Silk

The film SILK is a very different and creative horror film. I also recommend it highly, especially if you are looking for something different in the horror genre. With a mixture of sci-fi and horror thrown together, SILK is one entertaining film. The story centers around a team of paranormal investigators who are led by one stubborn and heavily driven character in search of life after death. His name is Hashimoto,(Yosuke Eguchi), and he is the leader of this special paranormal research team. I found his particular character great. Hashimoto is a man in search of immortality; but one with a catch, as he tries to unravel the secrets of life after death.

Hashimoto recruits a select research team of other investigators, and among these is a police sniper named Tung (Change Chen) who has the ability to read lips. This ability to read lips is of the utmost importance to this group of paranormal researchers, and in particular Hashimoto. Their job? To discover the mystery of a boy who happens to also be a ghost. And this is one malevolent ghost. The film introduces the viewer to what is known as a Menger Sponge. This is where sci-fi meets horror. You see, the Menger Sponge is a special anti-gravity device that can enable the researchers to ensnare ghosts. Moreover, the Menger sponge has been reverted to a liquid spray which allows the researchers to see ghosts.

Personally, I found the film fascinating. This is a very different type of horror film. And I always like something different in the horror genre. Also, the acting in this film was very good. Hashimoto's character is great to watch, but the entire film is outstanding. And there are some sad moments to watch in this film as Hashimoto attempts to learn about the afterlife. Further, the character Tung (Chang Chen) gives an extremely good performance, especially when his sick mother is introduced to the film. Chao-Pin Su did a remarkable job with this film, as the writing, cinematography and characters meshed perfectly in this very creative film. I recommend the film SILK, especially for those who like intelligent horror films. The film delivers good horror and drama, and does so in an entertaining way. Highly recommended. [Stars: 4.5]

SILK is a sleeper hit in Asia. I took a chance when I purchased the REGION-3 DTS Hong Kong release and man!, was I pleased with the decision. This is one of the best supernatural thrillers I've seen since SHUTTER, RINGU and THE SIXTH SENSE, and the best thing about it is it doesn't rely on the "WATERLOGGED, long-haired ghost" to achieve thrills. From what I heard the TARTAN release will use the same video transfer as the Deltamac release.

SYPNOSIS:(May have some spoilers)
The film is a mix of SCI-FI and the usual elements of ASIAN HORROR. A group of scientists led by Hashimoto, armed with a newly invented material called the MENGER SPONGE captures the energy of a ghost child. This invention financed/owned by the Japanese government, is quite malleable and can be used as a coat for walls, for camera filters and can be used as an eye-spray to allow the user to see Ghosts.
They enlist the aid of an agent named Ye Tung, a law enforcer from the JCCU, who can read lips and has a gifted eyesight, to assist them in unveiling the mystery of the ghost child. Hashimoto and his team lets the ghost child loose, so that,Ye, aided with the MENGER SPONGE spray, can see a strand of SILK that emanates from the supernatural child, this strand is the key to a mysterious power.
Ye tracks the ghostly boy and the strand to the horrifying truth of the child's death. Fearing that the ghost child is dangerous and for his own hidden agenda, Hashimoto,(and his team) decides to isolate him, but in doing so, they unknowingly unleashed the supernatural force in the other end of the SILK strand, a MUCH more POWERFUL, and MALEVOLENT energy.

This film really kept my attention for the whole 105 minutes. It doesn't have cheap scares, but instead relies on the plot to slowly unveal, the suspense builds up the closer you approach the climax. Each lead character is developed carefully. It is a story about love, hate and learning to let go, unlike most Asian horror flicks focuses on a VENGEFUL, Blood-thirsty ghost.
Note: The "MENGER SPONGE" does actually exist. Although, the actual Menger Sponge won't allow anyone to perform paranoramal feats or catch ghosts. I still think it is very interesting. Look it up in Wikipedia.

PICTURE: ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN(aspect ratio 1:78). The picture is nicely shot, sharp and smooth. The color pallette leans towards a "Green Bleach" hue, similar to most Japanese horror films. There are some video artifacts on some scenes, but not that noticeable. another very good video transfer from DELTAMAC.
AUDIO/SUBTITLES: Japanese/Mandarin- 5.1 DOLBY DIGITAL and 5.1 DTS. The DTS audio is the way to go. You can hear all the creaks and whispers in a much fuller sound. The English subtitles are well executed, not perfect with some typos here and there, but not distracting and annoying.
SPECIAL FEATURES: Deleted scenes, making-of, Outtakes, photo gallery, extra bonus.

This film is well-worth a look if you like SCI-FI Horror films. I saw this film 4-5 months ago(thanks to the magic of multi-region players), I'm pleased that it received a REGION-1 release this soon so people can see the quality films that come from Asia.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! (for Horror fans)[4 Stars]

I certainly agree with all the other reviews. A complete story, unique imagination, with no "missing links" and had that atmosphere of reality which a lot of other ghost type movies lack which makes a huge difference. Would have been nice if the deleted scenes were not deleted, but nevertheless, a brilliant piece of work I reckon that stands out from the others, and concentrating on detail and coherency from start to finish.