My father, who last night was shoved out of his spot in bed so I could sleep next to Mum, has this film to thank for his 2am eviction. I saw it three weeks ago and there are still one or two images in my head of such creeping and vivid horror that I can still be kept awake by the thought of it.
The eye in question is actually the cornea transplant that Mun inherits after eighteen years of complete blindness (you can�t blame them; �The Cornea� doesn�t sound nearly as good.) Starting off blurry and gradually improving, Mun begins to explore the joyful world of sight again. The gaze, an endless topic of pontification in the cinema-theory world, might have nice grounds for discussion here, if I could be arsed, but it�s a horror film, its job is to scare us, and scare us it does. For Mun begins to see people that others cannot see. She also sees a strange, shadowy figure who comes to take people away. Death, if you squint, looks like he wears a polo neck. I never did like them much.
The beautiful art of never letting us see quite enough to produce fear has to be at its best here. Chilling, and minutely perfect, are the glimpses of the dead grotesques that Mun sees. I also challenge anyone to sit through the intolerably slow lift scene without needing to take the stairs for the next fortnight.
The film�s main problem, however, is that in the �I see dead people� sense, it�s a Thai The Sixth Sense, and this is a difficult film to compete with. However, as well as being a pretty successful contender in this respect, The Eye extends its themes and plot into further territory by taking Mun and her doctor on a trip to find the family of her corneal donors. It also removes the Haley Joel Osmont element, which is always a good thing. It slows down on the agonisingly scary scenes towards the end, which is a shame, but it ends up being an extremely stylish film. |
