Want to see a scary movie? Well let’s face it there simply are not many that are genuinely frightening in the supernatural sense around anymore. Back when the likes of this writer was young, movies did have the scope to keep you awake all night in a cold sweat, heart palpitating and clinging on desperately for dawn. The likes of ‘The Exorcist’, ‘The Omen’ and ‘The Changeling’ represented this golden age and films had that frisson about them that has long since been forgotten. Perhaps it is due to getting older, perhaps it is desensitisation and maybe even the advent of CGI taking over from good old fashioned special effects but when was the last time you saw a movie in the local cineplex and thought ‘oops I think I just drew mud there?’

 

It is at this point one should look at Asian cinema. It too had its classic movies that were scary and supernatural. One that certainly springs to mind is 1964 masterpiece ‘Onibaba’ directed by Kaneto Shindô a film set in the 14th century. Most supernatural films were similarly set way back in history and on the whole although set in the worlds of spirits and sorcery were more played for laughs and to show off the stars martial artistry.  The likes of ‘A Chinese Ghost Story’, ‘Mr Vampire’ and ‘The Eternal Evil Of Asia’ were all more about having a laugh than scaring and great fun though they were there was a large gap in the market where people genuinely needed to get the fear and be scared shitless all over again.

 

Thankfully that happened with the arrival of the ‘Asian Ghost Movie’ spearheaded by the likes of Hideo Nakata’s 1998 seminal shocker ‘Ringu.’ It was as though the floodgates were suddenly opened and modern technology from telephones to televisions were utilised to bring the vengeful dead back into our living rooms and through the cinema screens. They were indisputably scary as hell too. Women with long hair and horrifying features, unstoppable and menacing, finally we were sleepless again after watching these terrifying spectres invading our thoughts and fears. With the likes of ‘Dark Water’, Nakata quickly established himself as the master of this new wave of terror but others were quick to join in and not just fromJapan. Danny and Oxide Pang who had previously delivered debut high octane thriller ‘Bangkok Dangerous’ were quick to get in on the action unleashing ‘The Eye’ in 2002. I remember this being one of the earlier films I caught after the aforementioned and the likes of the wonderful ‘Uzumaki’ and being blown away with the elements of supernatural and fantasy that these film makers had brought to the screen. It, like many others from this successful emerging genre, led to various sequels. None were quite as good as the originals to be honest but still I devoured them all.

 

This takes us onto the film in hand ‘Re-Cycle’ an understated movie from The Pang Brothers originally out in 2006. As far as I can see Cine Du Monde have not recycled this movie for theUKmarket as it has not been officially released here. At the moment there exists only the Region 3 Hong Kong Universal Laser release and Image Entertainment disc on Region 1, so unless you have imported the film this could well be your very first chance to see it, it was mine and I loved every minute of it.

 

We start in very familiar territory and one that I had a severe feeling of déjà vu having seen so many of the titles mentioned above. Tsui Ting-Yin  (Angelica Lee star of ‘The Eye’ and back in the main role again although cast as Lee Sinje) is a successful writer of romance novels whose own love life is far from uncomplicated when her former love arrives back on the scene, divorced after eight years and wanting her back. Tsui Ting has just had some ideas and is starting to write a novel about the supernatural but she is not so much writing it as it is writing itself and strange things are very certainly starting to happen. These involve long hairs appearing and the ubiquitous ghostly visage of a woman haunting her every move. So twenty minutes in and you really will be thinking that you have seen this all before but you have not in the slightest as the film takes a huge about turn and drops you along with Tsui Ting into a completely different world.

 

Well of course I am not going to spoil it for you and explain it all but prepare to be dazzled as Tsui Ling travels through different fantasy lands, guided by a young helper she finds along the way. Each of these places are hugely imaginative and visual. They resemble at times different levels of a game although things are far more complex than that and getting from one to the next is not without solving various things and surviving danger. The Oriental themes relating to the dead are different from those in say Europe and if you are used to these films you will have encountered them before, if not they should fascinate as you meet various souls along the way such as the Oriental zombie of sorts, it is not going to try and rip your flesh off but you still need to pay it attention and placate it.

 

I was reminded of many different things both from literature and films whilst as a voyeur I traversed these strange zones of the dead. At first the crumbling ruined tenements were like something out of a Kafkaesque nightmare, as we progressed we have a sense of the imagination of Terry Gilliam and that took us via Lewis Carroll into the realms of ‘Silent Hill’ and onto the visions of Guillermo del Toro but everything is wrapped up in a unique style. The special effects are stupendous and one wonders why this film was not a massively successful cinema release over here. Well one doesn’t at all as theUKcinema goer is generally a beast that does not like to think as they hit the high street screen and besides, this one has not been dumbed down and remade byHollywood.

 

This is one of those films that had me gripped throughout the 108 minute running time. I did at some points try and over analyse it and a great debate and some controversy has followed the film as to whether it is an allegory to pro-life, something you will also no doubt question when unravelling its complexities. However the best way to probably enjoy it which I shall certainly be doing again is to just sit back and be dazzled. There are quite a few extras including audio commentary with the Pangs,  Angelica and VFX director Ko Fai, a making of feature, deleted scenes, CG rendering comparisons, premiere highlights and cast and crew Q&A; pretty much everything you could possibly need to accompany the feature.

So if you like horror and fantasy this really is an unmissable treat.

 

http://www.cinedumonde.co.uk/recycle

http://www.facebook.com/CineduMonde

 

Pete Woods