I watched Shutter while at a church retreat with a bunch of friends and enjoyed the movie a lot, so I expected a lot from Alone (which is by the same directors supposedly).Alone was not a terrible movie, every now and then it provided a bit of heart pounding excitement, overall it was a decent movie, but when analyzed, it's sort of "been done". The scares were scary enough, although the plot of twin vs. evil twin + lover is a bit overdone. And of course the twist, when you think about it, wasn't that big of a twist. A lot of the scariness is pushed to the last few minutes of the movie, such is the pattern with most horror movies.The acting was decent overall. The boyfriend played his part well, as did the mother of the twins. I couldn't really understand how the main actress couldn't remember which twin she was, seeing as how throughout the whole movie she'd been acting kind of sketchy anyway.Overall, decent movie. My youth group (including some of the kids I saw Shutter with) watched Alone while on a mini trip and they couldn't stop trying to scare each other with "Pim and Ploy" for months. So maybe I'm just being a tad bit harsh, being a fan of horror movies.In conclusion, if you're looking for a quick scare, decent acting, and mediocre plot line, this is a good movie for you to check out.I watched it alone (no pun intended), but judging from my friends' reactions, maybe you should watch it with a friend.

In Seoul, the Thai Pim (Masha Wattanapanich) is informed that her mother had a heart attack in her hometown. Pim travels with her boyfriend Wee (Vittaya Wasukraipaisan) to Thailand to give assistance to her mother. Once in her home, Pim is haunted by her Siamese sister Ploy (Masha Wattanapanich) that died in the surgery of separation when they were teenagers. Wee asks his old friend and psychologist to have sessions with Pim to supersede the trauma of her loss. But when Pim's mother is able to speak to Wee, she discloses dark secrets from the past of the twin sisters."Alone" is a creepy and scary horror movie and another great example of how magnificent is the Asian cinema in this genre. I do not know how many times I have startled with this film. The screenplay is fantastic and without flaws, and the story may be understood as a strong psychological drama (with the lead character insane and having visions, as the psychologist says, due to her guilty complex) or simply as a frightening ghost story. The direction and the performances are top-notch, with limited but efficient use of special effects. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "Espíritos 2: Você Nunca Está Sozinho" ("Spirits 2: You Are Never Alone")

Thai writer-directors Banjong Pisanthanakun and Parkpoom Wongpoom have shot to prominence in the horror genre with their debut movie Shutter, which I had regrettably missed its theatrical run here, but more than made up for it by being the proud owner of the (now autographed) DVD. In my opinion, having mustered up enough courage to sit through horror movies now (and find them really enjoyable, at times comedic though), I've shuddered at some of this genre's movies which keep on harping on the same thing, and got dumbed down by weak execution. Not Shutter, and definitely not Alone.If you think Banjong and Parkpoom are one hit wonders with their debut movie, then Alone will prove you wrong. Despite having counted on the usual lighting and shadow techniques, quick cut surprises and scares, and the pristine, well-crafted sound effects, it demonstrated that as long as you deliver the product with great technical skill and respect for the medium, it'll still be as enjoyable as watching it all for the very first time. Having a storyline which engages helps as well, and here the duo still seemed to have a thing or two for old photographs, this time showing the subject material of siamese twins, although not as grotesque as those shown in the Alone trailers.While the storyline isn't really that original, with the surviving siamese twin having to encounter the supernatural return of her deceased other, and if you look closely enough there are adequate hints of the revelatory twist to come, what mattered was how the subject again was being introduced and crafted, how tension and suspense were met out, and how easy it is to spook audiences when all the ingredients turn out right. Despite having some premise set up for the obvious, I was still taken aback at one of the scenes, and it is this constant sense of what's coming, and the expected delivery, which will easily make this a successful spook film for the mass audience.The duo had got the male heartthrob Ananda Everingham lead in their previous movie, and now the opportunity is given to the female gender - the beautiful and very photogenic Masha Wattanapanich, who plays the siamese twins Pim and Ploy. Starring opposite them in a Natthaweeranuch Thongmee kinda role, is Vittaya Wasukraipaisan as Wee, Pim's boyfriend. As Pim's mother (Ratchanoo Bunchootwong) is suddenly taken ill back in Thailand, the duo have to leave their careers in Korea, and journey back to the homeland, where the unexpected starts to happen. Pim's encounters with who she presumes is Ploy led to Wee thinking that she needs psychiatric help, but slowly, he too gets drawn into the web of supernatural intrigue.And in all earnestness, I'd say Masha had nailed her role to a fitting T. Given that Pim and Ploy's characters are key to the movie, she managed to bring out the vast differences in the character of the two sisters (of course the teenage actresses who played the younger versions also helped loads). In shedding light onto the ongoing mystery, the expected blast from the past recollection and flashback helped provide a certain richness to the entire backstory for all the characters, and in doing so, played on a common theme, one that at times I like to ponder upon - which I cannot elaborate further other than saying, is ignorance sometimes bliss, and can you live a lie?Alone is excellent stuff, even though the horrific moments might come few and far between, and there possibly was a sub-genre shift in the last 10 minutes or so. Nonetheless its numerous strengths easily outweigh the minute weaknesses, and in having delivered a superbly crafted tried-and-tested story, this could easily be a hit at the box office. Recommended for all you people out there who are itching for a good scare!

The directors of the chiller "Shutter" created another terrifying horror film. This creepy film tells the story about the surviving half of a conjoined twin who starts to "see" her dead sister when she returns home to visit her dying mother. Through flashbacks we learn how the beautiful relationship between the sisters transforms in to a repressive bond that forced one of the sisters to ask for her mother's support for a separation. When one of the twins dies, she angrily returns from the dead to haunt her sister. Strong story, strong cast dealing with recognizable themes such as rivalry between sisters, romantic jealousy and good old family guilt. A cut above all other scary movies in recent years.