“Forbidden Siren” (also known as “Siren”) is a Japanese horror film that feels very much like a cross between “Silent Hill” and “Ju-On: The Grudge”. “Forbidden Siren” is apparently based on a videogame (like “Silent Hill”) but I’d never even heard of the “Forbidden Siren” games before seeing this movie.

A man moves to a remote island with his daughter (Yui Ichikawa “Ju-On: The Grudge”) and young son. Some of the islanders appear rather hostile towards outsiders and the family is warned that one is not to leave their house at night and certainly not when the island’s siren wails. The mysteries of the island all appear to be linked to the siren.

The characters in this film are okay but none of them are especially engaging. None of them are particularly intelligent. Unfortunately, it just seems that’s an issue with horror films in general regardless of whether they are made in America, Japan or anywhere else. Some of the revelations about some of the characters were quite effective but they come near the end of the picture. I was just pleased to finally see a Japanese horror flick where there is not a pale woman in white offing people. Some of the make-up and effects on the entities on the island are rather impressive.

“Forbidden Siren” creates a somewhat unsettling atmosphere and has a few genuinely entertaining moments such as a scene where we see a strange insect creature. The special effects are quite good considering this movie clearly did not have a huge budget. Sadly, the film is not as entertaining as “Ju-On: The Grudge” and even the first “Silent Hill” movie was a little more captivating. As I’ve stated, I’m not even remotely familiar with the games so I have no idea whether or not fans of the games would enjoy this or not.