“Chudail Story” (2016) – Hindi Witchraft/ Horror

Another year rolls around and so does another Review. First up for 2017 is a peek at a minor little Hindi horror film I recently found, 2016’s Bollywood tale of erotic witchcraft and horror, “Chudail Story”. Hehehe…. a creepy witch up to no good. Sounds like my sort of story. 😉

Our synopsis goes like this: “Five friends, namely, Chandu, Goldie, Robby, Riya and Devika set out to take a break from their life and decide to go on an adventurous trip together. But before they reach their destination, their car breaks down in a remote rural area and in a bid to seek help, they take shelter in the bungalow owned by Shashi. While the mesmerizing beauty of this pretty lady attracts the men’s attention, there is an eeriness of sorts behind the mysterious Shashi. Rumors claim her bungalow is the lair of a cannibal witch who lures men to their deaths… can the lovely Shashi truly be this witch? But before the gang of five set out to uncover the secrets of this bungalow, some unforeseen incidents lead them into a trap and then escape isn’t an option for them anymore.”

Doesn’t sound like we’ll stray too far from some pretty standard horror movie tropes this time out, but hey, this wee lady is never scared away by a tried and true old school plot. Still… this one didn’t get a very positive review back in its country of origin, so it’s with a measure of caution that I approached it. (Who am I kidding? An Indian horror movie a with sexy cannibal witch hiding away in a haunted house? Of course I’m gonna watch it… Neko’s just such a lil’ dweeb!! ;))

“Under The Shadow” (2016) – Iranian/ Jordanian Ghost/ Horror

Well… the Christmas Holiday has come and gone but I’ve still a wee bit of free time this week so I thought I might end our month long “dry spell” here at the ol’ Litterbox with a fresh new Review before 2016 disappears into the rear view mirror. This time out? How about an Iranian/Jordanian Ghost story? Yep… betcha’ you haven’t seen too darn many of those, have you o’ Gentle Visitors? 😉

Our synopsis goes like this: “After Shideh’s building is hit by a missile during the Iran-Iraq War, a superstitious neighbor suggests that the missile was cursed and might be carrying malevolent Middle-Eastern spirits. She becomes convinced a supernatural force within the building is attempting to possess her daughter Dorsa, and she has no choice but to confront these forces if she is to save her daughter and herself.”

Yep… it looks like those evil jinn are up to no good again. Sneakin’ about… corrupting souls… working their wicked schemes and generally wreaking havoc. Luckily a certain lil’ Catgirl is all up to speed on those critters thanks to all those Turkish horror goodies I’ve watched. So… I guess the real question is… are they scarier in Iran? Guess we’ll find out, won’t we?

“Đoạt Hồn” aka “Hollow” (2014) – Vietnamese Ghost/ Horror

Yep… I know… it’s been a loooooong dry month here at the ol’ Litterbox. But… I’ve roused my lazy butt into action and so we finally have another Review, and this time out it’s an honest-to-goodness Asian ghost story… 2014’s Vietnamese film, “Đoạt Hồn” or as it’s known around these parts, “Hollow”. Yep. Been a while since we saw one of these. 😉

It’s synopsis reads as follows: “Chi, a rebellious 18 year old girl, returns to her home town on the day her rich stepfather, Huy, makes a generous donation to a village temple. At the celebration, her sister, Ai, drowns in a nearby river. When Ai’s uncle Thuc, who is a policeman, travels to a village morgue to identify Ai’s dead body, the girl sits up, very much alive. Thuc brings Ai home to her family, but he doesn’t tell them about her death. Everything seems to be happy until Ai shows signs of spiritual possession. A shaman is brought in to perform an exorcism, but she is unsuccessful, claiming, “Your daughter is not possessed by a dead spirit, but by a lost soul of a living person”. To investigate the source of her sister’s possession, Chi journeys to the village where Ai was found. What she discovers is a community victimized by human trafficking and child prostitution. There is another little girl, whose tragedy is tied to Ai’s death by a secret, and a vengeful spirit that follows Chi home, and destroys her entire family, as dark secrets unravel and evil unleashes its true visage.”

So, if a story of ghostly possession, Vietnamese style, intrigues you, then all you have to do is “Read On” o’ Gentle Visitors and let your favorite movie watching Catgirl Princess give you all the details worth knowing… 🙂

“Sifu Versus Vampire” (2014) – Chinese Hopping Vampire Horror/ Comedy

Time for another Review… a really waaaaay overdue one… and this time out, yours truly has herself another goofy “Hopping Vampire” tale from good ol’ HK, the 2014 Horror/ Comedy “Sifu Vs. Vampire” by prolific HK genre producer/ director Wong Jing. Expecting some more of the riveting Jiangshi horror we saw in “Rigor Mortis”? Ha!!! I said “Wong Jing”… so leave all expectations of serious Asian horror right by the door as you enter… Wong Jing don’t play that way… 😉

Our synopsis goes like this here: “Small time gangster Nicky and his friend Boo get the assignment of a life time, to threaten Charlie Jiang, a feng shui master into exhuming the corpse of the great grandfather of TV station tycoon Kelvin Chow. A new burial is said to bring Kelvin great fortune and prosperity but things take a turn for the worse when his great grandfather’s corpse turns into a deadly Vampire King and is let loose inside the TV station while a show about zombies is being filmed. Soon our heroes are up to their necks in both trouble and the hopping dead!”

