Three Extremes 2

Directed by: Peter Chan (Going Home), ji-Woon Kim (Memories), Nonzee Nimbutr (The Wheel)

Starring: Bo-Seok Jeung, Leon Lai, Eric Tsang, Suwinit Panjamawat

Synopsis:

Three more ghostly tales told by three prominent asian directors. In “Memories”, a man is waiting for his missing wife to return, whilst she wakes up not knowing who or where she is. In “The Wheel”, a master of puppetry dies from a curse on his puppets. A rival master doesn’t heed the curse until its too late. In “Going Home”, a policeman searching for his son in a near-abandoned block of flats discovers a Chinese doctor tending to his sick wife.

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Review:

Asian horror has been in something of a rut thanks to the world-wide success of The Ring and The Grudge movies. Everywhere you look nowadays there are female ghosts with long black hair hanging in front of their faces. Memories kicks things off with this very image, although it also reminded me a little of Audition. It should be noted however that this anthology was made prior to the 3 Extremes, under the title of Saam Gaang. This information should temper any disappointment that none of these stories quite manage to earn the title of “Extreme”.

Of the three tales, "Memories" is the flashiest, with bright, colourful cinematography as we follow the young woman trying to piece her life together, roaming the streets inbetween the huge hi-rise buildings that form the bulk of a new township (“New Town, Where Dreams Can Come True” boasts a banner). Meanwhile her husband struggles to hold things together and shows signs of a violent temper. The “twists” of the story are very apparent and the viewer will have guessed what has occurred quite early on.

“The Wheel”, from Thai director Nonzee Nimbutr, is the most archaic story, dealing with a situation which is seeped in Thai culture – the superstitions that surround the art of puppetry. It is a bit confusing – the curse takes on many different guises – and at times reminded me of the Simpsons Halloween episodes with the head teacher constantly denying the existence of a curse, despite the numerous bizarre deaths in his village.

The final story involves the intense and obsessive love of two soul-mates. Leon Lai stars as a young doctor of Chinese medicine who has been treating his wife’s cancer for three years in a rather macabre and unconventional manner. Eric Tsang stumbles across this situation when searching for his son, who has had a run-in with the ghost of a little girl. This was the most sentimental story of the three and plays most with your expectations. It is also the most frustrating as it takes forever to tie up its loose ends.

Verdict:

None of the stories pack the punch expected by the “Extremes” title which was certainly earned by the previous anthology, and none really offer anything new to the horror genre. Having said that, each story is very entertaining and each manage to attain a suitably spooky atmosphere.

7 out of 10 (MikeOutWest)