“Full of gore and horror clichés.”
We thought that by now Americans, particularly those pretty
ladies, have learned the valuable lesson that traveling through exotic
countries could be their most terrifying experience, that is, if they survive
the bloody adventure ahead. We thought wrong and in James Cullen Bressack’s
horror flick Pernicious, another bunch of girls
made the same mistake again.
It is summer and three American gal pals travel to Thailand.
The trio is composed of level-headed brunette named Julia (Emily O’Brien) who
has a steady boyfriend back in the States, and blonde siblings Alex (Ciara Hanna) and Rachel (Jackie Moore) who loves to party and some after-party sex. They
are to teach English to some kids, despite not even knowing how to speak the
local language. Like usual horror movies, they stay in a large empty hut where
they discover a life-size golden statue of a little girl.
Time to shop and the three friends find themselves touring
around the district. In the market, they confront three Englishmen who are
stalking them. In the nightclub that night, they meet the same men but the
booze gets the better of them and they end up partying with them. As expected,
they bring the boys home with them to their hut. In a moment of stomach-churning
gore, they torture the three men.
The following day, the girls wake up with a massive hangover
and headache, having the same bad nightmare that they murdered the men. With the
golden statue and some things gone, they set out to search the guys to take
back their belongings. In the market, they ask about the statue and a little
girl leads them to a creepy forest. An old witch tells them about an ancient
Thai legend and its possible dangers.
True enough, the statue represents a little girl who was murdered
in the past. With the girl’s spirit returning for revenge, the trio must face
darker truths and fight the evil that surrounds the large hut.
In his search for new monsters, Director Bressack tapped the
Thai culture and found an ancient belief which became the foundation for Pernicious. However, an angry spirit
seeking for revenge is common in many legends and the movie ends up like
nothing new. The details of this Thai legend get lost in the gore and shrieks,
and new ideas which may have distinguished the film never quite come together. Thus,
no real tension has been established and the film lounged in lousiness. The muddled
execution is further worsened by the poor delivery of the actors. It seems their
acting skill rests mainly on shrieking.
Yet, the film looks expensive, not because of the
gold-covered demon but due to its breathtaking shots of
Thailand and its decent pieces. The country looks pretty and the stunning scenery is a silent omen of
something pernicious. Indeed, the film unabashedly showed pounds of skin and
ounces of blood, enough to satisfy the gore lovers out there. The torture of
the three men is horrifying, particularly when one of the men’s eyes were gouged
out and forced fed into his mouth.
Pernicious succeeds only in delivering Thailand’s countryside
beauty and a satisfying gore. There is nothing beyond that. It is predictable,
full of visual clichés, intriguing yet lousy, and excruciatingly painful to
watch.
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