Watching horror movies, both scary and... funny

The series of Thai films that have taken Vietnamese cinemas by storm recently are mostly horror-comedy. The first is Ghost Love (2013) which achieved a global revenue of 36.5 million USD, of which Vietnam alone reached 10 billion VND after only 10 days of release - a record number for an imported film at that time. In 2013, Vietnam's box office revenue was not yet independently recorded, but the Ghost Love fever could be measured thanks to social networks as well as the popularity of the two main actors Mario Maurer and Mai Davika.

Meritorious Artist Hoai Linh (as Mr. Dao) and Tuan Tran (Lanh) in the movie Getting Rich with Ghosts

Then there are a series of other popular horror-comedy films: Ghost in the Shell (2014), Daeng - Descendants of Ghost Love (2022, grossed 35 billion VND), Tee Yod: Ghost Eater (2023, grossed 54.7 billion VND) and Tee Yod: Ghost Eater 2 (2024), Strange Temple 1, 2, 3, 4 (from 2019 - 2024 grossed 13.4 billion, 30.1 billion, 20.4 billion, 27 billion VND respectively)... Currently Tee Yod: Ghost Eater 2 is still showing in theaters, achieving an impressive ticket sales figure: 89.4 billion VND after 2 weeks of showing.

The key point of the above series of Thai movies that attract Vietnamese audiences is the comedy element with "trendy" dialogues, ironic situations accompanied by charming acting by a cast of beautiful actors.

Korean cinema also has many films that combine tension with comedy. The latest is Handsome Sees Wrong directed by Nam Dong-hyeop, released in Vietnamese theaters in August 2024, earning 14.4 million USD worldwide, of which 57 billion VND in Vietnam alone.

VIETNAMESE MOVIE CAUSES A STORM AT THE BOX OFFICE

Similarly, Vietnamese horror films that "storm" the box office mostly combine horror and comedy elements in family relationships.

Thai Hoa (as Hu) in the movie Bloody Heart

A horror film with a strong comedy element, Bloody Heart , directed by Victor Vu, released in 2014, grossed 85 billion VND - a large revenue at that time. In addition to the attractive and suspenseful story, the film attracted audiences because of the participation of actor Thai Hoa. He was "tailored" for the type of silly, cute character with many humorous lines in the film.

Scene from the movie Flip Side 4: The House Has Guests

Lat mat 4: Nha co khach directed by Ly Hai (2019) earned 117 billion VND. Although it is a horror film, the film has many funny elements, bringing together the cast: Huy Khanh, Mac Van Khoa, Hoang Meo, Katleen Phan Vo, Jay Quan... The style of Lat mat 4: Nha co khach has many similarities with Thai's Tinh nguoi duyen ma .

Nguyen Nhat Trung's "Getting Rich with Ghosts" starring Hoai Linh and Tuan Tran was released in theaters at the end of August 2024, reaching 128 billion VND. The film combines horror and comedy elements, adding father-son affection, making the audience excited. Director Nhat Trung commented: "Most Vietnamese people like humor, so filmmakers often include this element. This genre of film still has a certain audience because currently the audience does not place too much emphasis on bloody and horror details in the script, just needing to have scare tricks to satisfy the visual and audiovisual aspects. On the other hand, the humorous element makes horror films less tense and constantly changes the viewer's emotions, so it attracts audiences. That is the way to attract audiences to the theater."

Connect with the movie with different emotions

Director Nguyen Huu Hoang (director of the movie Ma da thu 127 billion VND) commented: "The use of intertwining elements from sub-genres such as comedy, action, family psychology... with the main genre of horror has been quite popular up to now. Particularly in the horror genre, from the filmmaker's perspective, this creates relaxation for the audience, and from there gradually builds psychology or launches a highly effective scare for the audience. In addition, when thinking about the audience's perspective, this interweaving gives them breaks, not letting the tension of horror last so long that it becomes uncomfortable, helping to build a connection with the film through many different emotions.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/xem-phim-ma-vua-so-vua-cuoi-185241030231640895.htm