Mai is a medical student who encounters a scary experience during an experimental cadaver during her anatomy subject. After that, she's haunted by a woman ghost that keeps following her everywhere. While Mai is frightened of the fearsome ghost, her teacher Prakit is the only hope who can help her. However, when she deeply discovers the truth behind this unknown cadaver, it leads her to find a horrible story of a girl called Dawan who is linked to the cadaver.
This movie should be the one that heralds the first horror Thai movie shown here, Nang Nak.
The storyline is so mediocre and acting so steadfast.
The characters are not lively. Especially the lead actress (who resembled abit like our Mediacorp artiste Ivy Lee), she does not pose an outstanding cast and cannot project that conjectures of a victim tormented by the ghost.
The Thais are really good in coming up with different types of horror movies. Among the few that I have watched, some have really stood out. First, it was "Shutter", which focuses on a camera that captures ghostly spectres. Then, there is "Dorm", about the spooky happenings in a supposedly-haunted dorm. Not too long ago, we had "Colic", involving a baby that just can't stop crying. Now, they have gone into the walking-dead craze in "Cadaver".
Medical student Mai is having trouble facing her fears when she confronts a cadaver (a human body used for clinical study). She begins having visions and is apparently haunted by the ghost of the cadaver. As she gets closer to finding out the truth behind the mysterious body, she realises that it is somehow linked to her past and a crime that she had committed and tried to hide.
Like most horror films (especially Asian ones), this one relies on loud noises and sudden jolts to keep viewers on the edge. Dark scenes and long-haired girls (yes, there's also one here... why am I not surprised?) are also found in this movie. However, unlike other horror flicks, this one has a slightly better storyline, with some general knowledge of the medical field thrown into it.
Natthamonkarn Srinikornchot plays Mai rather convincingly. Although she tends to scream too often and too easily, it's less annoying than how little Miss Dakota Fanning did so in "War of the Worlds".
Meanwhile, director Dhulayasit Niyomkul is wise enough to take the scariest of subjects (obviously corpses are creepier than cameras, dorms and babies) and make it into a movie. The effects were pretty nifty and the corpses look rather creepy.
Overall, I wouldn't say this is the best horror film to come out of Thailand (personally, I feel "Shutter" is still the best). However, as more and more movies of this genre continue to come out from there, there is bound to be one which is going to be good enough to make it to Hollywood standard. Till then, "Cadaver" is an okay enough movie for those looking for a quick scare or two.
