Director: Le-Van Kiet
Year: 2022
Country: Vietnam
Alternate Titles: Bóng Đè
Genre: Supernatural
Plot:
Moving out to the countryside, a man and his daughters arrive at an ancestral house to get back on their feet following the death of his wife, but when they learn that a deadly presence is living in the house disrupting their attempts at healing are forced to deal with their past to stop the spirit.
Review:
Overall, the film comes off incredibly well. Among the best aspects here is the stellar setup that provides a fine framework for the scares to come. Opening on the family returning to the ancestral house in their possession, settling in, and generally being unnerved by everything around them is a great touch to get the film moving along. The spacious location and general unfamiliarity with the house have an already uneasy vibe and make for an even better time when brought up alongside the emotional family drama. Knowing that the father is going through the loneliness the oldest daughter also experiences with their mother being dead, their attempts at healing each other while watching over the other daughter offer the requisite emotional and psychological base to work off of. There's enough familiarity in the structure here to recognize that they're trying to remain a family but remain haunted by the past which is a solid way to go about delivering this kind of material.
This fine setup then allows the film to enhance that creepiness with time-honored jump-scares adding a lot to like. With the eerie whispers and voices coming from deep inside the house to the young daughter sleepwalking, the early setup here comes together for a chilling atmosphere. As time goes on and the incidents become that much more terrifying, the investigation revealing the truth about who haunts the house and their purpose for being there has a lot to like due to the early groundwork established at the start of the film. From chilling encounters in the backyard playing hide-and-seek together that's interrupted by the ghost getting involved to a later vision of the spirit hanging around the family during a karaoke session, the scares involved here are impressive and somewhat shocking. More importantly, a fantastic twist in the final half that renders moot a lot of what had been learned or assumed until that point sets the final pieces in motion for a strong finish, and along with a frenetic pace that keeps things interesting all gives the film a lot to like.
There isn't much wrong here but this one does have a few. The main detriment arrives in the form of the overall setup being employed here which is overly familiar and quite often featured in numerous productions. The idea of the single parent raising children after a tragic accident is something that's gone through numerous adaptations over the years, as well as the secondary storyline about the children thinking the new adult on the scene is going to replace the previously deceased. While overall effective at eliciting the audience to jump, the concept of the ghost appearing out of nowhere and being accompanied by a loud musical stinger is also incredibly overdone which can make the scares feel less impactful due to the familiar setout and outcome. As well, the other small issue here is the film's twist in the third act that, while genuinely shocking as we can't see it coming, does undo a lot of the suspense and tension that had been present. The idea is fine in concept but still leaves a lot of the film to not come off with the same tone and feel as before which is enough to lower this overall.
Overview: ***.5/5
While let down somewhat by its overly familiar aspects and a change in focus during the last part of the film, this one still manages enough positive points to be a lot of fun and quite worthwhile. Asian horror fanatics or viewers who appreciate steady-if-unoriginal fare in this style will have the most to like here while most others who are turned off by the flaws or the approach should heed caution.
This review was originally published on Asian Movie Pulse and is gratefully reprinted with their cooperation.
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