Qie xiao jin jia de lu guan

Secrets in the Hot Spring was actually a good movie.

For a comedy, it was solid, with many funny scenes that can actually make you laugh. And the whole story, even though rediculous, actually made sense. For a horror movie, well, it wasn't a horror movie. Even for me who can't stand the genre and can get scared easily, it wasn't scary at all. The vibes were good though and the atmosphere nicely presented.

The conclusion was good as well, although kind of cliche and cheesy. But I guess it suited the movie.

So, seven out of ten.

I think a lot of people misunderstood the point of this movie, which is sad as it showed a lot of promise, and you can see the thoughtful details that went into creating this. It might be misbranded as a horror film; technically it is, and yet the whole thing is camp-y horror, which makes this film an actual comedy. There were a few moments or lines that were bad, but this movie took the whole campy horror/comedy genre to a whole new level: it deconstructed cliches and added some touching moments to the story. The whole thing's clever, including the storyline, as you see everything explained in the end. Maybe some may have noticed some things left unexplained, but hey, very, very few films have actually been able to deliver. Tight storyline, likeable characters, re-imagining the genre of horror-slash-comedy, and a beautiful set, too. I think this is a largely misunderstood gem of a film, and I hope to see more of this kind on the future.

Qie Xiaogin is a bleached blond with a reputation for being a trouble maker. After an incident at school he forms an unlikely friendship with the slightly wimpy Lu Qun and the somewhat camp 'Little Princess'. One day his grandparents invite him to help at their rural hot springs hotel, his friends invite themselves to join him. The three of them go and find it to be a rundown establishment. They find it more than a little creepy and soon believe it is haunted! Will they get to the bottom of the strange goings on?

This film was recommended as a horror on Netflix but the PG rating suggested there wouldn't be many real scares. It turns out to be about as scary as an episode of 'Scooby Doo'... and in many ways it could have been inspired by that show. Thankfully what it lacked in scares it made up for in laughs. It is all very silly and rather camp but worked better than I expected. The cast do a fine job as they deliberately ham it up for maximum comic effect. The 'horror' elements are fun rather than overly scary meaning this can be enjoyed by younger viewers and those who wouldn't normally watch a horror film. Overall a fun little film; not perfect but better than I expected.

These comments are based on watching the film in Mandarin with English subtitles.

Wow!,me,my wife and our 3 kids enjoyed the movie from start to finish...brilliant directing,many funny and hillarious scenes..good job Taiwan film industry!..highly recommended..go see it,don't expect an oscar,just enjoy the laugh!

Having found many interesting and entertaining Asian movies on Netflix, I decided to give this particular one a look, even though teen movies in general don't really interest me. Sadly, I thought the movie was for the most part a misfire. It's a really strange movie, even by Asian comedy standards, and initially the extremely wild and goofy tone does grab your attention. And I admit that there were a few mildly amusing moments here and there. But for the most part, I watched the movie with a stony face. To be fair, the movie seems to be aimed at a Taiwanese audience instead of a western audience, which may explain why this western viewer didn't seem to understand a number of plot elements and attempts at humor. But most of the movie is played out in an "international" slapstick way, and I simply didn't find this humor funny. Also, much of the humor aimed at a gay character borders on being homophobic. Even worse is that the movie is dragged out to about 108 minutes in length; it could definitely have been wrapped up in much less time. The production values are good, and the actors are very likable, which does save the movie from getting the lowest rating. But all the same, I'd recommend you skip the movie, even if you are Taiwanese.