CONJURING SPIRIT (2014)

Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Van M. Phan
Cast: Phuong Mai, Quang Su, Tien Pham , Hoai An, Chi Pu
Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins
Rating: M18 (Sexual Scenes and Horror)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 14 May 2015

Synopsis: Lan, a detective fiction author couldn’t bear the pain due to her husband’s betrayal and decided to leave home and moved to an rented apartment in an old building with her 5 year-old son, Bi. Among her neighbors, there was Thao, who’s living with her husband and their stubborn teenage daughter, Ngoc. Soon after, Vu – an amateur musician, also moved into the building. The trauma caused by her husband’s betrayal affected Lan badly and resulted in many nightmares. She consulted a therapist and was put on a medication. One day, Bi was given a music box by Mrs. Chu, the building supervisor, and since then, the nightmares became more rapid. Lan and her neighbor Vu attempted to solve the mysteries happening in the building, and realized that the strange happenings originate from the music box… Who is the true owner of the music box? Could it be a malicious spirit seeking revenge or otherwise?

Movie Review:

The one thing that made an impression with this writer after watching this Vietnamese horror flick is, get ready for this, lousy pick up tactics. Yes, it’s bewildering that after 108 minutes of coming face to face with a vengeful spirit (dressed in red, no less), this reviewer can’t get over the fact that the female protagonist approached the male lead because his, ahem, gift for music would help her better understand why there is a creepy tune coming out of a creepy music box.

Err, what? Van M Phan’s feature tells the story of a female writer who moves into an apartment, oblivious to the fact that a horrible murder had taken place there a few years ago. She discovers the abovementioned music box and gets to know a not too bad looking dude who sings in a bar. Strange things begin happening to her, and she involves the guy whom she obviously wants to have a romantic connection with. Somewhere in the mix, there is a badly disfigured woman who appears every now and then to scare the s**t out of everyone, a lecherous man (with a moustache to complete the villainous look), and a cute kid who can communicate with spirits from the third dimension.

The thing with reviewing horror movies is, the mind often wanders off to search for things to criticise. It’s not easy pleasing reviewers these days, especially with the increasingly popular horror genre. The reason why such movies still pop up in the cinemas every other month (expect the slew to be released during timely occasions like Halloween and Seventh Month Ghost Festival) is that such products bring in the money – and lots of moolah, for that matter.    

Anyway, we digress. Why this writer can’t get over the fact with how the female lead used the creepy music box tune to chat up her male co star may be an over reaction, but it just seems so trying on the scriptwriter’s part to inject some story into this otherwise average horror picture. You’ve got your usual checklist of ingredients for a scare fest. In this case, since it’s Asian (we haven’t seen any other horror movie from Vietnamthough), you can expect an angry spirit modeled after Sadako.

There are some genuinely amusing sequences – watch out for the scene where a plumber tries to psych himself up with the female lead’s private belongings when he is left alone in her room, and another one where the male lead gets ready for sexy time with the girl of his dreams, only to have the occasion spoilt by the angry spirit.

Themes like infidelity, revenge and a mother’s love for her child are not new, and this movie infuses them into the story with formulaic effect. If you are in a cinema which cranks up the speaker volumes, you’d be adequately shaken in your seats. The production values of this movie are higher than what you’d expect from titles in the region, probably due to the involvement of Western collaborators.

We are not familiar with the leads Phuong Mai and Quang Su, but they do enough to deliver terrified looks. Whether viewers feel the same terror is another thing.  

Movie Rating:

(Loud scares are aplenty in this otherwise average horror flick which offers nothing new in the genre)  

Review by John Li