3 AM is a Malaysian Chinese horror series currently available to watch free on Rakuten Viki. It consists of five episodes all centered on an event/phenomenon at 3 in the morning - when all good boys and girls are tucked up in bed, of course. It explores some familiar horror tropes, including the old 'let's go camping in the forest of death and blood' that Eddie Izzard riffed on. But there's a lot here to enjoy, in part because of the special spin put on certain customs and beliefs.
Thus in episode one a young man on his very first day at work upsets an elevator ghost. Things rapidly spiral out of control, and it becomes clear that he really should have listened to his mum. It's ghost month, and she told him to show the dead some respect, whereas the young idiot stumbled over a shrine and caused maximum offence.
Other episodes concern a taxi driver who (we learn early on) kills people from supposedly benevolent motives and nastiness on social media. There is also the 'stupid kids go camping' story, which sticks to a very familiar template, albeit with a nice take on the bonkers cult of human sacrifice.
The best story, though, for my money is episode three, in which a woman suffers a minor road accident and ends up in a hospital where he husband is a senior surgeon. A series of odd experiences are attributed to anxiety - she has not been taking her medication. If that sounds familiar, it is, but this one unfolds at a good pace and has a satisfying revenge motif.
Also recommended, a South East Asian horror movie that spawned a Hollywood remake - Shutter. And I also touched upon Cambodian horror movies in this post.
No comments:
Post a Comment