Silk 2006 Tartan Video Official Mandarin Website Buy It Now

Yet another Asian ghost story is creeping its was onto DVD courtesy of Tartan Extreme. At this point, I think we can forget about any chance of the ghost movies slowing, and apparently every writer and director in Asia is looking for that next big hit, something that very well might become the next film to rival the bigger names in the genre. Guisi, or Silk hails from Taiwan, a country that still is somewhat new to horror as far as releases here in North America go, comes yet another intriguing ghost story that is quite unlike anything that has been seen before.

A Japanese research company has been working for years on a invention they call the Menger Sponge, a devise capable of transcending the reality we know and allows the means to see and even capture the world beyond our own. Led researcher Hashimoto (Yosuke Eguchi) and his team have recently managed to capture and contain the ghost of a young boy, but now they want to learn more about their subject. This brings them to enlist the assistance of detective Tung (Chen Chang), known for his keen eye and ability to perfectly read lips. Tung however wants nothing to do with the project, at least not at first, but as he delvers into the world of the supernatural, he as well as Hashimoto and his team begin to learn there is much more to this ghost and there may in fact be murder involved as well and something even more sinister connecting all of them.

Silk comes across as a combination of horror and pseudo science fiction. The premise of the Menger Sponge actually isn’t something new, and it is something that is very much a part of mathematics, though using it to capture spirits isn’t a part of the equation. Though the idea behind Silk might sound like a rather contrived idea taken straight from Ghostbusters, it’s anything but that.

The spirit which has been captured is contained in a room lined with the Menger Sponge which keeps him from escaping, and the film goes to rather great lengths to explain exactly how it works. The ghost however is from the vengeful variety and in this movie, looking the spirit in the eye will give it the power to kill you. The little boy however is yet another victim of tragic circumstances; a former student at a special education school, his death soon becomes the mystery that must be solved, but as it deepens, there’s much more to the ghost and the Menger Sponge than anyone realized, save possibly for Hashimoto.

Tung remains the center of attention and he’s not your cookie cutter character. We find that he has a great deal of tragedy to deal with such as his mother who has been in a hospital following what seems to possibly be an attempt to kill herself. His former girlfriend Wei (Kar Yan Lam) is still very much a part of his life and it is obvious that the two still have feelings for each other. Hashimoto meanwhile does have personality as well, a man who is obsessed with his work but for a variety of reasons including his own crippling ailments.

Silk doesn’t really try and play itself off as a movie that wants to scare the pants off you but instead cleverly mixes horror with a bit of mystery solving. Tung is the ideal person for the job. The young boy is seen saying something, though there are no audible works, but with his skill to read lips, he can determine exactly what it is. However, the initial things that the ghost says seem to make little sense, at least not until the clues begin to fall into the right place. We do find that there is in fact a vengeful spirit, more than one in fact, but in a rare instance, we also see a moment of compassion from one of the ghosts, but reason here is something better seen than told.

The movie does have a few rather rough spots however, and the visuals aren’t perfect. One moment of the film has a ghost appearing through a bowl of soup and it’s done rather poorly. The same can be said for a car accident that is just far too ridiculous looking for its own good. However, it is rare to find a movie that involves the supernatural, let alone ghosts, that is a perfect thing when it comes to the visuals, and the few instance of poor special effects don’t really take away from the overall story of Silk.

Another interesting thing found in the movie is the usage of language. Initially you’ll find English used, though briefly, and it’s just to introduce what’s to come. The rest of the film uses Japanese, primarily from the researches, as well as Hokkien and Mandarin. Even Tung’s character speaks in Japanese when dealing with Hashimoto, though with quite an accent.

The DVD of course does include a few extra features. There is a making of that is fairly interesting. A collection of deleted scenes and outtakes, and alternate ending which is really more of an extended ending that I found a bit disappointing that it was removed, and a look at the trailers for Silk. Overall, what’s found here is not too bad as far as bonus material goes.

Silk is a few steps outside of the commonality seen in Asian horror, and for a ghost story, this one is rather well crafted. The concept of catching a spirit by any means certainly isn’t a groundbreaking idea, but the way that Silk goes about it undoubtedly is. This is one of the more memorable Asian ghost tales I’ve seen recently and one that doesn’t manage to lump itself in with the numerous others that have been getting picked up for release in the past year or so.

-mike-