Sayaka has just moved into her first apartment. While having a housewarming party with friends, a strange force comes over Sayaka making her act oddly before hurtling over the balcony railing to her death from the thirteenth floor.
Her older sister, Mariko, is set about the task of disposing of her sister’s belongings. As grief begins to take its toll on Mariko, she begins to see Sayaka’s ghost pleading to her for help. When a detective begins to question her about her sister’s apparent “suicide” she is told that Sayaka was not the first but in fact there have been a string of deaths, all considered suicides, from that particular apartment. As she learns the truth behind the apartment, the evil within it begins to show itself to Mariko and the nightmare that it lives in.
Apartment 1303, from the same author as The Grudge, Kei Oishi, does little to improve upon the haunting genre. Where horror and overall creepiness would be fulfilled with an imaginative homicidal ghost, the story focuses on Mariko and her grief while occasionally showing a ghostly image in the background. While I appreciate Mariko’s character growth as she gradually feels the impact of her sister’s death, I begin to wonder when the horror is going to begin. The worst that can happen is Mariko running out of tissues.
On the other hand the development of Yukiyo’s character is well done with a full background story plus cool character design including bloody tears and long black tendrils. But where you have well-rounded characters you have the incomplete. For instance, the little girl who lives next door who would say in a calm voice, “There goes another one,” at each death. You know that there is something up with this little girl who remains entirely too calm while standing over a dead body. So here you have an average plot with some characters who will entice you and other characters who will leave you flat and confused.
Though die-hard fans of the genre may find this film lacking in areas, people looking for a taste of Japanese horror may find that this movie will pique their interest into trying other titles. Some suggestions would be The Grudge (both the original and the remake with Sarah Michelle Geller), Audition, and The Ring if you want chillier tales. If you like animated horror check out Pet Shop of Horrors, Samurai Horror Tales, and Requiem from the Darkness for bloody, creepy stories.
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