Nhat Trung's shock

"Ghost," "Possessed," and "Finding the Corpse" were released within a short period of time, achieving good box office results. However, the scripts and content of these projects all sparked intense controversy.

Once considered a niche genre, not widely appreciated by audiences, Vietnamese horror films are now experiencing a strange "rebirth." In the past two years, numerous projects have been released, generating enviable box office revenue. To the point that many film enthusiasts are commenting that this is "the era of Vietnamese horror films."

Notably, from mysterious phenomena and folk curses to even the theory of the five elements, spirituality is no longer simply confined to storytelling but has been elevated to cinematic universes, demonstrating the long-term ambitions of the production team. Following the "folk supernatural universe" initiated by Vo Thanh Hoa, the most recent "five-element supernatural universe" developed by Nhat Trung has also attracted considerable attention from audiences.

Potential but highly controversial.

From there Ghost , Demon Possession and most recently Finding the body: Headless ghost, The production team aims to create a series of spiritual horror films based on stories connected to local life. Three works, each seemingly distinct, share a common ambition: to define the identity of domestic cinema through purely Vietnamese spiritual elements.

This idea is actually quite interesting and unique, showcasing Nhat Trung's creative perspective in pioneering the realization of a film universe centered around the five elements, a crucial philosophical system in Eastern culture.

Start with Ma da, Released in mid-August 2024, the work is presented as representing the Water element – depicted in a riverine setting. The "water ghost" is a well-known horror legend, with many variations in each country. In Vietnam, it is described as the vengeful spirit of a drowned person, lurking in rivers and lakes, trying to lure and drown victims.

Come over Demon Possession (3/2025), the film's promotional team represents the Metal element. This is shown through the detail of the metal necklace appearing in the coffin, acting as a "conduit" for the ghostly curses, as anyone who wears it will meet a bizarre death.

The film "Possessed by Demons" tops the list of highest-grossing Vietnamese horror films.

With In the original story, the setting, the antagonist, and the central tragedy all revolve around the element of water, making the film's connection to the Water element quite logical. Then, moving on to... The demon possesses the corpse. The introduction of the work with Kim's elements is considered unnatural. In fact, this characteristic appears quite weak in the film, and the attribution feels somewhat forced.

Most recently, with "Searching for the Corpse: The Headless Ghost ," despite being presented as belonging to the supernatural universe of the five elements, Bui Van Hai's brainchild fails to demonstrate any related elements in its content. Some argue that the work represents the Wood element, as much of the setting takes place in the forest. Others believe the film symbolizes the Earth element, with mysteries and crimes buried deep beneath the earth.

This ambiguity has led many viewers to question the exploration of the five elements within the cinematic universe produced by Nhat Trung. Except... Ma da, Both remaining works show a departure from the main theme, tending to overuse it as "promotional bait" rather than showcasing distinctive colors that are exploited in a refined manner.

With ambitious goals in recreating the treasure trove of Vietnamese folk legends through the lens of the five elements, creating a supernatural world steeped in local spirituality, the work has only been weakly represented in practice. The five elements, which should permeate every aspect of the story's structure and color scheme, are only briefly mentioned in the introduction, lacking a consistent presence throughout the entire work.

Looking at it from a broader perspective, from Ghosts, Demons possessing corpses and Finding the body: Headless ghost, Instead of overlapping to form a complete whole, creating a distinct tone for the film universe, they appear disjointed, failing to reveal any particular discoveries that would contribute to advancing the overall storyline.

Therefore, when compared to well-known horror universes around the world, such as The Conjuring, Insidious, Cloverfield good The Purge, The new Five Elements Supernatural Universe is merely a compilation of individual projects, lacking the "key"—the key that unlocks a unique direction and distinguishes it from other universes on the market.

The movie "Ma Da Co Viet Huong" grossed 127 billion VND.

Audience turning away signal

On April 25th, Finding the corpse: The headless ghost The film unexpectedly announced its withdrawal from theaters, much to the surprise of audiences. Director Bui Van Hai stated that due to several objective reasons, the team decided to withdraw the film from theaters, with a planned re-release in June. This sudden move has sparked further discussion among both observers and film enthusiasts.

Currently, statistics from Box Office Vietnam show that Finding the corpse: The headless ghost achieve revenue 41 billion VND , after more than a week since its release. In its opening week, including special screenings, the film grossed nearly 41 billion VND. 30 billion VND . Entering its second week, the film's hype has noticeably decreased, partly due to poor media coverage leading to low levels of discussion. On the other hand, Hai Bui's brainchild has faced mixed reactions, with many commenting on the film's "disastrous" quality.

Not only were the script and storytelling criticized, but the work's message was also condemned for being somewhat distorted and offensive. In response to this negative feedback, the creator... Finding the corpse: The headless ghost She said she felt sad when the message she wanted to convey was misinterpreted. She shared this with Knowledge - Znews He took responsibility, stating that his incoherent storytelling led to the unfortunate misunderstanding.

On social media, many opinions suggest that the film crew's decision to withdraw the movie from theaters was wrong. Finding the corpse: The headless ghost Partly to avoid the storm of public criticism.

Searching for the body: Headless Ghost suddenly withdraws from theaters after raking in over 40 billion VND.

Strategically, the decision to leave theaters... Finding the corpse: The headless ghost It's understandable that the film will struggle to maintain its popularity in the near future, given the immense success of the duo. Flip Face 8 But Detective Kien.

In fact, in its second week of release, despite still having a strong lead at the box office with few competitors, Hai Bui's film showed signs of weakness, with its earnings plummeting. If it continues to be shown in theaters, it is unlikely to surpass its previous milestone. 50 billion VND .

This performance isn't bad compared to the average Vietnamese horror film, but it's a shocking decline when compared to the two previous projects in the Five Elements supernatural universe. Specifically, Skin each earned 127 billion VND , while Demon Possession With a net worth of 150 billion VND, it tops the list of highest-grossing Vietnamese horror films.

Revenue slump of Finding the corpse: The headless ghost This serves as a wake-up call for Vietnamese horror filmmakers, highlighting the audience's growing aversion to low-quality projects.

Previously, Skin good Demon Possession Despite receiving negative reviews for their scripts and content, these films still achieved great success at the box office, benefiting from the strong horror craze that erupted in our country. However, as this wave showed signs of waning, horror films became saturated, lacking innovation in ideas and scripts, and audience backlash was inevitable.

The box office performance of two consecutive films has been disappointing. Finding the corpse: The headless ghost and just before that Yin Yang Path This shows that audiences have become more critical of the current situation where domestic horror films are flooding theaters without proper investment in quality and script.

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