Review of Phobia 2 (2009) by Prabhat R — 19 Jul 2012

This is the second in the âPhobiaâ? series. This one doesnâ(TM)t have a single short that may be termed âremotely scaryâ?. Sure, theyâ(TM)re startling, gory, gross and even rib-tickling, but barring, maybe, a couple of scenes, this movie doesnâ(TM)t make the cut of being called a scary flick.

Unlike its predecessor, this movie had five shorts, hence the name.

Novice: This first short is about a delinquent who, due to his pretty sociopathic tendencies, ends up doing something horrifying. To keep him away from the lawâ(TM)s reach, his mother decides to enroll him in a hermitage, located deep in a dense jungle. Hoping that the boy would get some time to reflect on his actions, repent and probably, come out as a better person, his mother entrusts him in the hands of monks residing there. However, due to his aggressive nature and anarchic demeanor, he ends up incensing âThe Hungry Ghostâ? that the local monks make their yearly offerings to, to keep his ire at bay. Thereafter, itâ(TM)s your run-of-the-mill horror fare. One noteworthy thing about this short is its unimaginable and pretty unexpected end. You might like it or hate it, but the climax was pretty original. The director had a nice grasp over the subject and he ably magnified the already-present eerie atmosphere of the forest, adding to the overall frightful undercurrents. There were some really unique, startling scenes, but few and far between, and they didnâ(TM)t help much in creating an indelible impression, when considering the short in its entirety. All the actors delivered handsomely, but the short left more to be desired.

Ward: Our lead in this short is hospitalized after getting into an accident. The ward heâ(TM)s been put into is shared by another old, comatose, dying patient; but dies a couple of scenes later. But, as is always the case with such movies, no oneâ(TM)s really dead. Now, are they? Else, how will they ever scare us, or try to scare us, which this movie does and fails; at least for me. You have your usual cuts; uproarious background score to herald the creepiness lying just around the corner; the camera movement accompanied by the relaxed expression on the characters face, only to find a ghost staring him in the eyes a moment later. Itâ(TM)s all there, and a well-versed moviegoer would not be scared by such gimmicks. Heâ(TM)ll be startled; hell, anyone would be, if a weird-looking guy with an equally weird makeup is thrown right into your face for a fraction of a second, combined with a blaring percussive music. There werenâ(TM)t any scary moments at all. Like for every other horror movie out there, I was waiting for the âtwistâ? for this one, too. It was unexpected, but not a good one. In the end, I just didnâ(TM)t care for any character, or the plot, or the purported âOMFGâ? factor.

Backpackers: A Japanese couple, on their way to Bangkok, hitches a truck-ride, only to find out later, that the truck is carrying a multitude of dead bodies. Apparently, the helper of the truck driver has been earning quick bucks on the side by using the illegal immigrants they traffic as drug mules, which the driver is ignorant about. But this time, things donâ(TM)t go as planned, and the drugs end up poisoning each one of those mules, leading to their unforeseen demise. From there on, it takes the â28 Days Laterâ? turn. The dead ones rise, baying for human blood. Yes, the same, old, zombie trick, with the usual âtwistâ? in the end. And again, as usual, the trick wasnâ(TM)t good enough for me. No scares here either, but lots of blood being sprayed. Acting was okay, since the movie didnâ(TM)t demand from its characters any more than a hell lot of screams and moaning.

Salvage: Our female lead here is a used-car saleswoman. All the cars that end up as metal garbage after getting into accidents, or are abandoned for some reason, end up in this car lot after the needed overhaul. On an ordinary night, her toddler suddenly disappears among these cars while playing, and she sets out to find him, only to be confronted with the horror related with each and every car. This sets the stage for some truly horrifying moments, not startling ones, but truly "WOW" ones. One particular sceneâ(TM)s too gory for an average viewer. But for a veteran like me (:P), itâ(TM)s just another day at the movies. The director really left some fine touches in certain scenes. It was the shopworn âin-your-faceâ? approach, but the short still managed to elicit some admiration from me. Some scenes were subtle, yet damn impressive. The âtwistâ? for this one was well thought-out, grounded in reality, and left me pretty flattered. This movie is the second-best short in this installment of anthology. The following short takes the honor of being the best short in the list.

In The End: First of all, itâ(TM)d been quite a long time since I laughed my ass off, and this movie helped me recall how it feels to have your sides in split. This movie shares its characters and actors from another short called âThe Man In The Middleâ?, featured in the first part of the âPhobiaâ? franchise. The foursomes are in the moviemaking business, and are on set of a horror flick titled âAlone 2â?. Yes, âAlone 2â? is the fictional sequel to the real-world movie âAloneâ? made by the same director (Banjong Pisanthanakun) as this short. What else, this movie also has the same leading lady as the original. You can now pretty much guess that this short is utilizing every trick in the book to poke fun at the horror genre and the approach directors undertake to make one. Hell, it even makes fun of the obsession about the âtwist in the endâ? concept. In one scene, the four guys are discussing what would be an apt twist for the movie theyâ(TM)re shooting, and the options they come up with are damn hilarious. The plot of the short involves some misunderstandings, which is amplified and aggravated to humorous extent by the beliefs inspired from all the typical horror fare. What ensues is a rib-tickling, 15-odd-minute parody, leading to the twist of the finale. All the actors were damn good in their performances; especially the actors playing the role of Shin, Puak and Tre. Even the leading lady of the fictional sequel/short (Marsha Wattanapanich), showed amazing comic timing. She should do more comic roles, instead of playing a poker-faced, distraught, horrified soul (read performance in âAloneâ?). All in all, this short is the only reason you should not miss the movie.

To wrap it up, the first three shorts fail to evoke even an iota of fright. The second-last short was a cut above the previous three shorts, and the final one takes the cake, despite being anything but horrifying. And yes, it's better than "4bia", if you look at the whole package.