It’s been a while since I’ve seen one, but here we are again with another lil’ horror goodie from the Philippines, “Tarot”. Fortune telling…. ghosts…. weird doomsday cults… evil curses… and romance, sigh. Yep, certainly sounds like a “Nekolishous” film alright.

Our Synopsis? “As a young child Cara has the habit of observing her grandmother, Lola Auring (Gloria Romero) at work. She is a tarot reader by profession, and her granddaughter slowly develops her talent and accurately predicted the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 and the death of two of her family members; her father and grandmother. Cara’s psychic ability seems to bring bad luck to her family rather than good luck.

Concerned with her natural ability to predict future events, Cara’s mother (Susan Africa) forbids her to read tarot cards, and the cards are laid to rest with her grandmother inside the coffin. Many years later the adult Cara (Marian Rivera) has to reopen her grandmother’s coffin to seek the tarot cards’ help to locate her missing fiancé, Miguel (Dennis Trillo) when both were separated while hiking in the forest.

She eventually finds him, but mysterious deaths start to affect people around her. Cara soon learns that it was related to the curse on her grandmother during her youth days, where she was part of a cult that worshiped tarot cards. Other members committed suicide and Auring decided not to join them, and the curse spreads to his family members including Cara herself. Now Cara must find a way to stop this curse before more people becomes the victim…”

Mmmmmm. I’ve a really good feelin’ about this one, but you know as much as I do that sometimes your Favorite Catgirl gets her hopes up too quickly for these. Still…. can’t hurt to take a peek, right? Let’s all snuggle down and I’ll tell you all how this one stacked up. By all means, gentle visitor, “Read On”!!

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A new week, another day off, and another review!! This time out a quick look at one of the horde of Indonesian horror films currently teetering precariously on top of my “To watch” pile next to the DVD player. I swear…. at the rate new stuff arrives at the apartment, I’ll be buried before long.

Our quick synopsis goes like this: “A young gentleman called Putra (played by Restu Sinaga) marries Amira (played by Indah Kalalo) and would like to give the best honeymoon experience for his wife in his privately owned island. However, strange ghostly incidents are haunting them as a newly wed couple.

From an exotic bedroom to a swimming pool filled with excitement to their romantic bathroom and in every corner of the island, a female ghost dressed in a wedding gown is seeking blood debt from the couple.

A dark secret is waiting to be revealed, changing their romantic night into a scary encounter with the ghost. Who is the ghost and why is she terrorizing them?”

Yep…. this sounds pretty much like your standard Indonesian horror effort. It’s been a while since one really wowed me…. is this one gonna be one of those amazing hidden gems your Favorite Cargirl occasionally encounters? Maybe yes…. maybe no. Am I still gonna watch the goofy thing? Yeah….

Guess you’ll just have to stick with me and see how this one stacks up. (C’mon!!…. it’s not like you don’t wanna!! Neko knows you all too well. Hehehehe!!)

So surrender to your secret needs and “Read On”!!

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After yesterday’s terrible Indonesian horror film your Favorite Catgirl needed something to clean and soothe her lil’ brain and what better than a nice Thai ghost story, eh? Mmmmm… romance, ghosts… and bloody mayhem, now that’s entertainment!!

The synopsis goes as follows: “Three ex-girlfriends, three dates with death

Has she really left you?

Ken (Chakhrit Yamnan from Bangkok Dangerous) is a ravishing young superstar and the dream date of every girl. While he can attract any woman he wants, every detail of his life ends up in gossip columns and tabloid magazines.

Two of his previous girlfriends — high-society girl Meen (Navadee Mokkhavesa) and innocent college student Bow (Atthama Chiwanitchaphan) — have already been exposed by the media. After dumping the pregnant Meen, he is now dating gorgeous young actress Ploy (Wanida Termthanaporn) and their every move makes the headline.

When news leak that Ken will marry Ploy, the media goes into a frenzy and the couple’s dream life turns into a nightmare. It seems that someone is stalking them, day and night. Is it an ex-girlfriend, an obsessed fan or vengeful paparazzi? Ken’s agent, Nimit (Bordin Duke), encourages him to take a break at his beachfront house but the problem only escalates as Ken starts to have visions of a woman and mysterious scratches begin to appear on his body. One by one, the people around Ken start to disappear…”

I just know this one is gonna be good! Wanna find out for sure? Then you’re just gonna need to “Read On” and find out…. silly!!

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Here’s a rarity in my part of the world… an honest to goodness Singaporean movie. I order lots and lots of Thai films out of Singapore (Yes.. yes… that pesky subtitle thingee… don’t let me get started on THAT rant again… Hehehehe!!) but I can honestly say I’ve only ever snagged a couple of their local efforts over the years. Since you all know I’m just goofy for ghost stories, how could I not take a chance on something titled “Where Got Ghost?”….