Yep. From our trailer, looks like we’re going to get all the retro Jiangshi antics we HK movie fans know and love. Hopping Vampires… Taoist Vampire Hunters… a lovely romantic ghost girl… and two hapless boobs to scream and run around like idiots. Yep. They seem to have all the usual bases covered. So what the heck are you waiting for? Neko’s ready to spill the beans if you’re ready to “Read On”, o’ Gentle Visitor. Let’s get hopping!! 😮

“The Treasure Hunter” (2009) – Taiwanese Martial Art Adventure/ Romance – “Thrilling Adventures!! March 2015″

The month continues and the weather improves hereabouts, so now we’re off to Taiwan for our latest entry in our March “Thrilling Adventures!! Movie Review Festival” and a look at 2009’s “The Treasure Hunter”. It’s East meets West as we take a look a what “Raiders” might be if you spiced it up with a whole lotta Wuxia swordplay storytelling and let it go all crazy… Asian style.

Our synopsis goes like this: “Qiao Fei is a relic expert with a gritty past. When his mentor’s daughter is held hostage over a map with a deadly history, the rugged warrior whips into action. Chaos erupts as he swoops in to the rescue and scours the sands for legendary riches rumored to be buried deep in China’s northwest desert. Chased by the shadowy “Sandstorm Legion” and challenged at every step by countless greedy adversaries, Qiao Fei faces danger at every turn to uncover the lost city – but, perhaps some treasures were never meant to be found…”

Well now. That certainly sounds promising. The Trailer has the right look, and it seems to meet all our Festival requirements, so let’s all give it a look, shall we? This wee lady’s not adverse to a lil’ Kung Fu creeping into my story now and again for fun, and Chinese films are nothing if not over-the-top when it comes to doing the whole “adventure” thing. 😉

“Más Negro Que La Noche” (2014) – Mexican Ghost/ Horror Remake

Brrrrr!!! The weather hereabouts is simply atrocious these last few weeks! Thank goodness your Favorite Catgirl can still escape the frigid miserable cold with a warm and cuddly evening on the couch snuggled under a wooly blankie with my dearest Carolyn and my kitty and enjoy some chills of a whole different sort. This time out? How about another virtual trip “South of the Border” with a look at the recently released Mexican remake of director Carlos Enrique Taboada’s 1975 horror classic “Más Negro Que La Noche” aka “Darker Than The Night”.

Our synopsis? “Greta is a beautiful young woman whose eccentric aunt Ofelia passes away leaving her a large, once opulent mansion. When Greta moves in with her friends she discovers that as a stipulation of the will, she must take care of her aunt’s prized black cat, Beker. The new residents take charge of the mansion, throwing wild parties and enjoying a fun-filled summer until they lose track of Beker – who drowns in the mansion’s pool. What was about to be the best summer of their lives quickly turns into a spine-chilling fight for their lives as eerie events from the past return to haunt them and it seems none of them is safe from Ofelia’s ghostly wrath.”

Old haunted mansion… creepy black cat… vengeful spirits from beyond the grave… Oh yes… Definitely sounds like a pretty close remake of the original, which your Favorite Catgirl watched some time back, but will this one be as creepy and neat as the original classic? Only one way to find out, o’ Gentle Visitors… 🙂

“El Eco Del Miedo” (2013) – Mexican Ghost/ Horror

Time for another spooky ghost story… this time from south of the border in sunny Mexico with a look at 2013’s crowdfunded independent horror film, “El Eco Del Miedo” aka “The Echo of Fear”. Mexican ghost stories? Sure… your Favorite Catgirl can roll with that. 🙂

The synopsis goes like this: “A young woman in the middle of an economic crisis, a little girl who is facing a new environment, and a loyal dog that will work as a link between both, all have to spend two nights in a big old house that is falling into ruin. Strange sounds at night and shadows accompanied with threatening echoing noises emerging from darkness are constant in the house. Will they be able to undergo the situation and solve the weird enigma that surrounds the presence that still inhabits the house?”

