RULE #1 - A Horror Hidden Gem (Hong Kong, 2008)
Relegated to the annuls of obscurity, let's check out this absolute hidden gem of a horror flick from Hong Kong
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When you hear the phrase “Hidden Gem” no doubt you are instantly reminded of YouTube celebrities running gaming channels about retro games everyone played but somehow, they’re the first person to discover them.
And I realise the irony of this, but stick with me, because in horror circles, this isn’t a movie I ever hear anyone talking about.
We all know what happened to the Hong Kong movie industry. Lured in by the big bucks from Mainland China, their industry’s creativity was decimated, and one of the first genres to suffer, other than the erotic CAT 3 movies, was horror.
Thus what we have here is one of the final Hong Kong horror movies of the post-handover generation. And while Hong Kong continues to produce horror movies, such as the Tales From The Occult series and Let It Ghost, those titles focus more on being anthologies or adding slapstick comedy on the hope that one day the film will be permitted for screening in the mainland.
True Hong Kong horror is gone. And this was one of its last titles.
PLOT
After taking down a serial killer, but being wounded in the process, Sgt Lee Kwok-Keung is reassigned to the Miscellaneous Affairs Department after his field report mentions that he saw a ghost.
This department investigates supernatural, unexplainable events, and alongside the retiring Inspector Wong, they investigate a mysterious case where young girls, who are all interconnected, are winding up dead.
ABOUT THE FILM
Shaun Yue and Ekin Cheng, the film’s leads, who at the time of production were big stars in Hong Kong cinema, are simply terrific in the respective roles.
Now, if I was to say that the movie reminded me of anything, it would be the game Deadly Premonition. There is a lot of black humour in the film, with Inspector Wong being a very eclectic yet loveable character, sharing many similarities with Special Agent Francis York Morgan.
The movie's aesthetic is very gritty, and the use of washed out green colours when the ghost is in the scene is an excellent little addition that rewards the attentive viewer with vital clues, especially towards the end of the film.
And this is important to mention - the film really does reward the fully engaged viewer. There is not a lot of hand holding, and the film leaves it up to the viewer to decipher the unexpected yet suitable ending.
If you were to find negatives with the film, it would probably be in the storytelling element, where everything is up for interpretation and won't satisfy the viewer that demands to know exactly what's going on.
But as a horror thriller film, it really hits the mark. It's not a full on scarefest, but the spooky bits are suitably spooky thanks to excellent framing, camera work and sound design.
This movie is recommended for the horror lover after a true hidden gem from the Singaporean director of the acclaimed 2005 film The Maid.
What are my overall thoughts?
While the Hong Kong horror industry we all know and love might be gone, for now - who knows it might make a triumphant comeback one day - there are always hidden gems of films like this to discover.
Not perfect, but still pretty damn good.
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Genre Horror Thriller
Director Kelvin Tong
Starring Shaun Yue, Ekin Cheng
Year of Release 2008
Country of Origin Hong Kong, Singapore
Original Title 第一诫
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