It’s a horror anthology by local Singaporean writer/director Jack Neo and our synopsis goes as follows: “Every year on the Lunar 7th month is the Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival and Singaporeans with Chinese heritage and background will be celebrating with their beloved family members that have passed away. Most common methods are burning paper money and offering food for their deceased family members. “Where Got Ghost” is a typical Singaporean horror-comedy movie that is divided into three stories, each with some thrills, some chills and quite a few laughs along the way…”

How did it stack up for me as a movie watching experience? Was it as charming as some Chinese ghost comedies? Or did they go with the toilet humor route that most Thai and Indonesian films like to go? (I admit I sorta expected the latter might just be the ticket here….. not that there’s a problem with that, mind you….Hehehehe!)

I guess we’re all about to find out, so you are certainly gonna want to “Read On” and see!

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November has arrived…. so winter and all the nasty snow that comes with it can’t be too far away. Along with my usual preparations for the season, I’m still getting my regular shipments of DVD’s from far away parts unknown…. and you all know what that means…. Lots of warm evenings huddled on the couch and time for yet another review!! Yay!!

Our synopsis goes like this: “This comedy/horror movie tells a story of three youths from Kuala Lumpur; Punai, (Mazlan Pet Pet) a petty thief, Asmat (Cat Farish), a car jockey, and Johan (Sam Shaheizy), a salesman.

They each received a letter from the late Pak Sudir (Piee), inviting them to his house. Upon their arrival, they meet up with Pak Sudir’s assistant, Mustika (Lisa Surihani), and they discovered that Pak Sudir was actually their grandfather who happens to be very rich.

The three of them stands a chance to inherit all of his belongings and wealth but under strict circumstances; they would have to stay at his house for three days consecutively without touching anything, especially an old Congkak. On the first night itself, strange and hilarious occurrences begin to happen.”

I catch a lot of Indonesian films, as visitors here at the ol’ Litterbox might have noticed, but Malay ones are a bit harder for me to come across… Don’t know exactly why…. they just are. Maybe somebody will explain the whole situation to me, but I get the impression that they just watch a lot of the same Indonesian produced films in Malaysia that I manage to find as well…..

So…… Is this one gonna be any good? Is it gonna stink really badly….? I’m not at all certain….. and I’m getting a weird vibe from the cover art… but it does come with those nifty English subs I love for a ridiculously tiny price, so I guess there’s really only one way for me to actually find out…. and that’s for me to give it a watch and for you all to “Read On”.

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Another day closer to Halloween, and we’ve got another creepy Indonesian ghost story for you, “The Real Pocong”. Yep… our favorite “ghost in a sack” is back…. and this time it’s gonna steal away a cute lil’ girl forever!! OMG!!

Our synopsis reads: “Ivan (Ashraf Siclair) and Rini (Nubila Syakieb) have a beautiful child, Laura. After so much time without a house of thier own, finally Ivan has bought a small bungalow out in the forest. But from the first time they step foot in the house, Laura is afraid and feels there is something wrong with the place. Rini presumes than Laura just doesn’t like the lonely house and doesn’t want to live there. Ivan feels Laura just needs some time to adapt to living there. Then a mysterious cat is been found by Laura. With the arrival of this cat, Laura feels more comfortable and forgets her initial fears. One day while sleeping, Laura always hears a song never sang by her mother, Rini. Laura sings this song to Rini for next morning. Rini starts to believe there is something strange happening with Laura. Rini becomes very afraid and becomes upset with Ivan who has hidden the house’s tragic past. He doesn’t believe in bad luck or ghosts, and dismisses her fears as foolish. Laura gets lost on afternoon under wierd circumstances. Rini believes the loss of Laura was caused by supernatural; forces, but Ivan beleives Laura has been kidnapped. Ivan goes to report to police. After Ivan goes, Rini calls in a Paranormal to help find Laura. However the Paranormal is too weak to battle against the evil spirit that haunts the house…. What can be done to save Laura from, “The Real Pocong”?”

Yep…. creepy ghosts just seem to haunt Indonesia everywhere. And…. from this lil’ Catgirl’s perspective, that’s a good, good, thing!! It means oodles and oodles of ghost stories for lil’ ol’ me to enjoy, and plenty of opportunities to tell you all about them… so by all means, Gentle Visitors, it’s time to “Read On” !

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Halloween is close at hand, o’ Gentle Visitors, but here at the Litterbox there’s still just enough time for one more Philippine ghost story before the month finally runs out, so here’s their latest to hit DVD, “Villa Estrella”. Straight to this lil’ Catgirl from my last Philippine mail order….. Ah, the joys of Internet shopping!!

The synopsis available reads like follows: “Ana (Shaina Magdayao) always has bad dreams about people getting murdered when she sleeps. Her ex-boyfriend (Jake Cuenca) drags Ana to the dilapidated resort of Villa Estrella in an effort to rekindle their lost romance. There, she is introduced to the strange inhabitants of the resort: Giselle, the daughter of one of the resort’s long-time helpers who seem to have a mysterious connection with Ana and the resort’s eccentric caretaker, Mang Gusting, who has been searching for his beloved daughter Andrea since she suddenly disappeared many years ago never to be seen again.

