Xiao Hua Gui Yi Shi Jian

Right, well given the movie's English title "The Supernatural Events on Campus" (aka "Xiao Hua Gui Yi Shi Jian"), and the movie's cover, then I was actually expecting this 2013 Chinese movie from writers Xiaoxiao Liang and Bo Zhu to be a horror comedy.

But no, "Xiao Hua Gui Yi Shi Jian" was actually labeled as a horror movie. But that might actually be stretching it quite a bit, because this movie was more of a farce than it was a horror movie.

First of all, the storyline was just utter rubbish. It felt like something concocted by a pre-teen, and the storyline just failed to capture my interest, nor did it ever deliver anything worthwhile watching or even remotely close to being scary.

Then there was the pacing of the story, which was so horribly slow that watching grass grow would prove more exciting and thrilling. Talk about a swing and a miss from director David Kuan.

And then there was the acting performance. Oh boy, talk about some toe-curling and cringeworthy performances, especially by Chloe Zhao, the lead actress, playing Susu. Wow. Just wow. She was just strutting around as if having no clue what to do or how to act and react to things happening. But hey, at least there was some enjoyment to that.

"Xiao Hua Gui Yi Shi Jian" is not worth the effort, much less the time of day, nor the money. If you enjoy Asian horror movies, spare yourself the torment and stay well clear of this 2013 train wreck of a horror movie.

The English title just makes zero sense as the movie took place at a remote hotel located amidst a mountainside forest. I don't know where the campus part comes into play here at all.

My rating of "Xiao Hua Gui Yi Shi Jian" lands on a generous two out of ten stars, and that is for the production value, costumes and props alone. Because in terms of acting and storyline, forget about it.