Not quite the scare

gunneos

What a bloody confusing title. "Coming Soon is now showing!"

Sorry, had to do that.

The only redeeming thing about calling the film Coming Soon is that it makes sense, after you've actually seen it. It combines film piracy and horror, which I think is a far more effective way keeping film pirates away from movie prints than anti-piracy trailers. The two film pirates here are Yod and Shane, both working as cinema projectionists who are assigned the task of recording an unreleased horror film, Revengeful Spirit. Turns out this film isn't just spooky film-wise, it seems haunted! (I'm sure you didn't expect that.) When Yod goes missing, Shane is convinced the deranged woman in the film is out to get him, and for that matter, anyone who watches a particular scene. Kinda like in The Ring, except consistent with Sopon Sukdapisit's writing efforts (Shutter and Alone), the "ghost" also has a sob story to tell. That's where the twist comes in, but it wouldn't be a twist if I told you, so… heh.

I like my horror movies with a good, meaty story, and Coming Soon offers quite a good spread, except it's plagued by more flaws and loopholes than I would've liked. It's disappointing to see glimmers of something potentially good get buried under a pile of clichéd scare tactics, something the movie does incessantly. Also, it's a bit slow on the pacing, which takes away a good part of the horror and surprise. On the whole, it has a very promising idea, though sadly the script needed a few more re-writes, and the writer himself could do with hiring a different director. This is Sopon Sukdapisit's directorial debut, though it looks like he's better off just doing the writing.

I wouldn't call Coming Soon scary, unless you're easily frightened. Think heavy make-up and sound effects. It has very little of the dreaded tension in Shutter and Alone, though I think that's a flaw due to the film's pacing and directing than the actual script. Some scenes border on being repetitive and annoying, so much so I found myself going, "I get it, I get it, OK?" There's good use of ambiance though, and… well, dark empty cinemas are already creepy anyway. More dramatic than scary, you probably won't feel crept out while watching it in the same setting as the supposedly haunted one in the film. The novelty of a horror movie set in a cinema hasn't been met, and I hope someone else does something about it.

score 5/10

gunneos 8 March 2009

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2034627/