For an Asian movie about hauntings, then "Bangkok Haunted" was quite dull and anything but scary, actually. And this is an anthology of sorts, as the movie contains three different stories - all of which, mind you, are nowhere near impressive or scary.The first story is about Jieb who receives an ancient drum from a shipping company, although she didn't order it. The drum is tied to a tragic story where a young dancer named Paga falls in love with Fond. And while a misshapen man named Gnod loves her, and doesn't have his love returned, he sort to a final, drastic measure to keep her with him. This story was actually the best of the three, but it wasn't particularly impressive in itself.The second story is about Pan, a woman who will do anything to find real love. Finding out about a strange essence that her neighbor uses to lure in men, Pan decides to give this a try. Little does she know that the essence is created with the blood of the recently departed. And those under the influence will come back from the dead if they die while under its charms. This story was adequate, but just didn't really make much sense.And the third and final story is about a police officer who is investigating a case of a hung woman, which he believes is suicide and not murder. Well, this turned out to be more of a love story than an actual ghost story.Overall, then "Bangkok Haunted" is fairly weak and doesn't even remotely have the usual level of horror and scares founds in Thai horror movies. And if you enjoy these kind of anthologies, then there are far better choices available on the movie market.I like how the movie has this branded on the DVD cover: "eerie and disturbing, each one of these stories is sure to curdle your blood and chill your spine..." Right, indeed, I guess the one who wrote that haven't watched particularly many Thai horror movies if he or she found these three stories to be blood curdling and spine chilling.

Because I'd just recently seen an actual autopsy (How do you spend YOUR spare time...?), I picked up on the fact that the autopsy in the second segment of BANGKOK HAUNTED wasn't "anatomically correct" piles of latex foam rubber or cgi. A look at the extras on the DVD confirmed my suspicions. If you're one of those sick puppies who actually likes to see "the real thing," here it is. In the flesh. Despite that, BANGKOK HAUNTED is a beautifully crafted film that (in my own, ever humble opinion) never bores the viewer- and, if the superb film-making doesn't do it for you, just ogle the jaw-droppingly beautiful women. Storywise, I didn't have a problem with any of the three segments (and the third, with storytelling twist after twist, is guaranteed to satisfy even the most jaded mystery fan). The performances are likewise solid all around, but, again, it's the outstanding craftsmanship that makes BANGKOK HAUNTED worth seeing.

Three young women gathered in a coffee bar in Bangkok tell and discuss three original ghost stories with each other: 1) The Ancient Drum: In Bangkok, the young Jieb receives an ancient drum not listed in the order from the truck of Transportation Company owned by Mr. Anake. She calls her former Professor Arkom, who identifies the markings for good luck that she describes and tells the story of the orphan Paga. In 1917, the renowned music teacher Jangwah-Chuem and his wife Peng raise the beautiful Paga with their deformed son Gnod. Paga is a good and loving sister and daughter and becomes a great beautiful dancer. When Paga falls in love for the handsome Fond, the jealous Gnod and she vanish from their village. Jieb investigates the mystery of their disappearance and discloses the eerie truth with tragic consequences.2) The Love Potion's Price: The gorgeous Pam receives a sample from her next-door neighbor of a love potion ("Ply Essence") that makes the user irresistible to men. Pam does not know that the essence is made of blood of dead women and uses in a man in a night-club, who becomes an insatiable lover. When she uses in her acquaintance Tim, she finds the price of the aphrodisiac.3) The Revenge of the Dead: Detective Nop is in charge of the investigation of the death of a woman called Gunaya found hanged in a distant storeroom. He does not accept his chief position of suicide and he is convinced that it is a murder case. He investigates the husband of the victim, Vinal, and her former boy-friend In. When he believes he has solved the case, there is a twist with tragic consequences.I am a great fan of the Pang brothers and I liked "Bangkok Haunted". The first tale has a promising beginning, an excellent development and a disappointing conclusion. It is funny that the three friends make the same comment in their conversation. The second tale is creepy, in spite of the lack of explanations about the love potion. The last one has a promising beginning, an excellent development, but I was confused about the relationship of Gunaya with Nop. I understand that she has plotted revenge against her abusive husband; her cruel lover, but it was not clear for me how was her connection with Nop. I intend to revisit the last minutes of this story to check if I have not seen any important detail. The DVD is spoken in Thai with English subtitles and I need to pay too much attention reading the lines. The surprising conclusion, showing how haunted Bangkok is, is excellent. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): Not Available

Bangkok Haunted This film reminds me more of a TV show like the twilight zone, a show of stories each separate in their own ways but have an overlapping theme. In this case, the three stories are entwined by themes surrounding the dark side of love, spanning desire, loss and revenge. Each story in there own right is an interesting tale, no doubts about that, each told by a beautiful lady, but the stories themselves are too short and seem to cut off just as they are getting interesting. There is a haunting feel to each (rather than outright horror), but the limited time scale does not do any justice to the tales. A shame as each story is well directed, acted and suspenseful. I'd recommend this for a viewing, but don't expect too much. Enjoyable fair.