In the past, Hong Kong horror movies tended to be very traditional-like,
with plenty of hopping-vampires, ghosts in red or white, and the usual
incantations and ceremonious duties that were required to rid us of
these supernatural pests.
The past few years have changed though, as people
became fed-up with watching the same plots and monsters. Hong Kong
cinema adapted and copied from Japan, which made some of the damn
best horror movies in recent times. And it seemed to work - Hong
Kong's recent horror movies have improved significantly, with the
focus on actually scaring people, and making them jump out of their
seats.
The Eye is the lastest in the horror genre, and
it made good money at the local box office because it was a gem
- it truly shocked and frightened viewers, even the poster was deemed
too scary and had to be taken off from the walls of underground
rail stations because it frightened commuters at night !
The premise of the film is not new, in fact, there
seems to be elements of The Sixth Sense here, but the plot is tight
and well structured, adding much to the suspense. The film begins
with our heroine, Wong Kar Man (Angelica Lee) being operated on
to replace her damaged corneas. She had been blind for most of her
life and she thought this would surely be a miracle, but to her
horror, she soon begins to see things that no ordinary person could
see. The film's best moments is when at first she could not deduce
what was real and supernatural, since being blind for most of her
life, she is unable to understand what she is actually seeing, until
she becomes genuinely hounded by the visions surrounding her.
Like in The Sixth Sense, she is terrified of what
she can see, but gradually she understands and accepts what fate
has placed for her.
I am not certain whether The Eye is the directorial
debut of The Pang Brothers, who also co-wrote the film, but if it
is, then I am sure they have a bright future ahead of them. The
Eye is certainly a huge step forward for the Hong Kong horror genre,
and it is a credit to the Pang brothers for creating such a good
film with all the hallmarks of a classic horror film without the
cheesy bits. The score is one of the best I've heard for this kind
of film, and there are plenty of tense and chilling moments littered
throughout the film.
Angelica Lee is an able actress and she was well
taught in showing how shit-scared she can be, which in reality,
isn't easy to pull off without it becoming contrived or over-the-top.
Compare her performance here and in Princess D and it is
obvious how far she has become in so short a time. The supporting
cast were also solid and dependable, but I thought Candy Lo was
under-used here as Wong's sister, and Laurence Chou didn't really
add much to the overall picture. His romance with Wong seemed a
bit tacked-on, and could have been left in the editing room.
The Eye is certainly one of those films to watch
at night, with the lights off and the volume up. Plenty of chills
and the haunting music will grip your body hard and pound you till
your sweat freezes. A good effort.
|
