We’re back with more creepy asian cinema. This time we’re talking about ghosts.
The Eye (imdb | get the dvd)
If you were blind and could get an operation to regain vision, would you? I sure would. Now imagine that your new eyesight is more than just plain vision, say like with the added ability to see dead guys walking around. How would that be?
The Eye takes this idea and makes a pretty creepy movie out of it. A blind girl who undergoes an operation begins to see ghosts everywhere, and she doesn’t really know what to do. She decides to unravel the mystery of where she received her new corneas and searches for the family of the donor. Throughout the movie, she meets up with various creepy and other not-so-creepy ghosts.
The film takes from both “Ghost” (yes the Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore flick) and “The Sixth Sense” and creates an interesting tale. While I can’t say I was amazed by this flick, it does provide moderate entertainment. With asian horror, I feel like movies are frequently unsatisfyingly illogical. At the same time though, these flicks feel more terrifying than many western horror flicks without the necessity of gore. The Eye is a nice diversion and worth checking out.
A Tale of Two Sisters (imdb | get the dvd)
Going along with the asian ghost tales, the scary Korean flick “A Tale of Two Sisters” was an interesting find. The story involves two sisters, a death, a weird (perhaps haunted?) house, a distant father and a creepy mean step-mother. I won’t divulge any of the storyline since there are surprises to be had. Also, I don’t know if I really understood the entire plot…
Sometimes I feel like the storyline of asian horror lends itself to interpretation, or something is lost in translation. In the case of “A Tale of Two Sisters,” the storyline is not completely chronological, and to me, the final explanation wasn’t exactly super clear. I have my own idea of what “actually happened” (you can leave a comment if you’ve seen the film and we can discuss), but I’m not completely positive about all the details. In any case, the film is freaky and worth seeing. There are weird noises, dark shadows, and dead birds, and all of it keep you constantly engaged. My experiences with extreme Korean cinema have been pretty positive I’d say, and I look forward to seeing more.
Both Flicks: 3 walking, talking, dead people out of 5
November 14th, 2006 at 11:47 pm
I first saw “A Tale of Two Sisters” at VIFF 2 years ago and I LOVED it. I came out of there with sore arms and legs from cringing so much. I think it may also have had something to do with the fact that it was a sold out show at an old cinema either way, it wasn’t nearly as good on DVD but still, an entertaining little thriller.
April 16th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
I watched this film the other day, in the house on my own. Boy was i scared, thnk goodness it was in the day like you said cringed, yes i did a little bit of this to. My sister said it didnt bother her but i was really into this film, so that scars you more(i think).
At the end i felt like your made to be thrown all over the place? and which was the real going on’s, i will DEFINETLY watch it again and mabye because iam prepareed for the twistings at the end, mabye (i hope) i will understand it fully.
Great film. doesnt seem like thiers alot of talking through-out the film which i think add’s to the reality of it(because were not always convorsating between ourselves) and i think it add’s a creepy effect aswell. I felt like i was waiting for something but i didn’t know what? An i don’t know if i did wanna know?
November 27th, 2007 at 1:51 am
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