DVD Review by David Blackwell

DETAILS: 77 minutes, original theatrical trailer, Making of Pray featurette, Tartan previews, and Pray Q & A

STUDIO: Tartan/ Pony Canyon

RELEASE DATE: 4-11-2006

PRAY is a OK Japanese Horror film, but other J-Horror films just show how unoriginal and bland it is. It isn't a very extreme horror film at all. It has twists, but it's 77 minute running time just makes it leaving me unsatisfied. PRAY starts out as very boring and then it improves. Then it starts to unravel near the end and the script goes straight to hell. I'm not being fair to PRAY. It is a mess. It contains so many elements I find wrong with horror movies today. The characters are complete jerks and the one guy you have something to feel for is a criminal too.  As the story unfolds, you find out some of them have secrets to hide.  A gang of young people kidnap a little girl to get money to buy drugs.  A ghost shows up and the little girl is a ghost too.  So you have two ghosts and one (or both) are after revenge.  In the end, PRAY was a waste of time after I started to think about it. It's an OK time waster at first glance, but it is something I don't want to watch again because it is a mediocre ghost story/ horror movie from Japan.

VIDEO: 1.78:1 (Anamorphic Widescreen)

AUDIO: Japanese 5.1 Dolby Digital, Japanese 5.1 DTS

Subtitles: English, Spanish (feature only)

The transfer is up to usual Tartan standards and the audio just didn't blow me away (nothing special).

SPECIAL FEATURES: THE MAKING OF PRAY is a short 10 minute featurette showing it was a fun set and everybody laughed during the shooting of PRAY. The PRAY Q & A has the lead actor and director answering questions at the preview and premiere of PRAY. Also included is the original trailer for PRAY, TARTAN Asia Extreme Previews, and a trailer for LADY VENGEANCE before you get to the main menu.

FINAL ANALYSIS: PRAY is a disappointment. Go watch THE GRUDGE again or find a better horror movie from Tartan to watch.