Spirit Of The Victim ( Phii khon pen ) (2006)

Genre: Horror
Director: Monthon Arayangkoon
Starring: Pitchanart Sakakorn, Apasiri Nitibhon, Penpak Sirikul, Kiradej Ketakinta
RunTime: 1 hr 43 mins
Released By: UIP
Rating: NC16

Release Date: 4 January 2007

Synopsis :

Ting (Pitchanart Sakakorn), is an unknown bit player in a film crew who dreams of becoming a famous superstar someday. When she is assigned the role of the victim in a police reenactment of a serious crime, Ting seizes the moment and impersonates the real character like a professional actress.

Ting’s impressive performance lands her the role of “Meen” (Apasiri Nitibhon), a former Miss Thailand who was tragically murdered. But when reenacting the crime scene, Ting experiences bizarre feelings she is unable to control.

Every time plays Meen, she senses the beauty queen’s suffering at the hands of her tormenters. This draws Ting into trying to find Meen’s killers and unlocking the mystery behind the tragic death. But the closer she gets to the root cause of the crime, the more unexpected dangers threaten her life…


Movie Review:

Thai horror films have been doing fairly well at the box office with hits like Shutter and the Thai phenomenon, Ghost Game. As such, there is no surprise then that much expectation has been placed on Spirit of the Victim, a tale of possession.

Currently taking lessons from an acting school, Ting a budding actress is spotted by a police officer at a hawker stall. He then hires her to become an actress for the police force, to help with murder investigations. Unlike Crime Watch, the scene of the murder is recreated at its exact location and in front of public, in hopes of understanding the murder better and to catch the culprit. Ting takes her craft seriously and does well enough to gain the attention of the media. However, when she is hired to act as Meen, a former Miss Thailand who was brutally murdered, she starts to feel uncomfortable and goes through scary experiences.

Like recent release Diary, which chose actors to play dual roles which confused the audience, Spirit of the Victim adopts the same technique. The good thing is, though, this film does so at an earlier stage and when it finally allows the audience to fully grasp who is who, the film continues in a different direction. Confusing? Indeed.

The film has several scare worthy moments especially one that will remind one of the television and the girl from The Ring. However, there are also moments which are pretty predictable, bringing the scare factor to an all-time low. While the graphics for the ghost is badly rendered, the effect it has, will leave a lasting impression long after the film has ended. Be warned, hark the chimes!

The idea of re-enacting the crime scene in hopes of finding the murderer does indeed sound a little far-fetched, it is not certain though if this actually happens. The whole notion alone brings about tons of loopholes and questions like, “Won’t the crime scene get tainted by everyone else’s prints instead?” and “How exactly can one know who the murderer is just by re-enactment?”

The quality of acting is fairly reasonable but like the film, is near forgettable. Spirit of the Victim is uneven and weak. Bring on the next Thai horror film.