Creepy old house… pretty young woman waaaay over her head… boyfriend’s cute daughter from a previous marriage with a chip on her shoulder… and loyal dog to protect them both from whatever might seek to do them harm. Oooohhh!! And a haunted doll and vengeful ghostly woman in black lurking just out of sight. Yep, sounds like we got all the right ingredients for your standard horror romp. So… by goodness.. what are we waiting for o’ Gentle Visitors? Let’s all get to it shall we? 🙂

“Kelibat” (2014) – Malay Ghost/ Horror

Time to get back to some reviews! So how about a look at another of the Malay horror goodies from my last big DVD spree in Malaysia? “Kelibat”, another creepy exercise in ghostly haunting terror.

The synopsis goes like this: “The story follows failed businessman Kamal and his wife Kalin, and three children, Azhari, Azalis and Azmeera, who move into a new house out in the rural backcountry one step ahead of vicious loan sharks seeking repayment of their money. Unfortunently for them, the house is haunted by a mysterious supernatural figure known as Kelibat. Kelibat did not just haunt the family physically but also emotionally and spiritually.”

So what the heck is a Kelibat anyways? Darned if this wee lil’ Catgirl knows but the Trailer makes it look pretty darn scary.But I’ve been teased before… and the last couple of Malay offerings I’ve seen have been somewhat tepid at best… Will I get any luck this time around? Only one way to find out… 😉

“Hungry Ghost Ritual” (2014) – HK/ Malaysian Ghost/ Horror

Brrrrr!!! The wind is certainly blowing the snow fiercely around my windows with some serious fury as I prepare for another “Shared Review” with our blogging friend Stephen over at his blog, Gweilo Ramblings. “Winter… why, o’ why do you seem to hate this wee lady so?” 😉

Anyways… This time out we’re going to be taking a peek at the recent Hong Kong/ Malay production, 2014’s “Hungry Ghost Ritual” directed by and starring Nick Cheung. As always, it’s a pleasure to welcome Stephen here to visit me at the Litterbox to share his opinions on the films we both love so well. 🙂

As always Miyuki, the pleasure is mine. As I know you love Ghost stories so much, I was hoping this one might be just up your street.

Ooooh! Ghost story? Yep, I’m soooo there! 😉 So what’s the score with this one then? Well how’s this for our synopsis: “Prodigal son Zong Hua, the long absent son of a modestly successful opera troupe leader, returns to his family after more than a decade in China on the eve of their Hungry Ghost Festival performance. His personal and professional life in tatters, Zong tries desperately to fit back into a life he’s never really been a part of. No sooner has Zong arrived, however, when a series of bizarre, supernatural occurrences start to take place. Zong’s younger sister Jing Jing starts acting up, and all the stress and pressures begin to wear on Zong’s father bringing on a heart attack. With the inexperienced Zong now in placed in charge, the rest of the troupe turn against him and are quick to blame his lack of understanding for their rituals and traditions for their problems. Problems which soon escalate into creepy and unexplainable horror for them all…”

Ahhhh… now that all sounds sort of familiar, doesn’t it? Looks like we’re in for a pretty much by-the-numbers exercise in Chinese horror, but hey… sometimes one of these films goes in surprising directions, so with my fingers crossed… and the popcorn popped… let’s settle down and give it a watch, shall we Stephen?

Indeed we shall. I’ll cross my fingers too, even if it makes this Super-Size Cola hard to hold. 🙂

“Project Hashima” aka “ฮาชิมะ โปรเจกต์” (2013) – Thai Ghost/ Horror

With the snow blowing fiercely around my windows here at the apartment, this time out I’m back to sunny Thailand for some ghostly scares with a look at “Project Hashima” aka “ฮาชิมะ โปรเจกต์”, director Piyapan Choopetch’s 2013 “shaky-cam” horror hybrid. “Shaky Cam” horror? But… but… “Miyuki”, you say… “You really hate those, don’t you?” Ummm… well… OK… perhaps “hate” is too strong a word. It is fair to say I do think these kinds of movies have been pretty much done to death of late, but since I don’t get many Thai horror films these days, I was willing to take a chance on this one. Who knows? Maybe it would have some new novel idea to make that genre of horror a little easier to take… or at least easier on my poor eyes. I live in hope…  😉

Our synopsis? “Hashima Island in Nagasaki of Japan is well-known as one of the scariest haunted places in the world, after coal mining on the island was closed down and the inhabitants abandoned the it. Now a group of Thai teenagers, fresh from film school, who have become popular for their YouTube ghost video clip are asked by another paranormal investigating film group to scout out this creepy ghost island for a new video. Once on the island, it seems there is nothing much left, but horrible things are still waiting for people who dare to come.”

Yep. Sounds like a pretty standard plot. Jaded disrespectful 20-somethings who will mess about somewhere they shouldn’t, disturbing things best left alone, leading to horrible hauntings and death. Got it? Good. So without further adieu, lets give this one a look then, shall we?