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Released by: Bone House Asia
Released on: 10/28/08
Director: Various
Cast: Various
Year: 2004
The Movie:
A collection of four different shorts from Thailand, Visits: Hungry Ghost Anthology is a bit uneven but reasonably entertaining regardless. The four shorts that make up this feature are:
1413: Directed by Low Ngai Yuen
This first movie follows two pretty girls who form a fast friendship with one another. One of the girl's boyfriends becomes increasingly jealous of their relationship, to the point where he becomes creepy and obsessive. Things go from bad to worse when a suicide pact is made…
Atmospheric and nice looking in its style, the plot is a bit meandering with this one. That said, a few well timed jump scares, accented nicely by the soundtrack, help keep your attention and while this one won't change your life, it has a couple of creepy spots that make it worth a watch.
Waiting For Them: Directed by James Lee
A man and a woman who share a house and may or may not be involved with one another (it's never made completely clear though it is certainly inferred) have their peaceful existence rocked when the guy's old female friend shows up at their place looking for a place to hang out for a bit. The female roommate isn't so sure about this, but they take her in. When some creepy ghost activity starts happening around their pad, it's obvious that some paranormal high jinks are wreaking havoc…
This second effort doesn't work so well. It's not particularly well paced nor is it all that scary. The cinematography is nice but not a whole lot happens and you'll find yourself trying hard not to hit the fast forward button… next!
Nodding Scoop: Directed by Ng Tian Hann
A trio of young friends decide that it would be a good idea to video tape themselves while trying to make contact with the spirit world. Through a strange ritual, they manage to summon an actual ghost but this ghost is not too happy about any of this and so he causes spooky trouble for them.
Shot to look like a home movie, the cinematography here can get a little grating and amateurish but this one, like the first entry, has its moments. There's some good atmosphere and the premise behind the story works fairly well. The ending is a bit on the predictable side but at least its fun getting there. No idea what the title means…
Anybody Home: Directed by Ho Yuhang
Last but not least, this story follows a building janitor who becomes increasingly obsessed with a pretty female who lives in the building he looks after. Because he just can't get enough of her, he installs some pervo surveillance cameras all over the building and her apartment so that he can watch her every move. What he sees, however, proves to be even more frightening than his horny behavior.
This one works fairly well thanks to a truly unsettling moment the pervo janitor and his subjects unmentionables that will stick with you for a bit. The ending is a little odd but there are a few good moments here and the security camera footage somehow makes it all feel rather seedy.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The film is presented fullframe (the packaging mistakenly states widescreen) which appears to be its proper aspect ratio. At least part of the feature was shot on video so it's a bit soft looking but otherwise it looks perfectly acceptable in this presentation even if this isn't a reference quality transfer. Colors look good and black levels are reasonably strong (though at times they get a little murky) even if detail levels waver a bit here and there. You won't notice any edge enhancement but some minor compression artifacts do show up from time to time.
The Thai language Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track is fine. Dialogue is clean and clear and there are no problems with the levels or with any hiss or distortion. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are included which are easy to read and free of any typos.
The main extra on this disc is a Making Of Visits (21:36) featurette that includes interviews with some of the cast members as well as some of the filmmakers. There's a fair bit of behind the scenes material in here that makes it worth a look and it's interesting to see how each of the director's approached their story differently. It's a little too clip heavy for its own good but its not a bad little documentary.
Rounding out the extra are a trailer for the feature, trailers for a few other Tidepoint Pictures releases, animated menus and chapter stops.
The Final Word:
Interesting, if fairly uneven, Visits: Hungry Ghost Anthology doesn't really reinvent the wheel but it's an alright time killer and fans of Asian horror could certainly do a lot worse. It's not a modern classic, but entertaining enough.