HORROR

This 2004 anthology of Asian horror allows three directors from across the continent to showcase their capacity for creating extreme content. The wonderfully named Fruit Chan weighs in with the queasy Dumplings, which has since been expanded into a feature film. The Hong Kong director quite literally pushes at the boundaries of taste, you may never eat Dim Sum again after this nasty little morsel. Next is Park Chan-wook’s beautiful Cut, every frame is intricately constructed, the horror shot in gorgeous, crisp Technicolor. Unfortunately the South Korean director fumbles the ending. If it had been cut just two minutes earlier it would have been perfect, but the final ‘twist’ is unsatisfactory. Finally, there’s Japan’s own Miike Audition Takashi’s Box, which surprisingly is the least satisfying of this triptych. Moving at a slower, more considered pace, its surreal imagery and flashbacks just lead to confusion. For the most part however this is the hardcore equivalent of the Twilight Zone with a vicious, oriental twist.