The Death Spell is a Chinese film from 2012, has nothing to do with the Korean horror film of the same name The Death Spell of 2004.
The film begins when two couples Mu Fang and Sisi Liu, Liao Lo and Fei, go to a rented country house. There, away from the noise of the big city, they must prepare for a theatrical production in which Fey is to play the main role, but in the evening they become bored, and they decide to have fun by summoning spirits.
I can say that the Chinese film is quite boring and drawn out. To call horrors my tongue will not turn, there is nothing that could scare or at least cringe from sudden boom-moments. Usually, if the horrors do not work, the director can pay attention to the drama or tragedy of a person, but this is also not, I do not know why the director did not want to reveal the characters, but for me 4 friends, left without attention. Since the actors gave out an extremely uninteresting acting, there was neither love, nor jealousy, nor attraction between them.
But the atmosphere of the film itself was more depressing, there was no emotional uplift and enthusiasm inherent in many Asian films, the plot goes slowly and leisurely, just as old Chinese songs from a tape recorder sound, which can lull any viewer. And slow romantic melodies reverberating in the memories of the characters do not fit with the given genre, although I cannot admit that the film looked aesthetically beautiful.
Of the visible advantages, I can note good landscapes and views that open to us throughout the film, the country house is huge and abandoned looks gloomy and intimidating even during the day, not to mention the night time, at which the house becomes truly creepy.
The Death Spell is a film about ambition and jealousy, it is not horrors per se, it is a mystical thriller that neither the actors due to age nor the director due to a limited budget could reveal. I like something, I don’t like it, so I’ll be neutral.
5 out of 10