Film Review: ART OF THE DEVIL III (2008)

As a companion film to the previous film in the franchise Art of the Devil III (2008) sees Napakpapha Nakprasitte return as the vengeful Adjaan Panor, a school teacher cursed by black magic who must eat the flesh of the people who cursed her in order to alleviate that curse.  In this film, which sets itself up as a prequel to the events of the previous film Panor is a victim of a black magic priest who believes she possesses the “third eye” which will save him from himself being consumed by dark magic contained within himself.  If he cannot get the “third eye” from her his own life will end. 

This film has the distinction of being the best looking of the entire franchise as both the cinematographer, locations, and CGI effects all are top notch even for a film based from Thailand.  This goes a long way with showcasing what is a retread of the first two films in the franchise, so general audiences may not find as much enjoyment in this film.

This being said, the film gives a much more grounded view in its depiction of black magic since one of the main characters is a practitioner and you see him directly use it in the film.  These films (and this franchise in general) is an acquired taste so for those who have seen the previous film then this is a nice film that ends the franchise but for all others it may be a complete waste of time.

Film Review: DORM (2006)

Ton Chatree (Charlie Trairat) is at an age where his father believes that he would better be suited at an all-boys boarding house for his continuing education and it would be better for the family in the Thai horror film Dorm (2006).  It is hard for Ton to adjust at the school as he is bullied by other boys and resents his father for sending him away.  Things get worse when the other boys scare Ton with ghost stories about the dorms which puts him unease.  When another young boy by the name of Vichien (Sirachurch Chienthaworn) befriends him, Ton believes that he just might be able to survive his new life.

When Ton really does start to see ghosts roaming the school, he soon realizes that Vichien may be connected in some way but will that interfere with their friendship?

Director Songyos Sugmakanan does a great job creating atmosphere and mood since the film lacks suspense.  As written by Sugmakanan and Vanridee Pongsittisak and Chonlada Tiaosuwan, this film comes off more as a drama with supernatural elements than a horror film.  This doesn’t mean that the film isn’t any good; in fact, the film is quite good as it tells the coming of age story of a young man forced to grow up in a world which just happens to have supernatural elements.  Keep this in mind and Dorm will be a film you thoroughly enjoy.

Film Review: ART OF THE DEVIL II (2005)

Art of the Devil II (2005) has nothing to do with the previous film other than it having black magic contained within.  In this film Elementary School teacher Aajaan Panor (Napakpapha Nakprasitte) becomes the infatuation of every man in the village.  These men place a love spell on her but that many love spells is too many for her to handle so she seeks the advice of an Indian witch doctor who prescribes her a diet of human flesh which drives her even deeper into the darkness.  Two years later, six of her former students reunite after the apparent suicide of one of their father, who was really killed by Panor.  This set off a chain of events where Panor needs to eat the flesh of the students if she has any hope of gaining her sanity back and overcoming the curse.

The film is directed by an entire battalion of people – Pasith Buranajan, Krongkiat Khomsiri, Isara Nadee, Seree Phonguithi, Yosapong Saisikaew, and Art Thamthrakul, and it shows as the film is overly long and meanders quite a bit.  This being said it does look immensely better than the previous film especially in terms of cinematography but the film is ultimately hampered by mediocre acting.  The gore effects are immensely better than the previous film and at times more effective.

For fans of Thai horror films you can do worse than this film and it is, point of fact, more interesting and entertaining than the previous film in the series.

Film Review: ART OF THE DEVIL (2004)

Art of the Devil (2004) is the first of a trilogy of horror films from Thailand.  This film is one of the many Thai horror films that made a splash in the early ‘00s including Ghost of Mae Nak (2005), Omen (2003), Diary (2006), Shutter (2004), and Re-Cycle (2006), to name a few.  The story concerns a young pregnant woman by the name of Boom (Supakson Chaimongkol) who is spurned by her lover who is a married man.  She goes to a witch doctor that uses black magic against her lover and his family.  After they mysteriously die, a new family moves into their place and Boom is left with a new outlet for her rage until the films climatic ending.

Being one of the earlier Thai horror films of the ‘00s, this film lacks the refinement of such films as Diary and Re-Cycle not to mention that of Shutter which was released in the same year.  The horror is pretty straight forward as directed by Tanit Jitnukul, his first horror film after a string of action and adventure films.

The cast also includes Arisa Wills, Krongthong Rachatawan, Tin Settachoke, and Somchai Satuthum, to name a few and is written by Ghost Gypsy.  If you enjoy Thai horror films then this is a decent time waster (especially if you decide to sit down and make it a triple feature of the entire franchise) but leaves you wanting more since the gore is pretty basic and the performances are all over the place.