Genre: Horror

Not even the odd moment of black humour and Kim Jee-Woon’s knack for crafting exhilarating sequences of action and tension can elevate his film beyond pure nihilism.

A palpable sense of all-consuming dread is maintained throughout the runtime and the makers never resort to jump scares just for the sake of them.

Not quite as tight and effective as ‘White Ghost’ but still a freaky little tale featuring a rather memorable exorcism scene.

If you think Japanese horror cinema is becoming mired in recently coined cliché, or you simply love being scared, the troubling, dreadful world of ‘Ju-on’ is required viewing.

While ‘Ju-on 2’ is another rewarding journey through a landscape of fear and loathing, now is the time for its creator to terrorise avenues new.

Well acted, tightly plotted and directed ‘White Ghost’ piles on the scares thick and fast cramming in an awful lot of ‘Ju-On’ ghost weirdness into its short running time.

In the end, ‘Kung Fu From Beyond The Grave’ is decent entertainment – mainly due to the fights – but lacks the campy charm needed to make it a strong recommendation.

A rewarding stand-alone experience, ‘Elegant Slaughter’ is also an irresistible taster for stories yet to come. The queue starts here.

This should have been some silly, slick fun but is instead just a slog with far too much exposition and unnecessary melodrama clogging up proceedings.

It’s certainly not a film that will rock anyone’s world, but as a throwback to a bygone era of Hong Kong horror it’s a refreshingly rewarding treat.

There is much to enjoy about this film, and the ingenuity shown in many scenes is typical of HK, proving that it can offer a lot more than found in Hollywood no-brainers.

A flawed thriller it might be, but it still retains an ability to chill that is appreciated though not always present in the genre.