Asian Drama: The Modern Screwball Comedy
The Wig
Country: South Korea Year: 2005 Genre: Horror
Soo Hyun is in the last stages of cancer, so she is released from the hospital to live out her days at home with her sister Ji Hyun. Hoping to lift her sister’s spirits, Ji Hyun gives Soo Hyun a wig, since she has lost all her hair to chemo. Soo Hyun rejects the gift but eventually she begins to wear it all the time. Soo Hyun notices a change in Ji Hyun, both physically and mentally. She slowly discovers that the wig has a dark entity attached to it.
I know what you’re thinking, “What? A horror movie about scary hair?” I reacted the same way, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this movie. While I love Korean movies, I have found horror to be their weakest genre and I am always apprehensive when I watch one. This film was eerie and suspenseful, the pacing was great and the scares were effective. I also enjoyed the story which focused on the relationship between Ji Hyun and Soo Hyun, a deeper and more developed plot than your average horror movie.
Silk
Country: Taiwan Year: 2008 Genre: Horror
A team of ghost-hunters, attempt to trap the ghost of a young boy, in an apartment building in Taipei. They have successfully trapped the ghost, with the aid of an anti-gravitational device, and have set up equipment to monitor the behavior and actions of the spirit. The team leader, Hashimoto, enlists a local police officer who can lip read, to help discover who the ghost boy is and why he hasn't crossed over to the other side. Unbeknownst to everyone, Hashimoto is using the team and ghost to gather information for his own personal reasons.
There are not very many Chinese or Taiwanese horror films so I was not sure what to expect when watching this movie. The concept of trapping a ghost was quite interesting as well as the whole scientific approach to ghost-hunting. The mystery of the ghost boy unfolded nicely and the scares were well paced.
3 A.M. 3D
Country: Thailand Year: 2012 Genre: Horror
A Thai horror omnibus made up of three scary stories. The Wig: Two sisters, May and Mint, take care of their parent’s wig shop while they are away. They are haunted by the ghost of a woman whose hair was cut from her corpse and sold to the shop. Corpse Bride: Tod, a mortician, is assigned to the bridal home of a man and woman who died before their wedding. He sees the bride’s corpse and becomes obsessed with her. O.T.: Two company executives, Karan and Tee, love playing pranks on their employees, but one night the pranks go too far.
I love Thai horror anthologies and this one was no exception. All three stories were pretty solid and the twist endings were great. The Wig (I know, more scary hair) was a strong entry, lots of creepy imagery and an intriguing plot. Corpse Bride was my least favorite of the bunch but it wasn't bad, I just found it more interesting and weird than scary. O.T. was the best story and it was a horror/comedy, a genre that Thailand excels at. The pranks get more and more crazy as the executives and employees try to one up each other all night, leading to many humorous reactions along the way.
