Mockumentary is a video game that involves competing with the audience. It makes the image no longer just a tool to provide information to the audience, but allows the audience to interpret the implication of the image, creating a strong interactivity. It may be an edited and post-produced clip (such as "Diary of a Living Corpse", "The Bad Omen" and "Curse"), or it may be a "found image" left behind after the death of the photographer (such as "The Jungle of Evil"). ” and “Shaman”). Generally speaking, the latter gives the audience a more immersive experience than the former, as if the photographer is talking to us at the scene and witnessing the beginning and end of the tragedy or disaster from a resigned perspective.
From a theme point of view, Ke Mengrong's new film "The Curse", which returns to the field of horror films, is closer to the style of "found images". An anxious mother Li Ruonan suddenly broadcast live on the Internet, claiming that she and her daughter were being hunted by invisible evil forces. Six years ago, Ruonan's boyfriend took her to the mountains to investigate mysterious religious rituals, but she accidentally broke into what believers call a "tunnel that cannot be entered." Although she escaped from the forbidden area, everyone related to her died violently, forcing her to send her daughter to a kindergarten for refuge. Afterwards, Ruonan, who received psychological treatment, decided to start over with his daughter, but the curse of the year never disappeared. When Ruonan tried to restore the origin of the cult's beliefs, he suddenly discovered the terrifying truth.
Ke Mengrong's ambition is not only to shoot an authentic mockumentary in the countryside of Taiwan. Compared with similar works, the "Curse" movie has an unprecedented and bold design. It not only allows the audience to serve as witnesses, but also allows the audience to serve as witnesses. The audience personally walked into the world view carefully designed by the crew and believed that the paganism and blessing spells in the film were indeed real. Just like the psychological suggestion experiment of "Don't Think About Pink Elephants", "The Curse" has been laying the groundwork for the movie since the promotion period. You can tell yourself that Ruonan's panic on the verge of collapse is actually the superb performance of the heroine Cai Genyan. But the lingering eight-character mantra has already become a hidden time bomb at the end of "The Curse" with constant hints and reinforcements.
In terms of horror effects, "The Curse" has performed extremely well. The shots in the film, which imitate a handheld camera, are actually quite close to the subjective perspective seen with the naked eye, making it more difficult for the audience to avoid the horror that strikes them right in front of them. In addition to the attack scenes shown in the trailer, the scene where Ruonan searches for the source of the strange noise in the dark also successfully arouses our fear of the dark, transforming a familiar living space into a dangerous place. The aforementioned immersive experience can be said to be a good move in pursuit of victory. If it can successfully trigger the multiplier effect of internal and external cooperation, then this urban ghost story that seems true and false will be the most terrifying thing about Taiwan after " crying sad " A big challenge and trial for movie fans.
Unfortunately, "The Curse" did not hit that final kick accurately. Although it successfully implanted the concepts of "blessing" and "curse" into the hearts of the audience, it did not allow it to bear fruit. Because of its oscillation between realism and dramatic narrative, it has always been difficult for us to decide whether to regard it as a tender movie packed with horror, or as a death message left by a tortured mother.
However, if "The Curse" cannot adhere to the cold and distant perspective of a pseudo-documentary, its painstaking plot device will not operate smoothly. As the saying goes, you can't have your cake and eat it too. The touching discussion of blood ties and family in "Curse" is both its strength and its fatal flaw. The soundtrack in the film, at certain tense and critical moments, made the audience wake up from the situation in the film and return to their seats in the cinema because of the sensational atmosphere.
In addition, the way "The Curse" uses flashbacks to disperse and edit events is actually a bit superfluous. First, it prematurely reveals some shocking and horrific scenes (such as the car accident that killed the heroine's family) before the audience understands the cause and effect. In addition, it violates the basic principle that in order for a pseudo-documentary to be fake and real, it must use a linear narrative to complete the story in one go. . Precisely because we cannot view events from an omniscient and omnipotent perspective, the cruelty of fate will be even more unpredictable.This is the case with "Shaman" and "The Curse". Those boring passages in the film that seem to lack continuity and transition are actually the key to making it more realistic.
However, the question of whether it is realistic or not does not change the fact that "Spell" is an excellent horror film. Its achievements in visual effects, terrifying atmosphere and technology can be said to be a beautiful attack, and it also erases the regret that Ko Mang-jung previously tried to challenge a new type of horror film in "Party" but failed to do so. The development of pseudo-documentary horror films in Taiwan has also taken a historic step.
