Silk (2006)


REVIEWER RATING: 
7/10


In a long line of the typical long-haired-ghost revenge tails that have been plaguing Asia the past couple decades, once in a while an original and new take on the sub-genre sees the light of day. Taiwan brings us just that with Silk, using the tired formula and giving a new spin on it, by putting together new ideas and an original premise to give us more to think about rather than just throwing some boo-scares on the screen. This is a horror film that combines a hint of Sci-Fi and just the right amount of mystery to intrigue us.

The story is basically about a group of scientists that have found a way to capture energy and discovered that ghosts are forms of energy that can also be captured. Thus, they focus their study on the ghost of a young boy whom they've captured and held in a small room. They group are able to see the boy and other spirits by spraying something in their eyes that gives them the ability to view different forms of energy that normally wouldn't be seen by the naked eye.

In an attempt to discover the reason of the boy's spirit wandering around an old abandoned apartment complex, they seek the aid from a special government agent that's able to read lips, in hopes of learning what it is the boy seems to say to himself that can't be heard by human ears. They let the boy loose and the agent is sent to follow him to see where he ends up, with hopes that he’ll lead him to a reason behind his existence. The agent eventually follows the boy to his old school, leading them to believe he's reliving his daily routine from when he was still alive. As more of the story unravels the secret to becoming a ghost is seemingly revealed and so are the scientists' true intentions.

I liked this film; I wasn't expecting much, so I was pleased to find that they didn't follow the usual fair of a ghost simply seeking revenge on those that did it wrong. Even though the boy's spirit is filled with hate and kills anyone who stairs directly at him, he doesn't simply exist for revenge, and we learn why he roams around later in the movie. In fact, most of the killings don't begin until the last half of the film, while the first half focuses on the study itself.

The movie wasn't creepy or scary, in my opinion, but it did offer some interesting new ideas, which made up for it. I especially loved the sequence towards the end involving one of the leads attempting to escape the deadly grips of a ghost. Then we get a silly scene where a ghost comes out from someone's bowl of soup, which I thought was ridiculous, so the film has its ups and down. The CGI was pretty well done, except one car-crash sequence that should have been left out of the final cut.

A good original supernatural horror film that also delivers a little mystery and sci-fi aspects that we don't normally see in the genre. Worth a check.
OVERALL: 
A good original supernatural horror film that also delivers a little mystery and sci-fi aspects that we don't normally see in the genre. Worth a check.


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