Pernicious Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: Three bimbos, visiting Thailand, awaken a restless spirit bent on revenge as antics ensue.

Review: Typically I'd love the idea of an American film company working with a Thai one, but this was a complete debacle. I want to support these kinds of crossovers, but they make it so damn hard to do that. The main problem is that they hardly make use of Thailand as a setting; realistically, this could have been set anywhere. Sure, the ghost is Thai, but her spirit was trapped in a statue--it could have been in a museum or wherever when the ghost escaped. If you're going to make the effort to film in Thailand then actually incorporate the local talent to be crucial to the plot. There are seriously more white characters than Thai! However, that is all beside the point as the film is boggled down with glaring levels of idiocy and the characters are painfully annoying.

I'll give the film credit where it's due, they did have a unique ghost to a degree; the ghost looks like a living statue and is covered in gold. Though...a, seemingly, naked 10 year old running around impersonating Kayako is more disturbing than scary. Nevertheless, she doesn't pop up enough since this film decided it would be better if she possessed people instead. Ugghhh. Besides the ghost being somewhat interesting, the film does kind of acknowledge horror tropes and doesn't take itself completely seriously. This allows me to cut them a little slack as they knew many aspects were going to look or sound stupid. Although it wasn't doing much for me, they do try and play up the hottness of the bimbos by giving them sexy outfits and, occasionally, running around in lingerie. Ehhh...only one was kind of hot--they look too fake with a ton of clown makeup. You know the type. Come on, give us some Thai beauties to see! Hell, give me Natre--wait--on second thought, keep her.

Where the movie fails is in the nonsensical presentation of the ghost's revenge. Possessions, torture, and excessive gore do not fit the themes of an Asian ghost story. I also felt the ghost should have been male as that is what the legend is typically about (the female version is a lot rarer); those ghosts being a kuman thong and kumari respectively. And why the hell is the only person who knows about this legend the one girl's boyfriend? Maybe he should be the one visiting Thailand instead of her! Speaking of which, these chicks come off beyond arrogant, ignorant, and plain stupid. Bimbos. At least the ghost does acknowledge this when she claims one of their bodies permanently. The bimbos are supposedly coming to teach English yet don't know the Thai language or customs? This is the same idiocy from the likes of "Grave Halloween" where dumb foreigners visit Asia, act like disrespectful assholes, and get killed as a consequence. Mercifully, everyone does die, and it's implied that the boyfriend will too in the last shot.

I was intrigued by an East meets West ghost story, but they didn't convey said story properly. Random slasher elements mixed with a golden Kayako-wannabe simply won't cut it (pun intended). The look, feel, and tone were all amateurish when they could have made this genuinely creepy with the right angles, lighting, and cinematography. Having the music spike every two seconds wasn't doing them any favors either. We're in a tough position, because if we don't support this trash they won't continue to make attempts. But...it is undeniable trash. Overall, this is slightly below average with only a handful of good ideas salvaging it from becoming a complete trainwreck.

Notable Moment: I'll give them some credit for self-awareness with lines like, "Don't follow the creepy Asian girl!"

Final Rating: 4.5/10