MINI REVIEW: Tales From The Occult: Body And Soul (2023)
The second in the three-part anthology series sees the theme turn to victims being the culprits!
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The first Tales From The Occult film was pretty bad. It’s dealt with the theme of rotten people having justice brought upon them by people pretending to be ghosts, and while it wasn’t a bad idea, my dislike of anthology films might have had something to do with my opinion.
[above] Not the most effective way to try and score a date.
But so far in 2023 we’ve had a few decent anthology films and when I sat down to watch this film, I was honestly prepared to enjoy it.
Which turned out to be a good move, because I did enjoy this film a lot. And that was to do with the theme of victims turning the tables on their situations. And like all Hong Kong anthology movies, a cast of familiar faces was here to make sure I did enjoy what I was watching. The three stories contained in this film are:
[above] This is why I don’t have hair.
PLOT
Rapunzel: an ex-model desperate for one last crack at fame walks into a salon late at night after her hair is damaged in a nightclub. The hairdresser has exquisite skills, but also has a fascination with scalping his victims!
Cheshire Cat: a woman who works in a cat rescue shelter meets a man who tells her about a place where teens are torturing cats. On their way to rescue them, they get caught in a serial killer’s trap, or so it seems!
Tooth Fairy: a woman working as a dental nurse befriends a man in the street after a fight. He comes to her clinic to check on his teeth and tortured by the dentist who has a crush on her. But the man seems to have an aggressive side, that might just snap at the wrong moment!
ABOUT THE FILM
All three of these short tales feature the victim turning the table and becoming a kind of anti-hero at the end of the story, with the exception of the third story which is definitely the most interesting. It’s also the one that’ll have you question which character is the actual victim in the tale.
Of the three tales, its the second one that is definitely the weakest. The story feels too much like a soap drama, with things happening too quick. To be expected for its short running time, but perhaps the only tale in this collection that could benefit with a feature length adaptation.
Even though there are three directors here, who all do a great job on their own, there is a very strong sense of continuity throughout the tales. They’re all dark, mostly set at night and feature a very dark side of a humble and quiet person’s personality. If you’re shy or an introvert, the tales here will most like really resonate with you.
The highlight is definitely the last tale, where the viewer is kept in the dark right until the end trying to work out what’s going on.
What are my overall thoughts?
Strangely this is another anthology film I really enjoyed and while I disliked the first one, this second part more than makes up for it. There is one more movie left in the Occult series called Ultimate Malevolence. I look forward to checking that out very soon.
In the meantime, give this one a shot.
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Genre Anthology Horror
Director Frank Hui, Doris Wong, Daniel Chan
Starring Karina Lam, Michelle Wai, Terrance Lau, Cecilia Choi, You-Nam Wong
Original Title 失衡凶间之罪与杀
Alternative Title Tales From The Occult 2
Country of Origin Hong Kong
Release Date May 25, 2023