Phii khon pen

It's the audience who are victimized in the Thai horror film The Victim, where viewers are forced to endure the unsettling atmosphere, coupled with frequent scenes of in your face terror. Plenty of chills are provided, from not only the visual imagery, but the use of sound, voices from unseen lips often alerting characters and viewers alike to the next insidious occurrence, while the score, with its heightened level of music, although stereotypical of many horror features, encompasses every moment something supernatural appears.

Corridors, homes, vehicles and apartment complexes are reduced to unsafe locations, and though none of these are exactly original when in contrast with other like features, the film maintains the constant feel of imminent danger, and unlike in some films where there are brief moments when the audience can relax, content nothing dreadful will come of the protagonists, this luxury is one viewers are never afforded here. The use of camera is as equally outstanding, especially when from the point of view of apparitions chasing hapless victims to their impending doom, the suspense during these segments been utterly heart pounding.

Though some scares are predictable, as are some of the plot elements, the make-up effects bring the ghastly images to life, and when special affects are utilized, these too increase the fear, although on more than one occasion they stand unsteadily between realistic and fake. The possession elements in the film feel uniquely entertaining in contrast with a wealth of other features in the genre, and this would have been better presented if the developers had not been intent on incorporating so many ideas. Instead of genuinely flowing, some instances feel unreasonably forced, although never do these impact nefariously on the horror aspects.

The Victim moreover does contain a certain amount of violence, although never does it feel as though the plot is reliant on blood to keep the audience enthralled, while at the same time, a number of death scenes might leave viewer's remembering similar moments from The Ring.

This aside however, the opening premise of the feature doesn't originally prove to be as thoroughly entertaining, and I personally was initially unsure if I should find it laughable or insulting that the reenactment of murder scenes brings on fits of hysterics from our lead character, who giggles like an immature schoolgirl. Furthermore, the film provides a number of unforeseen twists and turns along the way, however the film's handling of these moments is less than admirable. Where some features may hint at a possible surprise, The Victim fails to do so, and thus when they occur, it is less of an 'ah ha!' moment, once everything has come together, and more of an 'oh... really?'.

Pitchanart Sakakorn is Ting, a struggling actress who aspires for more, when Lieutenant Te (Kiradej Ketakinta) of the local police force overhears her discussing her latest role. In his uniform, Lieutenant Te appears confident and dependable, although when we first meet him, his unimaginative attire renders him very common in appearance, and judging by the tone exhibited by the feature up until that point, I had difficulty attempting to fathom if he really were an officer, or if this was just some random pick-up line. At the same time however, the story-line's depiction of his character seems unnecessarily obscure, Lieutenant Te appearing in a number of scenes, before disappearing for a while and reappearing again later, as though the writers occasionally forgot he were even a member of the plot.

Accepting the Lieutenant's offer, Ting finds herself growing exponentially popular in her new role with the police, alongside finding a steady stream of income. When Meen (Apasiri Nitibhon), a former Miss. Thailand contestant is brutally murdered, Ting dedicates all of her skills to portraying her during her last moments, with such gusto that even the spirits take notice. Now, overcome with vivid images, and discovering segments of her recent activity are inexplicably missing from her memory, she is forced to realize that obsession can go both ways. She adamantly wanted to portray Meen, but now, it seems, Meen wants to adamantly portray her - permanently.

Frequently scary, to the point that you will once again be frightened of not only the dark, but ghostly aspirations too, although The Victim's opening could have employed less emphasis on humor, and the conclusion could have been executed to a higher standard, this particular Thai horror film is legitimately spooky, and if you don't mind occasionally shaking your head in disbelief, then you should definitely procure a copy.

Most Thai films I tend to watch these days seem to be sub-par ghost stories that play heavily on that country's superstitions and fear of the dead returning to life; THE VICTIM is no different. It's an unashamed copy of the kinds of films that Japanese was doing so well half a decade previously, featuring a young actress who finds herself haunted by a vengeful female ghost which keeps popping up at just the wrong time.

Unlike in the superlative SHUTTER, THE VICTIM is content to emulate rather than innovate and the resultant movie just isn't very interesting. There are twists and turns galore in the ultra-confusing storyline which involves an actress who becomes involved in reconstructing crime scenes, and much is made of the origins of the female ghost, but none of it is particularly compelling; you watch just to try and keep track of what's going on rather than being genuinely gripped by what you see.

