Spirits (Oan hon) (2004) User Reviews

Plays more like a dull TV movie

[Rocco3000 · 6/10 · 29 July 2004]

This movie is separated into three different acts, all telling the story/history of a family that lives in a house haunted by ghosts. Each act focuses on a different character over the years.

The overall plot and characters are really quite bland, as you never really feel that engaged enough into the film. They all come off as being very superficial, and not really having much depth, despite a good job by all of the actors. This lack of depth makes the few scary scenes in acts 2 and 3, not as scary as they could have been.

Overall a pretty dull movie, that probably had a lot of promise on paper, but when executed, it just failed to succeed on many levels. Still worth watching if you are really bored one night.

3/5

ghost story not gory

[Max-Asti · 5/10 · 28 August 2008]

I bought the DVD in a shop in Bui Vein during an afternoon spent looking for some Vietnamese movie; except some co-production I couldn't find anything. Anyway this is an American-Vietnamese co-production following the success that Asian horrors had in western countries in the last years. It can be divided into three different parts. In the first: a writer arrives in a house where a girl seems to live alone, he falls in love with the girl but discovers she's a ghost. In the second: he's sick, shocked by his experience, but with the help of his nurse, he will win the sickness, write his story and became a successful writer; then he will marry the nurse. In the third: the house of the couple is haunted and a false diviner is called in help, she has a scaring meeting with the ghost but her son not believe her until he will discover the terrible truth about the writer. I don't know how it's possible make a Vietnamese low budget movie with American money but this is a low budget with no special effects and few changing of locations. Anyway the photography is good and the director can manage to carry on the plot. Not for gore-horror fans, but for those who like ghost stories.

Pretty bad movie !!!

[dave_r_wang · 1/10 · 13 June 2005]

I am into foreign films, especially the ones made by new directors. So, I bought this movie. I am very sorry to say that I was extremely disappointed.

It was a waste of money. No plot at all, story was terrible. Acting was not good, all the actors/actresses are pretty stiff. Photography was okay, not great. Also, why it is always so dark?? It was the first movie for this director and acting crew so I hope they'll do better in the future. For this director, I'll have wait and see it least one good review on his next movie (if there will be one) before I see it.

I'll continue to support new directors and new talent.

The House of the Lost Souls

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 7 October 2007]

1) "The Visitor": The drifter writer Tran Thanh Loc (Tuan Cuong) arrives in an old house and is lodged by the gorgeous Hoa (Kathy Nguyen). Along the days, he falls in love for her and discloses the truth about the hostess. 2) "Only Child": Loc is sick, totally disconnected of the world, but his nurse Linh (Kathleen Luong) heals him. He writes the best-seller The Visitor about his relationship with Hoa and becomes a successful writer. He proposes and marries Linh, but when he decides to have a baby, Linh is haunted by her hidden obscure past. 3) "The Diviner": Linh's parents send the fraudulent diviner Lan (Catherine Ai) to use her pretentious knowledge of Feng Shui to help Loc, and she sees ghost in the house. Her son and aspirant writer Bao (Michael Minh) does not believe on his mother until he finds a surprising secret about Loc.

"Spirits" is a low-budget low-paced Vietnamese movie, with an interesting ghost story. The production is very simple, using practically the same location along the whole story, but is also very engaging and intriguing. The tales are timeless, i.e., there is no reference when they take place; the characters are developed along the plot, without a previous development, but I liked this supernatural tales. Kathy Nguyen and Kathleen Luong are extremely beautiful women and good actresses. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Sobrenatural" ("Supernatural")

A very good job of making Vietnamese folk stories in a "Wester horror format".

[evsherman · 9/10 · 11 February 2007]

This movie did a great job of taking three of Viet Nam's ghost stories (truyen ma)into a horror movie that can be appreciated by the "west". After viewing many Asian horror movies, from many countries, much can be lost in the difference of culture and what the different cultures perceive events as frightening. This movie does an excellent job of doing that.

However the movie is not without its flaws. It does lack a bit in character depth. My theory is that since they are based on Vietnamese stories, characters do not need the depth that many foreign audiences require. In Vietnamese culture the characters may take on various archetypes that are common in Vietnamese stories. For example the traveling author whose only companions were his paper and pen. This is just my thought that the original stories do not go into complete depth of the characters either.

In conclusion, I felt this movie was like watching three very good episodes of the Twilight Zone, rather than a complete movie. I think anyone who is interested in Vietnamese literature may like the movie, along with those who want to enjoy a psychological thriller instead of the cliché gore flicks that inundate our theaters.

In conclusion, I felt this movie was like watching three very good episodes of the Twilight Zone, rather than a complete movie. I think anyone who is interested in Vietnamese literature may like the movie, along with those who want to enjoy a psychological thriller instead of the cliché gore flicks that inundate our theaters.

These stories sneak up on you.

[jessicaplant · 9/10 · 6 September 2004]

Based on the tradition Vietnamese ghost stories, Spirits is reminiscent of stories told around the campfire. The creepy introduction of the characters and the culmination of their fate leaves you numb until hours later when a scene or an image (mine was in the second story about Linh) sends shivers through you. It's not a Hollywood movie and doesn't rely solely on special effects to sell (although there are a few effects similar to those used in movies like The Ring or The Sixth Sense). Victor Vu used some familiar accents to draw in his audience but stayed true to the unique 'Spirit' of this story, which is what makes it so good. If you like ghost stories, see this movie!

Exceptionally well done; Paves the way for the Vietnamese movie scene.

[sepharan · 8/10 · 25 August 2004]

A fairly well done movie. The director does a good job at bringing together a series of events into one story. Some of the scares were downright freaky too! I didn't know what hit me. I didn't really know what to expect when i went in the theatre to watch it. But after all was over with, I was a happy movie goer. Give it a try, and i'm sure you'll find something to like about it as well.

Don't go in expecting too much and you'll be pleased. A decent popcorn flick. "Spirits" rivals among The Sixth Sense and other dramatic horror pieces. If you're a horror movie fan, or like dramas with a few scares thrown in, this is worth your time.