Bangkok Haunted (2001)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Directors:

Oxide Pang Chun
Pisut Praesangeam

Writer:

Pisut Praesangeam (writer)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

In every city... in every home, there's a real ghost story ready to be told.

Plot:

Three young women gathered in a coffee bar in Bangkok tell and discuss three original ghost stories with each other...

Plot Keywords:

Anthology

Cast

Pimsiree Pimsee	...	Pagar
Pramote Seangsorn
Dawan Singha-Wee	...	Pan
Kalyanut Sriboonrueng	...	Kanya
Pete Thong-Jeur	...	Nop

Runtime:

UK:130 min | Spain:124 min (DVD edition)

Country:

Thailand

Language:

Thai

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Germany:16 | Philippines:R-13 | Spain:18 | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Thailand

Company:

Avant

Movie Connections:

References Fainaru fantajî VII (1997) (VG)

Three supernatural tales are an okay mix that is weakened by the odd length of its parts

A collection of three ghost stories:

In the first, which plays like a darker Beauty and the Beast, an antique drum ends up in the hands of a young woman who has to work out its secret before things turn deadly.

In the second a young woman finds a potion to make her irresistible to men, unfortunately it comes with a price.

In the last story a cop won't let go of suicide and finds that not only are things not as they appear, but that he should have left the whole thing alone.

Its nice to report that here is a recent vintage Thai horror film that isn't a misfire. Its also a relief not to see yet another Asian horror film with a girl with long hair creeping through every scene. This is a ghost story with a decidedly non western flavor thats a nice mix of old and new horror. I don't know if its scary as such but it certainly creates a bit of tension.

Although the stories are of various (but good) quality the only thing thats really off with this movie is the pacing. The films should either have been expanded feature length or shortened to something more manageable since the 40 to 45 minutes of each is just not right for the tales told. I felt alternately that things went on too long for what they were or didn't go on long enough and the film was "neither fish nor foul". However despite my complaint about the lengths I do like the stories which are good enough to keep you watching (actually the stories get better as the film progresses) The performances are good and the effects are excellent, I especially love the faces in the smoke.

This is a good movie. If you like horror films, and Asian horror films in particular I think you'll find this worth renting or taking the time to watch if you run across it on cable or satellite.

7 out of 10