Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!
Plot Summary: A horror anthology consisting of four tales of terror.
Review: As far as anthologies go, this wasn't too bad at all. Although none of the segments are particularly exceptional, they are entertaining enough with a bit of originality used to spice things up. It's also worth noting that the arrangement of the stories helps to leave a better final impression for the viewer. There is no wraparound, but there is a small, tangential connection between each story that is far too easy to miss. They probably could have played around a little with this link between segments, but at least they added something which is more than I can say for other anthologies. One other thing I want to acknowledge is in regard to the title of the individual stories--I'm going by what wikipedia claims they're called, because the subs were definitely not correct. For example, the subs claimed the last story was called "Last Fright" yet we clearly see the "244" written in the title. I can't read Thai writing, so I don't know, but I don't think the numbers would be written arbitrarily.
Loneliness: To kick things off is probably the best story of the bunch. If the final ghost effect weren't so lame this would have been genuinely frightening. You have an injured girl becoming bored as she can't do much with her cast on. The girl begins to receive texts from a guy, and, for whatever reason, she is all too happy to accept the attention. You'd think a random person texting you would be creepy, right? After flirting back and forth, the two decide to exchange pictures, however, the guy sends the girl the same picture she sent except saying he's already in it. Obviously the girl is freaked out now, but things get worse when she suspects that a dead guy she hears about on the news might be who's texting her. The creepy texting begins to escalate as the guy says he's coming to her, and all the lights in her apartment complex begin going out. Eventually her apartment lights go out too, and the guy texts that he's in the room with her. Believe me, the story sets all of this up marvelously--putting you on the edge of your seat. Unfortunately, the ghost is a horrible graphic that magically throws the girl out of her window. We come to learn that the accident that injured her was the same one where this guy killed himself; he threw himself in front of her taxi. Since she was the last person he saw before dying, his ghost fell in love with her and wants to be together? I don't know. Nevertheless, this was a great short that hits all the right notes.
Deadly Charm: From best to worst as we come to this next story. In fact, this segment is plain stupid with schizophrenic-chic editing. Not only was I becoming nauseous, but I thought I would burst into a seizure at any damn moment! Not even joking. If you are seriously doing a cut every 2 seconds, you need to stop letting your cat run around on the equipment. There is something about a bullied kid who turns himself into a vengeful spirit or whatever the hell was happening. If you look him in the eyes or look at a picture...you die...I guess. Dude, I was too busy rubbing my eyes half the time to figure this shit out. There was also the bizarre decision to depict Thailand as some kind of post-apocalyptic wasteland where paper rains from the sky. Did the crew drop acid right before filming? The ending simply involves the last bully cutting out her own eyes so she can't be killed. Surrre, why not? There is supposedly a connection between the bully and the girl from "Loneliness," but I don't know about that one. Stories like this...yeaaah...don't make stories like this. This alone is what pretty much dragged down the final rating.
The Man in the Middle: This is the other contender for the best segment, but I think "Loneliness" edges it out a tad. Here, they decided to go a comedic route that works extremely well. For one, I absolutely love the banter between the characters, four guys camping together. They joke about the endings to various movies and even discuss good ol' "Shutter." That's practically pandering to me! Anyway, the guys go rafting and tip over like dumbasses. They think one of the friends ended up drowning but try to stay optimistic especially once he does turn up, seemingly, alive. After they had discussed ghosts the night before, they quickly realize the friend really was dead and flee like bitches from his ghost. After quite a bit of running, they try to reason with their dead friend since they're, well, friends after all. But it is the ghost friend that has something to tell them--they all actually died in the raft accident. To kind of set the tone for how this story played out, one guy even jokes that they're in "The Others" once he realizes they all died. Damn, am I spoiling that movie again?! I better review it so there aren't anymore excuses. Overall, the comedic aspects worked well and will work even better if you're familiar with all the movies they reference. The character banter was so fun and makes the guys feel like believable friends. Besides, you can't go wrong with characters wearing shirts that simply say things like "bullshit" and "I <3 ET" with Elliott and ET flying on the heart symbol! Lastly, this segment's connection is only to the fourth story.
Flight 244: For the closing segment this is probably where most of the budget went. A flight attendant must work as the personal assistant to some princess after a co-worker called out; that co-worker's brother was one of the guys from the last segment that drowned. As it turns out, the flight attendant is having an affair with the princess' husband. Hey, in fairness, the flight attendant, played by Laila Boonyasak, is pretty damn hot, and the princess looks like a hag. Knowing who the flight attendant is, the princess begins fucking with her which causes the flight attendant to get back at her with food that contained one of the princess' allergies. Later on, the flight attendant learns this actually killed the princess, and now she must cater to the princess as her body is being flown back to her home country. Surprise, her ghost haunts the flight attendant in order to get revenge. The ghost looked pretty scary--I'm surprised they didn't show her face more frequently. After appearing like a lunatic to the flight crew, they tie up the flight attendant who is, of course, finally killed by the ghost. When bodyguards, or whatever, for the princess show up they find the flight attendant's body in a state of begging for forgiveness except with her head twisted around. A fitting conclusion--connecting to the third segment and back to the first--helped to bring things full circle; the princess had a connection to the guy who killed himself in the first segment.
Looks like a Thai J-Lo. Most of her dialogue was in English too.
If it weren't for how unbelievably horrid the second segment was, this might be one of the best anthologies; especially if they swapped one of the better stories from "Phobia 2" in its place. The stories do have borderline, cheap effects at times, but they're still original and could pass for competent episodes of a TV show if they went that route. I want to say the "Loneliness" segment alone is worth seeking this film out as well. Again, the tales aren't anything too spectacular, but they're of a high enough quality that it creates a cumulative effect. Something like "Zoo" is definitely a better anthology, but I would recommend checking this one out nonetheless.
Notable Moment: During "The Man in the Middle" segment when the guys are joking about the ending of "Shutter" and "Titanic" being the same. Gotta love when writers take the time to include casual banter.
Final Rating: 6.5/10
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