Giselle turns out to be one of the people who appear in her terrifying dreams. Strange incidents start to occur when Jennifer (Celine Lim), Giselle’s sister gets pulled into a swimming pool. Ana then realized she is spiritually connected to the resort where the ghosts are seeking vengeance from people who caused their death. They need to leave the resort before they become their next victims…”

Romance…. ghosts…. bad dreams…. run down resorts haunted by the evil spirits of the vengeful dead… even a sweet little crippled girl thrown in to pump up the cuteness level…. this one certainly looks to have covered all the bases for sure. But then, the real test is always in the watching, so there’s really only one way to know what’s up, and that’s if…. you guessed it… you all “Read On”….

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More Halloween goodness from the Philippines…. and this time out our “Halloween Review-athon” brings you Gentle Visitors a look at “Dalaw”…. The only ghost story I’ve ever seen about the horrors of menstruation!! No, no, no… not just the horrible cramps and nasty bloating….. but some full on ghostly haunting for good measure. Hehehe!!

Our quickie synopsis for it goes sorta like this: “Laarni (played by Katrina Halili), a journalist is assigned to write a news report about a ghost called Estrela (Kristel Fulgar) in Cavite. Estrela was said to possess teenage girls having their menstruation for the first time. By deeper research Laarni found out about Estrela’s painful past and her abusive parents.

Her mother Cleo (played by Glydel Mercado) had an affair with one guy called Amado (played by Mon Confiado). Later her father Erning (played by Tonton Gutierrez) finds out and quarrels with her. He accidentally killed Cleo in front of Estrela’s presence. Erning then starts to abuse the innocent Estrela. The question now is why does Estrela turns into a ghost after her death and takes revenge with teenage girls instead of boys?”

Ooooohhhh!! The trailer for this one certainly looked good, and as I was able to score a nice copy from a decent domestic DVD source I just had to snag my own copy. This little Catgirl can never…. and I mean never… pass up the chance for some decent subtitled Asian ghost goodness! The Filipinos haven’t disappointed me lately, so I just went for it!

Wanna see how a ghost story about  women’s periods plays out? Then you’ll just have to “Read On”, silly!!

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Another day… and another creepy Halloween goodie for you all! This time, from Indonesia, another of those scary ghost stories this lil’ Catgirl just can’t get enough of, “Kuntilanak Kamar Mayat”.

Our quick synopsis reads: “Andini is a young female college student. Lately, she has been having very vivid dreams about her sister, Miranda, who works as a hospital nurse. Soon the dreams begin to grow into frightening apparitions. In fear that something terrible may have happened to her, several of Andini’s college friends join together to help to search for news of Miranda. After talking with a woman named Vivian, who lives in Miranda’s residence and works with her in the hospital, she finds out a surprising truth about her sister. The reason Miranda left home with little warning, is because she is pregnant.

After talking with Vivian, Andini went to see another of Miranda’s coworkers, Dr. Indra. He has also been plagued by disturbing visions after having last seen his coworker Miranda. The visions include the appearance of an apparition in the hospital morgue that he thought was a Kuntilanak. He now believes that the kuntilanak is not only real, but is stalking him.

Can the friends discover what has happened to Miranda before it is too late for her and maybe for them too!”

Sounds good! Haunted morgue…. scary pregnant women ghosts getting revenge….. It’s been a while since we got to see what the nasty ol’ Kuntilanak was up too, so what are we all waiting for? Let’s all  “Read On”!!

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Well… while wading through the avalanche of DVD’s in my recent “To Watch” pile, this Indonesian one finally caught my eye again. The cover is certainly striking with it’s neat “skull illusion” thingee…. So naturally it moved right up to the top of the pile…. (and they say that what sells a movie more than anything else is a decent bit of poster art.. I guess they’re right….)

Our synopsis goes like this: “In the days leading up to her wedding, Abel (played by Nadine Chandrawinata) is visited at her home by a pregnant woman, Lisa, who claims she’s carrying the child of her fiance, Wisnu (Yama Carlos). Shocked by this revelation, Abel feels utterly betrayed and decides to kill herself. She fails in her suicide attempt and falls into a coma for a time.

Now troubled and depressed, she is comforted by her best friend, Charlie (played by Keith Foo), who asks her to take some time off at a rundown mansion he owns well away from Jakarta and her problems. Strange events begin to occur as it seems the house is haunted by apparitions of the dead. Something from Abel’s brief brush with death seems to be following her and the only way she can escape it is if she dies once again.”

Hmmmm? Well that sounds all pretty standard for an Indonesian ghost film. But Neko lives in hope for that creepy lil’ gem that will rival my favorite Indonesian horror film, “Kuntilanak”, and with that film’s director Rizal Mantovani on board for this one as well, maybe this one is finally gonna be the one!! Let’s all “Read On” and find out… shall we?

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