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Happy Halloween this month! Like a bygone-era zombie rising from the dead, Episode 095 of Considering Horror Cinema erupts from the ground after being “in the can” for SIX YEARS! Yes, in this long-awaited episode, Jay of the Dead welcomes special guest AshXAshes of the Kill the Dead Podcast and The Rise From the Dead Podcast for a review of the original Hong Kong supernatural Horror film, The Eye (2002), a film that reportedly scared Dr. Shock! Premise: After a corneal transplant restores a young woman’s sight, she begins seeing terrifying spirits… Jay and Ash explore why foreign Horror can feel especially unsettling, the film’s emotional core, its effective ghost imagery, Angelica Lee’s excellent lead performance, and why the 2008 Jessica Alba remake falls short. They also consider the film’s subtle visual details, real-life inspirations, and the possibility of a fresh American remake. Join us!
Note: This episode was recorded in August 2020!
Thanks for listening to Considering the Cinema Podcast and Considering Horror Cinema, The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of Movie Podcasting… Don’t forget: You can email Jay, Mack and even Dr. Shock at ConsideringTheCinema@gmail.com or post a comment in the show notes for this episode.
SHOW NOTES: Considering HORROR Cinema Ep. 095
Introduction
– Jay welcomes special guest Ash X Ashes from the Kill the Dead Podcast
– Ash discusses the origins and far-flung cast of Kill the Dead
– Ash’s favorite horror subgenres: slashers and paranormal horror
– Dr. Shock’s recommendation of The Eye (2002) as one of the scariest films he watched during his 2,500-movie challenge
– Foreign horror films and the value of watching subtitled movies
– Ash’s favorite countries for horror: Australia and France
– Thoughts on Inside (2007), The Wailing (2016), Under the Shadow (2016), and The Final Girls (2015)
Feature Review: The Eye (2002)
Jay of the Dead = 6 ( Rental )
AshXAshes = 8.5 ( Buy it! )
A Few Discussion Highlights:
– Directed by the Pang Brothers: Danny Pang and Oxide Chun Pang
– Starring Angelica Lee and Lawrence Chou
– A blind young woman receives a corneal transplant and begins seeing the dead
– The original film compared with the Jessica Alba remake, The Eye (2008)
– Other remakes and sequels, including The Eye 2 (2004) and The Eye 10 (2005)
– The possibility of ghosts, hauntings, anger, and unresolved tragedy
– Angelica Lee’s empathetic and affecting performance as Mun
– The emotional importance of Yingying
– The opening-credit imagery and its possible connection to Braille and the veil between worlds
– The film’s use of Mun’s blurry, subjective point of view
– Corneal transplants as a science-fiction-horror element
– Themes of empathy and literally seeing through another person’s eyes
– Creepy ghost imagery: floating figures, the elevator ghost, a reflected face in a train window, and the unsettling Fisher-Price barn-like sound
– Mun’s special ability compared with The Sixth Sense (1999)
– The blind orchestra and the “Miss Tone Deaf” joke
– The film’s real-life inspirations: a corneal-transplant recipient and the Bangkok gas explosion
– Ash and Jay discuss what a new American remake could do differently
Wrap-Up
– Ash discusses the Kill the Dead Podcast and her “AshXAshes” social media handle
Links for this episode:
Catch up with AshXAshes here:
On X: AshXAshes
– Kill the Dead Podcast
– The Rise From the Dead Podcast
Catch up with Mack here:
– Horror podcast: Jay of the Dead’s New Horror Movies
— IMDb.com Page: Mack Robins
Catch up with Dr. Shock here:
– Horror podcast: Jay of the Dead’s New Horror Movies
— Blog: DVD Infatuation.com
— Podcast: The DVD Infatuation Podcast
— Horror podcast: Land of the Creeps
— Podcast: The Illustrated Fan
— Movie Podcast Weekly has returned for MONTHLY releases
— Listen to Jay of the Dead’s Horror Movie Weekly with Mister Watson every Sunday!
Jay recommends Nate Johnivan’s music:
— Spotify Playlist
— Quarantine Dream iii
CTC on X: @ConsiderCinema
Film Blog / Audio Podcast: ConsideringTheCinema.com
HORROR-Only Content: ConsideringHorrorCinema.com
Email: ConsideringTheCinema@gmail.com
Letterboxd: Letterboxd.com/ConsiderCinema
Don’t forget to check out Considering the Cinema’s new Episode Archive