Bring Back the Dead
| Bring Back the Dead | |
|---|---|
| 招魂 | |
| Directed by | Lee Thean-jeen |
| Screenplay by | Lee Thean-jeen |
| Based on | Bringing Back The Dead by Wong Swee Hoon |
| Produced by | Toong Soo Wei |
| Starring |
|
Production companies | MM2 Entertainment Weiyu Films Clover Films |
| Distributed by | Golden Village |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | Singapore |
| Language | Mandarin |
| Box office | US$284,876[1] |
Bring Back the Dead (Chinese: 招魂) is a 2015 Singapore horror film written and directed by Lee Thean-jeen. It stars Jesseca Liu as a grieving mother who seeks to return her dead child to life through supernatural means. It was released theatrically in Singapore on January 8, 2015, and grossed US$284,876.
Plot
[edit]Overcome with grief after the death of her son, Jia En turns to a medium, Madam Seetoh, who promises she can help return the boy's soul.
Cast
[edit]- Jesseca Liu as Jia En
- Jacko Chiang
- Liu Lingling as Madam Seetoh
- Shawn Tan as XiaoLe
- Timothy Law as Tam
Production
[edit]Writer-director Lee was attracted to the original short story, which he adapted, because of its emotional depth. Lee said casting for the film was difficult, as he had trouble finding an actress in her 30s who was both comfortable with horror and playing a mother.[2] Liu, who was cast as the mother, said the role was her "most challenging to date", as she had to play a range of emotions without having been a mother.[3] To prepare for the emotional scenes, she thought about the loss of her cats.[4] Liu cited a scene in which a disembodied hand fondles her as the most difficult in the film. After discussing it with Lee, he agreed to make it less intimate, and it was rewritten to involving kissing instead.[5]
Reception
[edit]Boon Chan of The Straits Times rated it 3.5/5 stars and wrote that the story always makes logical sense, avoids cheap scares, and emotionally involves viewers.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ "Bring Back The Dead". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
- ^ Chan, Boon (2015-01-07). "Bringing back a dead son". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2016-04-09.
- ^ "Jesseca Liu is not just a bikini babe". 2015-09-21. Retrieved 2016-04-09.
- ^ Yi, Hon Jing (2014-08-19). "Jesseca Liu cries a lot alone". Today Online. Retrieved 2016-04-09.
- ^ Chua, Charlene (2015-01-02). "Ghosts? Bed scene is scarier". The New Paper. Archived from the original on 2016-04-28. Retrieved 2016-04-09 – via AsiaOne.
- ^ Chan, Boon (2015-01-07). "Movie review: Bring Back The Dead balances tears and fears". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2016-04-09.
External links
[edit]- Bring Back the Dead at IMDb
- "因长得像刘子绚 郭蕙雯客串《招魂》". My Paper (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2016-04-19. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
- "母亲为亡儿招魂 回家的不止是儿子". My Paper (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2016-04-19. Retrieved 2016-04-08.