The Eye

Name: Gin Gwai (Cantonese Title)
The Eye

Director: Pang Brothers

Release Date: May 9, 2002 (Hong Kong)

Tagline: What if the reflection you see is not your own...

Introduction:
I would say that the Pang Brothers have probably made some of the most well known contributions to the horror genre from Hong Kong. The Eye may very well be their most successful, with its eight awards and five nominations. It has been successful, in fact, that America decided to make a remake of it starring the beautiful Jessica Alba (though I'm not sure what this says about the quality of this film...). The Chinese title literally translates to "Seeing Ghosts," which I personally believe to be a far better description of the content of the movie. This film has spawned two sequels: The Eye 2, and The Eye 10.

Synopsis:
Angelica Wu portrays the blind Mun, a well-adjusted concert pianist. She is about to receive a corneal transplant surgery that would restore her sight. Though she is at first quite pleased with her newfound vision, this gift soon proves to be a curse when she is visited upon by strange and disturbing visions of those who have died. Even more troubling is the fact that the reflection she sees in the mirror is not her own. Troubled by these images, Mun enlists the help of her doctor's nephew in learning about the history of her extraordinary corneas. This journey takes her to Thailand and into the tragic history of Ling, the original owner of the corneas.

Review:
This film moves at a good pace and does a nice job of utilizing atmosphere. Though I've always been wary of films that span across different nations, I would say that the Pang Brothers did not overdo it in this case. Angelica Wu does a wonderful job of portraying Mun (She did win the Hong Kong Film Award for best actress in this role). While The Eye is first and foremost a horror film that is meant to frighten its audience, it also gives a moral lesson about listening to those who are trying to help you, being kinder to those who only have your best interests at heart, and ultimately, learning to be happy with who you are and what you possess.

I enjoyed this movie enough to actually buy it, which is definitely saying something for me. It was very involving, and heart-wrenching at times. Though I didn't come away from it as shaken as other films often make me, I would say that the horror employed by this particular film is that type that takes a while to sneak up on you. It does not contain the usual cheap scares, and I believe that not a single "pale Asian woman hiding behind her curtain of black hair" was exploited in its making. In conclusion, I urge you all to see this movie. It's a wonderful example of Chinese cinema, which often neglects this genre. And please try to do so before seeing the American remake. Originals are mostly better than their dressed-up, Americanized versions.

Ratings:
Entertainment: 9
Scares: 7 (burned/crispy people don't really scare me all that much...)
Gore: 5 (really just for the chard bodies at the end)

Highly Recommended!

Video:
Online Videos by Veoh.com

The Heirloom

Name: Zhaibian (Taiwan)
The Heirloom (Intl)

Director: Leste Chen

Release Date: September 16, 2005

Tagline: Sometimes inheritance is a curse.

Introduction:

One less well known Chinese/Taiwanese tradition is the raising of child ghosts. Several affluent families would obtain a dead fetus and feed it blood from a member of the family in order to claim the ghost’s power as their own. These child ghosts were incredibly useful; not only could they be used to augment a family’s fortune, they could also get rid of the family’s enemies.

Synopsis:

James Yang has inherited an old mansion left to him by his deceased relatives in Taipei. He moves into the magnificent, though abysmal, house with his girlfriend Yo, who is a marvelous dancer. They celebrate their moving in with two friends; Yi-Chen and Cheng. Yi-Chen begins to explore the house with Yo, and the two women go up to the mysterious attic, and Yi-Chen, who is a reporter, is compelled to take a few pictures of the Yang family, whose pictures they find completely covering a wall. The next day, Yi-Chen mysteriously appears in their house at midnight, and strange things begin to happen to their friend Cheng. Eventually, Cheng is found dead in his bathroom, mysteriously killed by hanging at midnight, though no rope was found at the site.

With the help of Yi-Chen, Yo struggles to uncover the cause of these disturbing events. Soon, she finds out strange things about the Yang mansion, and her boyfriend’s odd ancestors.

Review:

The Heirloom looked great. The colors were wonderful, and the atmosphere was nice and gloomy throughout. I expected to be a bit more scared, and I guess I would be in comparison to most of you guys, just because the child ghost tradition is something from my own culture. I even know of people that have validated this practice. I don’t suggest you attempt it though!

Terri Kwan, who played Yo, did an amazing job, in my opinion. On the other hand, Jason Chang (James) gave a less than dazzling performance, to say the least. The storyline was fairly good, though there could have been a bit more development on the ghost, because not once was a ghost actually present. I guess the scarier element in this movie was what people were willing to do to gain in this world, despite the adverse effects it had on their family and their own lives.

All in all, a movie definitely worth seeing, especially since Taiwan (and China in general) is rather unrepresented in the horror movie field. The movie does stay with you after you watch it; I couldn’t go up to my attic at all afterwards!

Ratings:
Entertainment: 9
Scares: 5
Gore: 1

*Recommended*

You can find this video at http://www.crunchyroll.com/showseries?id=2943

I highly suggest that you get a Crunchy Roll account. It’s really good for streaming videos when it comes to all things Asian!