Eye [DVD] [2002] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

I bought this film on the strength of a review I saw and my enjoyment of the 'Ring' series of films. I can honestly say it's one of the best chillers I've seen for many years, the inevitable comparisons to Sixth sense are unfair, this film is so much better.
The 'Ring' series work by a very slow build up of dread, leading up to a focal point at the end of the film, this can mean the start of the film is quite slow, 'The Eye' works in no such way.
You are extremely quickly drawn into the film and held fast, cowering behind your sofa until the films excellent climax.
This film will not make you jump, nor will this film scare you with graphic images like 'Audition'. This film works on fear, and its scary moments will bore themselves into your psyche and rob hours of sleep from you.
A true masterpiece that for my money, is absolutely flawless.

"Get out of my chair............ GET OUT OF MY CHAIR!!"

For a blind person, it would seem like a dream come true to have their sight restored. But what if it came with a price? That is the idea behind the Pang Brothers' "The Eye" ("Jian gui"), one of the most minimalistic -- and chilling -- horror movies in years.

Wong Kar Mun (Angelica Lee) has been blind since she was two, but a cornea transplant restores her sight. At first she can only see blurry figures. But then, Mun sees shadowy phantoms leading away the spirits of the dead. Even worse, she sees the ghosts of suicides lingering on, doomed to repeat their deaths until they are put to rest.

Horrified by this, she goes to her psychotherapist Dr. Wah (Lawrence Chou) for help. Stretching professional ethics, the lovestruck doctor manages to get the records of the donor, and they go to see her family in a rural village. And guided by dreams and visions, Mun learns of the tragic life of a girl, Ling, who could foresee death...

If you like serial killers, buckets of blood and screaming blondes in your horror movies, don't watch "The Eye." As a horror movie, it will be too subtle, too quiet, and too full of intelligent questions about life and death.

There are only a couple of real "horror" moments in here, where things look grotesque. Most of the time, it's psychological in nature; at one point, we hear that suicides are doomed to repeat their deaths -- it's horrifying enough to contemplate someone killing themselves, but doing it over and over? Even worse, we see this in action.

And the Pang Bros. handle this wonderfully. Many of the ghosts appear and vanish quickly, giving a shock to the audience; at other times, they explore the changes that sight brings to Mun's life. But at the same time, the Bros. add a softer side to this movie, such as Ling's reconciliation with her mother. It's a credit to the Bros. that this is touching, not syrupy.

A lot of the impact of the film can be credited to Lee and Chou. Lee especially, for showing a range of emotions, including joy, grief, hysteria and peaceful acceptance. Boyishly handsome Chou balances out Mun in a very believable, by merely being a pillar of strength and believing her seemingly crazy stories. The only flaw is that he seems to fall for her too quickly.

The DVD also comes with a very insightful featurette, which sheds a lot of light on the film's background and production. The actors talk about their characters, the directors talk about creating gas explosions and ghosts. And we hear from the people whose stories inspired the ghosts in this film, such as the guy standing in the highway.

With good acting and a really chilling script, "The Eye" is one of the rarest kinds of horror -- the kind that horrifies the mind, rather than the stomach. Mesmerizing and really spooky.

I am a big fan of asian films and this one definitely ranks in my top ten. The story revolves around a blind girl who undergoes a successful cornea operation. Whilst still in the hospital she encounters several disturbing incidents but because her vision is still blurred she doesn't realise what her experiences were. Once she discovers that the face stirring back at her is not her own, she sets off with the help of her doctor to find out who the cornea donor was. This films story is similar to The Sixth Sense. However the Pang Brothers effort is of far superior quality. This film is a must see and anyone who tells me that the scene with the old man in the elevator is not one of the truly scariest moments captured on film must need a cornea operation of their own. But if you do need the operation check out the donors background cos you never, ever know if you've got the EYE.