Phii khon pen

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.

Very disappointing, I Don't get it, the main reason why main character are a lot scream, it was unfortunately the ending is very bad, so I Give this Film a 4 out of 10,ending was meh, plot was lazy, just skip over it, i never even watch this again, Total average,

When an aspiring actress is hired by the police to help them film reenactments for various murders, she becomes haunted by the ghost of her most recent assignment and must stop the ghost from running havoc through her friends and her personal life.

This was a rather solid and enjoyable Asian ghost story. It has what is generally found in most of these types of films in a rather impressive visual style for the scares, and this has some good ones. Some of the better scenes include the ghostly assistance in the bathroom during her rehearsal, a creepy attack in a bathroom as well as the big highlight of her confronting the main one in a hallway making a cry for help, only to back away and be confronted with a horde of them clawing at her before the other ghost attacks her amidst the scrum. The fact that it gives off a spectacular twist in the second half makes it all the better, due to it being so perfectly executed in regards to how the storyline is presented that there's just a lot to like about what happens, even if it is somewhat cliché and doesn't really speak of any originality. Even still, that main sequence with the movie-within-a-movie revelation comes off nicely, yet that only happens to bring about it's flaws as it begins a terrible time of making sure we understand what reality we're in as it flips between three different story lines and trying to explain them all grinds the film to a halt and doesn't really feature a lot of good stuff afterward as opposed to the front-half, yet this is still entertaining enough as it is.

Rated UR/R: Graphic Language and Graphic Violence.

Usually the horror / ghost movies that come from the Thai cinema tend to be rather interesting and have captivating stories. "The Victim" ("Phii Khon Pen") however, didn't really live up to many others in the same genre from Thailand.

The story is about a young actress who comes into a streak of fame and fortune when she is hired to portray victims in a TV reconstruction show of criminal cases. However, her portrayal of those killed and forced to leave Earth prematurely draws the attention of a malignant spirit that lingers.

Story-wise, then "The Victim" doesn't really impress much with the storyline. I am not fully sure whether it is because of the script or if it is the editing of the movie that made it seem like somewhat of a half-hearted attempt at a ghost story movie.

Effects-wise, then "The Victim" does deliver a good amount of effects and CGI. It is not really overly scary, but it does make good use of effects, both mundane and CGI alike.

As just mentioned above, then "The Victim" isn't really a movie that will scare you or leave you afraid of the dark. Sure, there were some nice enough shock moments to make you jump out of your seat, but in overall, then the movie isn't really scary.

Pitchanart Sakakorn, playing Ting / May, did a good job with her given role, and really carried the movie quite well. However, she was struggling with an uphill battle, as the rest of the movie didn't really give her much to work with.

For a Thai ghost horror movie, then "The Victim" was fairly weak and bland, and there are far better and far scarier ghost movies available from the Thai cinema market. And the DVD release comes as scraped as they get; there is the play movie feature and chapter selection - nothing else! No extras, no nothing. That was just weak.

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.