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 lthough 2003's "Shiver" is more Serial
Killer/Murder Mystery than Horror movie, that doesn't stop the distributors from
trying to lure audiences in with false advertisement. Even the movie's poster,
showcasing severed heads inside body bags, gives off vibes that we're in for
another horror film where a female character has a stroke of bad luck resulting
in the attribution of a curse by way of ghostly visitations. Although it seems
to be taking its cues from "The
Eye", "Shiver" is actually closer to David Fincher's
"Seven" -- but with a quirky sense of humor.
"Shiver" stars Francis Ng ("Infernal
Affairs 2") as Chen Ming, who as the film opens is driving wife Sammi
(Athena Chu) to her new homestead since the couple has just signed divorce
papers. Throughout the scene, Sammi is badgering Chen about his inattentive
nature, which he responds by being...inattentive. En route, cop Chen spots a
bank robbery in progress, and ends up getting involved in a shootout smack dab
in the middle of traffic, despite his ex-wife's pleas to stay out of it. Caught
in the crossfire is Sammi, who ends up in the hospital and, post-hospital stay,
discovers that she's not only being visited by a "woman in white", but
that she can "see" murders as they happen.
But fear not, Hong Kong aficionados, because
"Shiver" is not "The
Eye"-lite -- something even I cringed at, as it seemed like
"Shiver" was heading in that well-tread direction. Director Billy
Chung ("My
Schoolmate the Barbarian") and the movie's writer(s) seem keenly aware
of how their film will be sold to the general populace, which may explain why
"Shiver's" ghostly elements -- of which there are surprisingly very
few -- are played as more figments of Sammi's imagination than actual
supernatural happenings. Even though Sammi keeps insisting to her doubtful
husband that a "woman in white" is stalking her around their
apartment, Chung's camera never actually captures any such person. The spirit,
rather she actually exists or not, is always kept just out of camera range,
allowing the audience to use their imagination.
Of course the film's Third Act, which hits around the hour
mark in this 85-minute movie, points out the film's real genre. Any remnants of
a faux ghost story goes out the window in favor of a traditional Serial
Killer movie, complete with a clever killer with very personal reasons for
involving cop Chen in his/her bloody shenanigans. "Shiver" is never
scary and most of its horror elements are executed as if to conform to
expectations rather than an honest attempt at anything scary. Actually, Chung
and company seems to be using the familiarity audiences have with Asian horror
conventions to their advantage. Heck, they even throw in dark black hair and
water, a sure sign that you're watching an Asian Ghost Story -- or are you?
As the lead, Francis Ng does a fine job as the quirky
Detective who dresses like he's vacationing Hawaii's sandy beaches instead of
investigating the legless body of a famous athlete or the faceless corpse of an
infamous actress. Ng's Chen is not completely sympathetic, as he seems utterly
insensitive to the needs of his ailing wife and seems wholly absent-minded
throughout the film. But there's no denying that the man was born to play these
parts. Meanwhile, female lead Athena Chu seems to waver from looking somberly
attractive to ghostly plain, depending on how Chung frames her in close-up in
any given scene. She does okay, although working against the effortless Ng, Chu
seems to be trying too hard.
What's worth nothing about "Shiver" is that it's
a murder mystery with one of those off-kilter vibes that makes it more than
run-of-the-mill. For instance, it's never really explained (and perhaps that's
part of the "joke"?) why Detective Ng's subordinates and fellow
Detectives are essentially high school kids with guns. Shiu Hung Hui ("Running
Out of Time") shows up in a familiar role as Ng's wacky superior, who
is more concern with forcing Ng to take care of his dog in case of his untimely
death than investigating the current string of murders. Nick Cheung ("The
Duel") plays a doctor who cares for Sammi, even when it seems as if her
husband could care less about her well-being.
To be honest, I entertained a notion that
"Shiver" was yet another in a long line of assembly-like horror films
currently being churned out by the Hong Kong film industry when I first came
across the movie. The cover, as previously mentioned, helped to solidify this
expectation. But evidence of a leading turn by Francis Ng helped lure me to the
film, otherwise I'm almost certain "Shiver" might have sat on my desk
for another month or so. I'm glad it didn't, because although it's not a film of
spectacular quality, there's enough about "Shiver" to recommend.
FYI: The attentive viewer might notice that
"Shiver" does not sport a gloomy green tint from the first scene on;
thus it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that there's no horror film to be
found here.
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