Zhai bian (2005)

Director:

Leste Chen

Writer:

Dorian Li (writer)

Release Date:

16 September 2005 (Taiwan)

Genre:

Drama | Horror

Tagline:

Sometimes inheritance is a curse

Plot:

A Taiwanese man returns to the island after years abroad when he inherits a house; when he and his fiancé move in, strange things start to happen.

Plot Keywords:

Ghost | Family Secret | Inheritance | Hanging | Penthouse

Cast

Terri Kwan	...	Yo
Jason Chang	...	James
Yu-chen Chang	...	Yi-Chen
Tender Huang	...	Ah-Tseng
Yi-Ching Lu
Kuo-cheng Cheng
Ching-Ching Lin

Also Known As:

The Heirloom (Canada: English title) (International: English title) (Singapore: English title) (USA)
Zhaibian - The Heirloom (Taiwan) (complete title)

MPAA:

Rating surrendered; previously rated R for some violent images.

Runtime:

Taiwan:97 min

Country:

Taiwan

Language:

Mandarin

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Taiwan:R-12 | Singapore:PG | USA:R | South Korea:15

Company:

Three Dots Entertainment Company

Great film, great visuals!

This was a great Thai film with some really amazingly beautiful visuals. The premise was really interesting and I appreciate the look it gave me into certain Chinese beliefs, particularly the darker ones. I could not stop thinking about this movie for a couple of days after I saw it, which to me is always a sign of a good film! The film is basically about this family that raises a baby ghost, which according to Chinese and Taiwanese beliefs can bring a family lots of money and good fortune. Well, this family certainly had wealth, but they did not have good fortune! In the beginning of the film, we see that they have all hung themselves in some sort of bizarre mass suicide.

Twenty years later a distant relative returns from China to claim the house, from ancestors he never even knew he had. He brings his fiancée with him and the two proceed to move in. It begins to get really creepy when a secret fourth floor is discovered and the real family history inevitably gets discovered. Now, I don't want to give anything away so I will stop there. But, I have to tell you again this film is soooo worth seeing! The acting of the lead actress is great, the guy not so much. But overall it was the really awesome visuals, coupled with an interesting story that did it for me and made me want to recommend this one.