Fans of Asian horror films will love this. After successful and award winning films like ShutterandAlone from Thailand, comes another Thai horror hit, Body #19.

The sheer mention of Shutteris enough to send an audience shuddering. No wonder Shutter won the Audience Award at the 2006 Gérardmer Film Festival and was nominated for the Golden Kinnaree Award in the 2005 Bangkok International Film Festival. Alonehas also won the Festival Trophy Award at the 2007 Screamfest.

With such high expectations riding on the 3rd film produced by the same studio, Body #19 doesn’t disappoint the audience with its strong plot, high-tech effects and the horror factor.

This story revolves around doctors, psychiatrists and professors, in a hospital. Chon, a student, was recommended to see a psychiatrist, who happens to be the wife of Suthee, a professor of a prestigious university. Haunting nightmares about a lady he met at a restaurant and images of a mysterious man chopping her up into pieces, proved too much for him to handle. The scenes were so real that he feels as if he’s the murderer cutting her open with surgical knives, even in his conscious memory. After which, Chon starts to believe that the dead lady is trying to send him a message, telling him to find her. He then starts on his mission of uncovering the truth.

He realises that the lady in his nightmares was Dararai, the mistress of Professor Suthee. Chon assumes that Dararai is seeking revenge, killing those who divulged her scandalous relationship with Suthee. But he is wrong.

The movie has such a sharp twist that it’s rather difficult for one to guess the murderer’s real identity.

The twist might also leave the audience confused when the movie ends. Nevertheless, the plot is rather refreshing despite the usage of a cliché concept of a mental disease, a crucial one which Chon is suffering from, which explains the whole story (UrbanWireshan’t spoil it for you by revealing the ending).

Like its popular predecessors, Body#19 suspends your emotions at the top of the rollercoaster ride, bringing jolts and screams from the audience in the theatre. The use of high-tech effects to intensify the horror and gore of the dead and the creation of little flinching bodies should make the audience sink deeper in their seats.

Chon refuses to accept the fact that he’s sick and continues to search for the truth. But if he’s not sick, then who is it? Other than the killings that have occurred, whose body is lying in cabinet #19 in the morgue? How is the body linked to Dararai’s murder? For a horror flick fan, this movie is definitely worth a watch, bringing you new insights into murder and Asian horror films.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Movie Details:

Opens: Jan 10

Running Time: 125 mins

Language: Thai with English subtitles

Cast: Arak Amornsupasiri, Ornjira Lamwilai, Kritteera Inpornwijit

Director: Paween Purikitpanya

Website: http://www.bodythemovie.com/