The Park (2003)
Reviewed by: Brian Thibodeau on 2005-01-12
Summary: Slapdash horror with aspirations beyond its budget
Moronic horror yarn—notable mainly for it’s handful of 3-D sequences, which are horrible on DVD—trots out or steals every mechanical scare tactic and iconic image from the contemporary horror book, from “scary” clowns to white-faced Asian ghost children (check out that blatant steal from Takashi Shimizu’s JUON in the opening moments), with nary a point in sight. Distraught Bobo Chan leads a photogenic crew of dumb teenagers to a haunted theme park built on a graveyard in search of her brother (Edwin Siu), who went there to investigate a death he witnessed as a child. The gang’s behaviour—and by association the film’s logic—only gets dumber once they arrive, breaking into groups repeatedly for no other reason than to engage in supernatural setpieces that are in no way scary, even if you haven’t experienced all the visual telegraphy in countless other films. Then Bobo’s Taoist mom (Kara Hui) shows up with her magical spirit camera to battle the ghoulies and rescue the good souls from limbo. Director Lau’s drab work here may force some viewers to reevaluate his co-director contributions to post-YOUNG & DANGEROUS films like AVENGING FIST, WOMEN FROM MARS and the INFERNAL AFFAIRS trilogy: this turkey finds better company with his last full-directorial gig: THE WESLEY’S MYSTERIOUS FILE. Theme song performed by Bobo Chan.
Reviewer Score: 2