That creeping dread from Hong Kong

Get ready for a fright. Hong Kong director Ann Hui's (許鞍華) latest film, the horror/mystery Visible Secret (幽靈人間), is a far cry from her previous high-minded dramas. In this movie, silver-screen siren Shu Qi (舒淇) moves about the glitzy streets of Hong Kong as a beautiful woman with mysterious powers.

Having set box-office records in Hong Kong, Visible Secret comes to Taiwan with high expectations of being the biggest Chinese-language horror movie in years.

The movie is hauntingly beautiful, suspenseful, and infused with a strong aura of old Hong Kong, as Hui captures details of the urban scenery in a bewildering storyline. There are the bleak, deserted streets of Western (西環) in its heyday and the familiar squeaky sound of the electric trams that roll about the streets. People chat about ghost folklore at street corners and Taoist priests try to exorcise evil spirits.

The story was conceived after Hui heard a local folk tale of a man who was decapitated while crossing a tram track in downtown Hong Kong. The headless man allegedly rose from the ground, took several steps and then collapsed. Fascinated and shocked by the tale Ann Hui began to develop the story with scriptwriter Abe Kwong (鄺文偉).

Eason Chan (陳奕迅) plays a modern hairdresser who meets the sexy and mysterious Shu, who claims she can see the netherworld with one of her eyes. A string of weird occurrences then takes place. Chan's father escapes from an asylum and commits suicide. Shu meets secretly with a Taoist priest and is later attacked by a group of thugs. And one day Chan finds himself lying, sleeping on a tram track in Western. He later discovers a connection to the headless man on the tram track from years ago.

Visible Secret eschews the usual horror film cliches of dark backgrounds and green-lit ghosts. Hui instead opted to depict the ghost in the most natural and ordinary environment, which makes it all the more terrifying. Ratchetting up the sense of dread and horror along with the cinematography are the spooky score and sound effects by Cannes Technical Award winner Tu Duu-chih (杜篤之).

Film Notes:

Visible Secret (幽靈人間)

Directed By: Ann Hui (許鞍華)

Taiwan Release: Today

Running Time: 101 Minutes

Rated: R

Starring: Eason Chan (陳奕迅), Shu Qi (舒淇)

Language: In Cantonese and Mandarin with English Subtitles