Little did I know that it would be the last scare I would have throughout the 90 minutes of this mediocre horror film.

“7500,” directed by Takashi Shimizu of the famous Japanese supernatural horror series “Grudge,” is a disappointment on all fronts, not only on the philosophical side but also within the usual conventions of the horror genre. Perhaps there is a cultural barrier between the Japanese director and the English-speaking cast that makes it difficult, but still one expects so much more from Shimizu, who made us all literally pee our pants with his ghost story in the first “Grudge,” which although it was produced in 2001 still remains a benchmark in the genre.

So we get to know our dear passengers one by one as they board the Vista Pacific Flight 7500 heading from Los Angeles to Tokyo. There’s the annoying honeymoon couple who shouldn’t have gotten married in the first place, the weird goth chick who loves talking about life and death, the pregnant Japanese-American girl, the generation-Y techno thief, another couple who just broke up but can’t tell their best friends since they have offered them a free trip to Japan, and the head flight attendant who tries to keep it all under control, and also has her own issues since she’s dating the married pilot. Oh, and I forgot to add the super-creepy guy holding on tightly to a mysterious wooden box.

We get to know our characters and their petty conflicts with each other with rather simple dialogue that belongs in a B-movie. It takes about 30 minutes for something ominous and terrifying to happen in the film, and unfortunately there isn’t adequate atmosphere to allow us to maintain our patience before this happens or even create the appropriate anticipation. When the plane is hit by heavy turbulence, a sequence, mind you, that looks like someone is rocking a cradle as opposed to that jittery feeling of real turbulence (trust me, I know how it feels!), the creepy guy with the wooden box has a fatal heart attack.

The captain decides to continue with the journey to Tokyo, rather than opt for an emergency landing. For some reason no one on the plane is disturbed by the fact that there’s a dead man on the plane. Then comes another round of turbulence, this time accompanied by a decrease in cabin pressure. The passengers battle to get their oxygen masks on and luckily the charming captain saves the day. But then really odd things start to happen that seem to be touched with a bit of the supernatural. The presence of a malignant spirit is implied, but its presence is never fully gotten into, neither in the script nor in the images that seemed to be plastered together with an editing style more fit for a soap opera as opposed to an edgy horror film. The filmmakers have relied heavily on the eerie soundtrack and sound design to scare viewers; however, even this method runs dry midway through the film.

However, the worst part of “7500” is not its failures in craftsmanship but its plotting and lazy screenplay. When the final revelation concerning the main mystery is presented, we realize that every character dynamic or motivation previously executed has been in vain since it has no relevance whatsoever with the pseudo-philosophical interpretation of purgatory and the concept of death. One wishes that there would at least be one actor who enjoys himself or herself through the film, but even talented actors such as Jerry Ferrera, Ryan Kwanten and Leslie Bibb look as if they can’t wait to get home after receiving their paychecks.

This is a film produced in the assembly line of horror movies aiming to milk the easy return on investment in this specific market, with no particular soul or unique selling point that can make it stand out amongst the flood of its contemporaries in the genre. For those who have a fear of flying, this film might actually help you battle your phobia; for those who enjoy a good scare, this film won’t satisfy you in the least.