Dark Devil

Dir: Denchat Rakyart

A Thai village is terrorised by a black magician who specialises in killing women and then bringing them back to life as subserviant undead housewives. This is an appealing prospect to various village sleazeballs who enlist the conjurer's help in enslaving their respective crushes. But never fear; all this misogynist villainy is thwarted by a pair of righteous Buddhist monks, who use karma and dharma to kick evil's ass! RIGHTEOUS, DUDES! This is a very strange film indeed; it plays like a public access rural soap opera (shot on camcorder, bright pastel colours everywhere, tranquil muzak, inane villager chatter ad nauseam) and then every now and again it feels as though someone has mischievously superimposed a bunch of CGI ghouls and gore over the top. If it wasn't so damn weird (made even weirder by the excruciating 'Engrish' subtitles on the R3 DVD), this would probably be unwatchable. It's essentially one 80-minute-long advert for Buddhism, but its combination of the unpredictable and the banal keeps it oddly engaging (for all the wrong reasons) on a first viewing. The ending has to be seen to be believed and, while I don't wish to ruin it for you, I can tell you it involves giant spectral cows fighting with lightning bolts in the sky. Oh yes. Also essential viewing for anyone amused by seemingly endless scenes in which Thai goofballs vomit up rusty nails, scorpions and, at one point, swords. EL BOMBA!