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Rating: 3.4/5
Review: "The Spirit of Ramayana" (103 minutes)

"A passable Thai horror movie with an interesting concept but weak execution."

As a low-budget horror movie, it has enough entertainment values. In the recent years, there are a few strong Thai horror movies with decent production values and there are many mediocre low-budget horror movies. The Spirit of Ramayana is somewhat in the middle. It may not look that polished but its themes and concept are intriguing enough.

The story: The narrative is straight forward however its editing made the movie look messy and disjointed. It is a simple story about Mintra, a young dancer who is rejected for the main role because she cannot pull off an evil and sensual side. However, a spirit helps her to unleash her dark side. On paper, it sounds like a supernatural Black Swan. It lacks the emotional depth of Black Swan as the director seems only interested in churning out cheap scares. As the plot develops further, there are (obviously) some connections to the spirit and her background (and it leads to some multiple climaxes). Its concept is interesting but its execution is weak. What the director managed to do is to create a passable entertaining horror flick that won't stick to your mind after you leave the cinema.

The pace is brisk (sometimes too fast and disjointed) so you won't feel bored. The horror scenes are not scary and rely heavily on jump scares. It's clear that the director is not experienced in horror movies. The music tone is not right at times. Sometimes the music sounds like from an action thriller and I wasn't sure if the music composer was actually watching the right movie. For acting wise, it is fine. As usual for a Thai horror movie, it features attractive leads. But their acting is marred by the laughable Khmer dubbing.  

Overall: It is a passable horror flick to watch on a lazy day. There is nothing to expect so go in with zero expectation. Watch it with a cheap ticket and you might enjoy it for what it is.

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