Laddaland

The only downside? He has a bratty daughter who whines and complains incessantly.

His daughter, however, is soon the least of his worries after the murder of a Burmese maid that he originally planned to hire. Things start spiralling out of control after a series of spooky murders.

Sukdapisit handles a rather dreary subject matter a haunted neighbourhood (something which has been the subject matter of a ton of horror movies) – with aplomb. He is careful to build up the atmosphere gradually, generating a slow-building rhythm of suspense with intermittent horrific climaxes. As the film shuttles between family drama and scare-scenes, the parallel becomes increasingly clear: Thee`s family is starting to crumble just as life in the neighbourhood is becoming increasingly dangerous.

The first half of the movie is well paced; Sukdapisit carefully chips away at the facade of a perfect family as he also unveils the increasingly bizarre incidents in the neighbourhood. He could have shown more confidence in his screenplay though, going for a more subtle approach, instead of dialling up the sound effects to the point my ears almost bled. The suspense in the first half was genuine and taut, and the thrills could have been more cerebral if he did not feel the need to constantly punctuate it with flashes of the supernatural and screechy high-pitched strings on cue.

I liked that the film was also a commentary on greed and social injustice. It punishes the people who sell their souls in order to increase their social and financial standing. However, it never fully fleshes out this theme either.

There were flashes of sheer brilliance throughout the movie, but too many loose ends and plot holes, as well as a painfully banal ending makes this film just merely mediocre. However, those merely looking for a quick scare will not be disappointed.

Rating:    Raymond Tan