Has anyone seen this Hong Kong horror flick? Just saw it last night. The title sounded pretty lame but I read some positive reviews about it, so I decided to check it out. It's definitely no "Ring" or "The Eye" but it's worth a look (but I don't know about a purchase). So if you're curious too see how much a horror film about a big-headed baby can scare you, check it out. For those of you who have seen the film, I got a few questions down below that I would like to hear your views about.
*SPOILERS*
below
Well, I was pleasantly surprised by the first 2/3 of the film. I kept thinking to myself in the very beginning, "how the hell could a big-headed baby be scary?" Thankfully, the filmmakers didn't reveal too much of the baby, just glimpses. Maybe it's a cultural thing for the Chinese, but even after watching the movie, I still didn't find the baby to be very scary. I was more freaked out by the faceless lady in red. The film took it's title creature very seriously, and never really tried to extract any humor from it and I appreciated that the filmmakers made a serious horror flick without winking to audiences. I guess you can describe the film as a "blair witch style" film, especially in the ending, but I'll get into that later. There all a few good scares in the film, and it is very atmospheric, and all the performances were very good, but the ending left much to be desired. The ending didn't really explain much. I'm all for ambiguity in films, but there is just way too many things left unexplained in this film to be fully satisfied. From what I can gather, the faceless woman in red is the mother of the Big Head Baby, and both the mom and the Baby are ghost-like creatures who are out for revenge for the way people (and the seven kids) treated (and eventually killed) the Big Head baby. But if six of the seven kids committed suicide, and the seventh is presumably a ghost, then why is Chris (the seventh kid) calling a radio show? Is his spirit trying to warn people of the Big Head Monster? Did the faceless woman and the Big Head Monster want to kill only the seven kids or where they out to get everyone their spirits encountered? Why did so many other people encounter the Big Head Monster and they weren't killed? What did the reporter, her crew, and the producer do that made the Big Head Monster specifically target them? Did they find out too much? The only way I can see a thematic link to the main protagonists and the Big Head Monster is that the producer's girlfriend recently had a abortion. Both the producer and his girlfriend seem to regret the abortion, and their relationship is strained. Perhaps because they "shunned" their child much like how the Big Head Baby was "shunned" by society is why the Big Head Baby was out to get them. I don't necessarily think the film was taking a stance on abortion, but it seemed to be the only linkage between the producer, his wife, and the Big Head Baby. But I still can't figure out why it was so damn important for the Big Head Baby to go after the reporter. Anyways, enough with my stupid questions. Let's get to the ending! What's up with the DVD. My HK import DVD (I think it was a Mei Ah DVD) stopped right before the climax, and I had to click and choose with ending I wanted: the original theatrical ending and the second ending. At first when my DVD player stopped, I thought I bought a bootleg DVD, then out popped an ending option menu. It kind of broke the flow of the film. I wish the DVD came with the option of watching the film in its entirety with one ending and then watching the film with the second ending. Having the film stop very near the ending and having to punch a button is a bit distracting. Maybe the DVD makers were trying for a "Choose Your Own Adventure"-style thing. I don't know. Anyways, the original theatrical ending I liked much better even though it had a few flaws. When the faceless woman approaches the reporter, the faceless woman's POV is shown as if she's the cameraman. So where is the cameraman? Is the reporter freaking out and thinks the camera man is the faceless lady? Maybe I'm missed something. I'll have to rewatch it. But what I really had a problem with was with the second ending? It was way too "Blair Witch" for me, especially with the camera falling to the ground. I don't know, maybe if I hadn't seen the "Blair Witch," I would have preferred this version. By the way, Mei Ah DVDs suck. Never have I seen a Mei Ah DVD with an above average video transfer or any real extras. It may sound like I'm trashing the film, but I really did enjoy most of it. What does everyone else think?
*SPOILERS*
below
Well, I was pleasantly surprised by the first 2/3 of the film. I kept thinking to myself in the very beginning, "how the hell could a big-headed baby be scary?" Thankfully, the filmmakers didn't reveal too much of the baby, just glimpses. Maybe it's a cultural thing for the Chinese, but even after watching the movie, I still didn't find the baby to be very scary. I was more freaked out by the faceless lady in red. The film took it's title creature very seriously, and never really tried to extract any humor from it and I appreciated that the filmmakers made a serious horror flick without winking to audiences. I guess you can describe the film as a "blair witch style" film, especially in the ending, but I'll get into that later. There all a few good scares in the film, and it is very atmospheric, and all the performances were very good, but the ending left much to be desired. The ending didn't really explain much. I'm all for ambiguity in films, but there is just way too many things left unexplained in this film to be fully satisfied. From what I can gather, the faceless woman in red is the mother of the Big Head Baby, and both the mom and the Baby are ghost-like creatures who are out for revenge for the way people (and the seven kids) treated (and eventually killed) the Big Head baby. But if six of the seven kids committed suicide, and the seventh is presumably a ghost, then why is Chris (the seventh kid) calling a radio show? Is his spirit trying to warn people of the Big Head Monster? Did the faceless woman and the Big Head Monster want to kill only the seven kids or where they out to get everyone their spirits encountered? Why did so many other people encounter the Big Head Monster and they weren't killed? What did the reporter, her crew, and the producer do that made the Big Head Monster specifically target them? Did they find out too much? The only way I can see a thematic link to the main protagonists and the Big Head Monster is that the producer's girlfriend recently had a abortion. Both the producer and his girlfriend seem to regret the abortion, and their relationship is strained. Perhaps because they "shunned" their child much like how the Big Head Baby was "shunned" by society is why the Big Head Baby was out to get them. I don't necessarily think the film was taking a stance on abortion, but it seemed to be the only linkage between the producer, his wife, and the Big Head Baby. But I still can't figure out why it was so damn important for the Big Head Baby to go after the reporter. Anyways, enough with my stupid questions. Let's get to the ending! What's up with the DVD. My HK import DVD (I think it was a Mei Ah DVD) stopped right before the climax, and I had to click and choose with ending I wanted: the original theatrical ending and the second ending. At first when my DVD player stopped, I thought I bought a bootleg DVD, then out popped an ending option menu. It kind of broke the flow of the film. I wish the DVD came with the option of watching the film in its entirety with one ending and then watching the film with the second ending. Having the film stop very near the ending and having to punch a button is a bit distracting. Maybe the DVD makers were trying for a "Choose Your Own Adventure"-style thing. I don't know. Anyways, the original theatrical ending I liked much better even though it had a few flaws. When the faceless woman approaches the reporter, the faceless woman's POV is shown as if she's the cameraman. So where is the cameraman? Is the reporter freaking out and thinks the camera man is the faceless lady? Maybe I'm missed something. I'll have to rewatch it. But what I really had a problem with was with the second ending? It was way too "Blair Witch" for me, especially with the camera falling to the ground. I don't know, maybe if I hadn't seen the "Blair Witch," I would have preferred this version. By the way, Mei Ah DVDs suck. Never have I seen a Mei Ah DVD with an above average video transfer or any real extras. It may sound like I'm trashing the film, but I really did enjoy most of it. What does everyone else think?
