What a shame for the Vietnamese-Thai co-production film project.

"The Ghost Bride," currently showing in theaters nationwide, is a horror film co-produced by Thongkham Films (Thailand) and Silver Moonlight Entertainment (Vietnam), with Hang Trinh as the producer. Based on a real-life family massacre, the film features a cast of young and attractive actors and received good promotion, attracting audiences to theaters. However, the film's quality and flawed script have left viewers disappointed.

Báo Cần Thơ•11/09/2025

A scene from the movie.

The main character in the film is Yen (Rima Thanh Vy), a beautiful young woman who travels to Thailand to marry her boyfriend, Bank (JJ Krissanapoom). Her husband's family is very wealthy but lives in seclusion in a remote area. During the wedding preparations, Yen encounters mysterious phenomena in the house, leaving her bewildered. On the day she puts on her wedding dress, Yen discovers horrifying secrets behind the glitz and glamour of her husband's family. She seeks help from her best friend in Vietnam, but it's too late; the sinister ritual continues, and her life is in danger…

Thai cinema is famous for many successful horror films, and with scripts inspired by true stories, Vietnamese fans are eagerly anticipating a high-quality film in this collaboration.

In the first half of the film, "The Ghost Bride" sparks curiosity about the strange and mysterious events Yen encounters as she prepares to marry into a wealthy family. Viewers eagerly anticipate the next developments, especially after learning Yen's purpose and the connection between her missing sister and her suspicious husband, leading them to anticipate a spectacular revelation from Yen.

Yet, this novel and captivating idea was implemented and resolved clumsily, full of flaws, leaving viewers sighing in disappointment. First, it's understandable that Yen only knows a few basic Thai phrases; otherwise, she communicates with her husband's family in English. However, in many situations, her in-laws, even her husband, or a ghost appears and speaks long strings of Thai words that Yen understands. But then, in the next scene, she shouts in Vietnamese, asking them what they're saying and what they want. Viewers are left confused by the characters' language choices.

When the film reveals that Yen and her friend Hoang planned to approach Bank to investigate the whereabouts of her missing sister, and then sees Yen's confident attitude during the wedding ceremony, despite her sister-in-law's objections, it seems she had prepared or devised a plan to cope with the lurking danger. But what happens next is shocking because Yen has no plan to cope and is completely passive, waiting to die. Meanwhile, her friend Hoang, who flew from Vietnam to Thailand to rescue Yen, calmly films, stops at a cafe for a drink, and acts as if he's just going on a trip. By the time he arrives at Yen's husband's house, everything is already over; the massacre has occurred. The crucial question is: if he had arrived in time, with his gentle, weak appearance, his fear of blood, and without any help from anyone, what would he have done to save Yen?

There are many other illogical details that baffle viewers, such as: why, in Bank's generation, did so many brides need to be sacrificed for the family's prosperity? Why was Yen able to choose the correct urn of ashes from so many identical ones? Why, in modern society, does such a horrific custom, claiming the lives of so many innocent members of a family, still occur openly, to the point that even characters claiming to be police officers cannot intervene…?

In terms of horror, the scare tactics in the film are not original, and the special effects and visuals are sometimes not smooth or vivid.

The film's strengths lie in its meticulously crafted settings and costumes, the intriguing plot points, and the somewhat macabre rituals that create suspense and intrigue. The young cast from both countries, including Rima Thanh Vy, JJ Krissanapoom, Cong Duong, and Jun Vu, have attractive appearances and solid acting skills.

CAT DANG

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/tiec-cho-du-an-dien-anh-hop-tac-viet-thai-a190768.html