The acting is 'meh' and the direction sub-par, the horror limited to a series of unsuccessful scare and jump sequences that quickly become repetitive; they involve the heroine catching a glimpse of a scarred supernatural figure and this set-up is repeated over and over again until the very end. There's no real menace, just predictability on show, and THE VICTIM proves itself yet another forgettable Thai horror outing.

Myself and Thai cinema have had a mostly good relationship over the years, though I've usually expected not to I've often enjoyed their works.

This horror effort is heavily influenced by the likes of The Ring (1998) and The Grudge (2002) but unlike them it doesn't come close to delivering.

Telling the story of an aspiring actress who finds fame through crime reenactments but becomes obsessed with one of the victims as a haunting/possession begins.

The movie does have its tense moments but they are handled so poorly that the impact is lost.

Interesting story, not the worst performances but the people behind the camera should perhaps go back to film school as those are the folk responsible for this lackluster mess.

The Good:

Some nice ideas

The Bad:

Deaths are ripped straight from The Ring (1998)

Badly directed/produced/edited

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Someone couldn't be bothered to come up with an original concept and just decided to remix several bits of Asian cinema

The Victim is one of the best Thai horror movies that deserves more attention, recognition and respect. Released by cult label Tartan Asian Extreme, this great movie comes along with several highly intriguing featurettes offering unusual looks behind the scenes. This film deserves to be discovered in depth and to be explored over and over again.

It convinces with quite a few twists in its meandering plot that should keep viewers intrigued until the very last scene. The locations such as abandoned hospitals, cheap hotel rooms and filthy back alley operating rooms have also been chosen with care and add an ominous atmosphere to the movie. The characters are intriguing as well and the actors and especially actresses really shine in this film. The lead character is a curious but naive young actress with a heart of gold, the movie's most important victim is an enigmatic beauty pageant with a strong sense of justice and the film's nemesis is a malignant, obsessive and twisted character whose dreadful traits are gradually unfolded. Further highlights include decent light and sound effects supported by a moody score. The film also involves an interesting marketing strategy as several looks behind the scenes report that the movie crew actually recorded real ghosts while shooting the movie. That idea might sound humorous to Western cineasts but many people in Thailand actually do believe in supernatural events and might therefore think that this film is indeed haunted. This topic certainly offers some food for thought and intriguing discussions.

The movie itself revolves around young actress Ting who struggles to make ends meet. As she is describing her difficult decision to a family member, she is coincidentally discovered by a police officer who decides to hire her to impersonate different crime victims. It's actually common in Thailand to re-enact crimes and bring criminals back to the locations of their misdeeds. Ting excels at her new job and even becomes a minor celebrity. Things however take a more sinister turn when she decides to simulate the murder of former Miss Thailand Meen. While police officers believe that she was murdered by her estranged husband whom she wanted to divorce, Ting starts to feel, hear and see supernatural things and believes that the victim is trying to contact her to tell her that the husband is innocent. Ting starts to investigate the murder herself without fully realizing that she is exposing herself to significant dangers. This mysterious case is about to drastically change the lives of Ting and everyone around her.

At the end of the day, The Victim is a movie that convinces with a twisted plot, features some decent to strong acting performances and oozes with atmosphere. Anyone interested in Asian horror movies and Thai culture should give this underrated movie a fair try. Grab a copy of the Tartan Asia Extreme release and make sure to check out the quirky behind the scenes featurettes as well.

In Thailand, the aspirant actress Ting (Pitchanart Sakakorn) is invited by Lieutenant Te (Kiradej Ketakinta) to work for the police simulating murders to help the investigations. Her talent becomes recognized and she is invited to participate many cases and also in a soap-opera. Ting feels a great attraction for the brutal murder of the former Miss Thailand Meen (Apasiri Nitibhon), whose body had not been found, only parts of her tissue, and is invited to perform the case where the former husband of Meen, Dr. Jarun (Pitchanart Sakakorn), is the prime-suspect. Ting feels connected to the spirit of Meen, who helps her to solve the mystery and find the real killer, the lesbian plastic surgeon Fai (Penpak Sirikul) that was obsessed for Meen. However, in the world of cinema, fantasy and reality are entwined in another ghost story.

"Phil Khon Pen" is an original scary ghost story, with an unexpected plot point with another ghost story; unfortunately the messy screenplay is very confused and in the end I did not clearly understand who the killer in the real world was and the motives of the fiend. The creepy atmosphere in the first half is great; however, the plot in the second part with May, Shane, Joke and Kak is very difficult to be followed and understood. Maybe watching this movie a second time the story becomes clearer. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "A Vítima" ("The Victim")