Ghost Bride

Contrary to the 9/10 score by another reviewer who seemed intent on blowing smoke up the director's rear (mainly because it probably was the director himself that wrote the review), this movie is a below par and tame horror and I use the term 'horror' very loosely. This is a movie that moves along slowly but is really non-scary and doesn't engage me at all when it does actually get going in places. The script is strange and illogical and the actors show their inexperience on quite a few occasions with some wooden performances reciting it. This movie could have been more if a better writer wrote the script and understood the premise of what a supernatural horror entails. To sum the Ghost Bride up I'd say it was slow, amateurish, poorly executed and lacking in any quality at all for the genre and audience it is supposed to be aimed at.

Total crap! If there were negative ratings this would be the worst. Waste of time.

David Blyth has created a nice, steady psychological dilemma in "Ghost Bride" that really draws on the conflicts of cultural past and individual present that is a very real, and very murky journey for many young people today. To abide by the ways of the ancestors or forge an independent path for one's self. Then throw in a sinister match maker with ulterior motives and the paranormal, and soon things get down right deadly. This is a really well crafted ghost story and the cast do great jobs and bringing these characters to life on screen. The film does rely completely on melodrama and personal conflict for most of the suspense so the thrills are a bit more subdued than one would expect going into the film. Just a note for anyone setting out to watch-not a criticism.

The special effects are minimal, a few quick frame switch moments meant to create a supernatural element, mostly practical stuff, with very minimal CGI. This isn't like the bigger budget Asian ghost stories with heavy-dark- effects that get chilling. "Ghost Bride" takes a more casual, restrained approach where the macabre nature of the story, unease of character situations, and a steady instrumental overture combine to tale a story of tragedy, desire, and struggle. Blyth presents us with a mature, respectful story that revolves around Eastern folklore, and familial guilt. (And I thought Western mothers knew how to milk the guilt thing.)

Overall "Ghost Bride" is a strong story that is told with nearly perfect continuity. The beginning is a straight forward set-up that sets the tone for the whole film. There are moments that get confusing in the middle section that could have been tied in better- mostly with the introduction to the ghost element that doesn't really solidify until the last act. Of course my confusion could have been purely cultural differences and me not fully getting the Chinese traditions. This is a nice, mellow ghost story that never really escalates or falters far from the even tempo so no major chills or thrills are present. That was a bit of a bummer for me personally, but still "Ghost Bride" is a nice little macabre film.

David Blyth, the director behind the cult classic DEATH WARMED UP and the high controversial WOUND is back with a new flick. This time he picks up a ghost story in the vein of Asian horror cinema. The movies starts slow but get's faster and faster till the hear beating final. The acting is great, the shock moment are intense and Blyth managed to get the story interesting and suspenseful. With GHOST BRIDE David Blyth gives us a unique masterpiece of a movie. Sure, not everybody will love the movie, but GHOST BRIDE is one of these kinds of movies how are worth to be discovered. GHOST BRIDE is with not doubt a future to be cult movie.

I do enjoy Asian cinema quite a lot, but of course not everything Asian is top notch and super great. "Ghost Bride" can be somewhat of a challenge to get through if you are unfamiliar with Asian traditions and superstitions, especially because the movie was very slow paced and detail-minded. And for those in the audience unfamiliar with Asian superstitions, then "Ghost Bride" will be unfathomably boring to sit through.

Luckily I am fairly familiar with Asian culture, superstitions and traditions, but even so, I found this movie to be slow and fairly uneventful.

That being said, I am not saying that the movie is all bad. It is actually nicely directed and filmed, and there is a good coherency throughout the movie, despite it lacking pace and captivation. And for a thriller, then "Ghost Bride" was fairly devoid of thrills and scares.

The acting in the movie was adequate, and oddly enough the one carrying the movie was Fiona Feng who played May-Ling, who was the only one with almost no speaking parts in the entire movie.

Whereas Asian horrors tend to be more spooky and eerie in their usage of the traditional ghost in a white gown with long black hair covering the face, "Ghost Bride" makes use of a more colorful and 'cheerful'-looking ghost, which was a nice pace of change.

The movie is very predictable, and doesn't once throw the audience off the track, which is a shame, because you see things coming a mile away.

There are nice things to the movie, but if you are looking for a proper Asian scary movie, then your money is better spent elsewhere.