opening credits.
I think that the lightning strike created "The Pulse," allowing it to travel over the wires finding a safe place to kill people, but do not quote me on that.Enter Bill, Ellen, and David, the standard (fissionable) elements of a nuclear family.
Since the chances of a burglary in this film are probably nil, we can bet they will be unable to leave the cursed house at some point due to Bill's paranoid security measures.Demonic forces (even ones with polarity) love to torment young children and the little wuss makes a perfect target, so how does it screw with David?
Guess it just seemed like a "horrific" thing to happen.If there was ever a movie the Amish would enjoy this is it ("See Jeremiah!
Apart from that, just injuries.Not much explanation is given for why electricity is going bad, or why just in one house at a time, all in one neighborhood.
Or if the electricity isn't really going bad and it's just bad workmanship.The scariest thing about the movie is the bowl cut hairstyles of the Lawrence brothers.
scary and tense flick is extremely well made and acted with some nasty deaths and gore this one scared me quite a bit kept my heart pounding always i was really very engrossed with this one it had some neat effects and some cool camera angles and a lot of creative deaths this movie deserves more credit then it gets because it is a awesome flick i give this a ***** out of 5 barley gets a five because Joey Lawrence sucks!!!!!!.
Kind of like "The Gate", horror movie, but just enough scary stuff so it makes a PG-13 and does not get into R territory.
Young boy David (a winning performance by Joey Lawrence of the TV show "Blossom") is spending the week with his estranged, hard-working father Bill (the always solid Cliff De Young) and new stepmother Ellen (a fine Roxanne Hart).
David notices that the electricity in the house has taken on a lethal and malevolent life of its own, but can't convince either his dad or stepmom that something's amiss.Writer/director Paul Golding makes this fantastic premise seem fairly credible and extremely chilling by carefully evoking a thoroughly plausible everyday mundane world that's ripped violently asunder by a bizarre and inexplicable phenomenon (Golding's stubborn refusal to provide some kind of valid explanation for why the electricity is acting up adds a truly eerie and unnerving ambiguity to the picture).
Spooky and intense, "Pulse" rates as a real nifty little sci-fi/horror sleeper..
The idea of making the main character a little kid instead of the step mom (who steals the show) seems like something someone else should've mentioned during pre-production.
Certain scenes feel out of place in the film and you can tell that a large part of the movie was left on the cutting room floor.
I'm not saying the movie would do better with a longer running time, because in this case the film is tight enough to hang together, but a lot of ideas are picked up and dropped (voices in the wires, a tv set that seems to talk to you, other houses in the neighborhood being infected).
If you want to see a movie where evil electricity taunts and haunts a horribly acted kid played by Joey Lawrence, then this is for you.
Cliff De Young, Joey Lawrence and Roxanne Hart star in this 1988 sci-fi/horror film.
After Ellen gets into an accident, Bill starts to believe what's happening and tries to stop the pulse with David's help.
There is "malevolent electricity" that inhabits the house.The movie reminds me a lot of things like Poltergeist, or Amityville Horror.
The shower scene worked very well, and the sequence in the basement was also a highlight.If the idea of the movie sounds interesting, it's worth a rental.
Electricity is not the most threatening of things and it's quite difficult to base a horror movie around the concept of evil electricity.
The film-makers were possibly in a bit of a conundrum regarding this as well seeing as they ultimately offer no real explanation for these electrical impulses, although it is made clear that it comes from a lightning bolt that strikes near a power plant.
A seemingly intelligent electrical pulse is turning some suburban homes in the area into deadly death-traps.
Lo and behold, the same thing starts happening again.Pulse is pretty unusual in that no one actually dies.
And David is right, as a seemingly intelligent electrical pulse is gradually taking over all the circuits and transforming electronic devices into murderous machines.
Writer/director Paul Golding definitely had some bright ideas when making this film, and it's admirable that he was resistant to turning this into a bloody carnage flick.
"Pulse" features some extremely powerful sequences, like Roxanne Hart in the shower and Cliff De Young narrowly escaping death by electrocution in the flooded kitchen.
She almost immediately believes the drivel about electric terror, and that's not common in horror films.
"Pulse" is definitely an underrated 80's horror/thriller gem..
Young David Rockland (Joseph Lawrence) is flying into L.A. from Colorado to spend some time with his Father & Stepmother Bill (Cliff De Young) & Ellen (Roxanne Hart), things go well at first but one night when David is left home alone the T.V.
Then David hears about the stories concerning the Jordan's & what happened, David becomes convinced that there is an evil presence in his Father's house that will try to kill them, at first Bill isn't having any of it but as the mysterious 'accidents' begin to add up he starts to change his mind...Written & directed by Paul Golding I thought Pulse was an average horror/thriller that never even came close to getting my pulse racing.
I also think that Pulse will disappoint most potential viewers in the sense that as a fan of horror films which Pulse supposedly is I was expecting a widespread outbreak of electrical devices turning against their owners all across America but in actual fact the pulse never leaves the confines of one house even though it could go anywhere & it doesn't kill a single person on screen, that's right not one person is killed in Pulse which just isn't good enough as far as I'm concerned.
Instead director Golding thinks his audience would rather sit through chunks of boring dialogue, stupid unexplained narrative & an annoying teenage kid as the lead, well Mr. Golding I can tell you now that most horror fans like films which are scary & contain some semblance of horror.
As it is Pulse tells it's story competently enough despite it's lack of any explanations & while there's nothing spectacular about it it's an OK way to pass 90 odd minutes if you don't expect too much.Director Golding films everything without much style or visual flair but there are a few really effective scenes in which his camera goes 'into' the electrical equipment & there are some nice close-up shots of the circuit boards & wiring as the pulse melts the solder & rearranges it for reasons I'm not sure about, these shots are easily the most memorable thing about Pulse which says it all really.
The acting is OK but again nothing special, Lawrence as the young kid gets very irritating.Pulse is an OK film, I'm sure there are people out there who will like it but for me it was too dull, it never explained itself & the decision not to kill anyone during the entire duration of the film was a bad one, a very bad one.
OK,quick synopsis.electricity in people's houses starts going haywire.it starts whispering to people,driving them insane.it then takes over their houses,turning them into death traps and murdering them.notice i said murder,not kill.this is because the deaths are deliberate,not accidental.r-i-i-i-ght.obviously the whole idea is ludicrous.now, the implausibility of the basic premise could be somewhat forgiven if there were any reason or explanation given for what is happening, but alas,there isn't.no attempt is even made to explain the events.they just happen and that is a large problem.even a lame attempt would be better than none.and don't get me started on the ending.oh what the heck.the ending- makes no sense at all.the movie basically just ends.no loose ends are tied up.but there were some positives.the acting was decent,given that the actors had so little to work with.and there were some tense moments.not the worst movie ever made just not a good one.
An electrical force(possibly alien, although the director, who also wrote it, doesn't specify exactly)terrorizes The Rocklands(Cliff De Young & Roxanne Hart).
Bill Rockland's young son David(remember Joey Lawrence)comes to stay in LA for the summer.
Soon violence will erupt with scary results.The director Paul Golding does a good job with showing us how the force takes over mechanical devices with starling effects.
It's a set-up "what-if" scenario with the force working almost as a virus moving from house to house effecting those who live within each place one at a time.