This listing is confusing. Amazon has merged reviews for two separate films. Some reviews are not for this film but another special effects film by the same name. The film this review is for is the New Zealand film.Jason (Yoson An) is a young Chinese immigrant raised in New Zealand. His father has passed on and his mother (Catheryn Wu) clings to the old ways. His mother arranges a marriage with a match maker/fortune teller (Geeling Ng- David Bowe's "Little China Girl" in video). She matches him up with May-Ling (Fiona Feng) who looks like a porcelain doll. The problem is that Jason has a Barbie Doll girlfriend in Skye (Rebekah Palmer).The theme is stated that a woman who dies unwed, doesn't have a husband in the afterlife which is a bad thing. You quickly discover that May-Ling isn't exactly alive, although her ghost can interact like a live person from time to time.The film is refreshing that it breaks from the normal film formula. While I praise the film for its differences, the horror aspect was light. IMDB list the film as a fantasy/thriller which is more accurate.Parental Guidance: No bad language. No sex. Shower butt nudity (Rebekah Palmer).

If there is a zero rating, I would have given it to this movie. It was so bad that I had to see how it was going to end.. When I was watching this, I couldn't help but think, "This must have been written by a Westerner who only know about all the clichés and stereotypes of the Chinese culture and tradition!!" and I was right. Even a HK B-grade movie felt more realistic!! There are so many irrational and nonsensical holes within the entire plot. Think a REAL Chinese or someone actually did his/her homework would have known and steer away from all those misconceptions.. Please google 'ghost bride' and read the Wiki entry. No one kills and people do get themselves a ghost bride/bridegroom and move on to get a REAL wife/husband in real life.. I had to post this to warn people how ridiculous the entire plot is and don't waste their time on such a piece of c**p..

David Blyth has created a nice, steady psychological dilemma in "Ghost Bride" that really draws on the conflicts of cultural past and individual present that is a very real, and very murky journey for many young people today. To abide by the ways of the ancestors or forge an independent path for one's self. Then throw in a sinister match maker with ulterior motives and the paranormal, and soon things get down right deadly. This is a really well crafted ghost story and the cast do great jobs and bringing these characters to life on screen. The film does rely completely on melodrama and personal conflict for most of the suspense so the thrills are a bit more subdued than one would expect going into the film. Just a note for anyone setting out to watch-not a criticism. The special effects are minimal, a few quick frame switch moments meant to create a supernatural element, mostly practical stuff, with very minimal CGI. This isn't like the bigger budget Asian ghost stories with heavy-dark- effects that get chilling. "Ghost Bride" takes a more casual, restrained approach where the macabre nature of the story, unease of character situations, and a steady instrumental overture combine to tale a story of tragedy, desire, and struggle. Blyth presents us with a mature, respectful story that revolves around Eastern folklore, and familial guilt. (And I thought Western mothers knew how to milk the guilt thing.) Overall "Ghost Bride" is a strong story that is told with nearly perfect continuity. The beginning is a straight forward set-up that sets the tone for the whole film. There are moments that get confusing in the middle section that could have been tied in better- mostly with the introduction to the ghost element that doesn't really solidify until the last act. Of course my confusion could have been purely cultural differences and me not fully getting the Chinese traditions. This is a nice, mellow ghost story that never really escalates or falters far from the even tempo so no major chills or thrills are present. That was a bit of a bummer for me personally, but still "Ghost Bride" is a nice little macabre film.

I do enjoy Asian cinema quite a lot, but of course not everything Asian is top notch and super great. "Ghost Bride" can be somewhat of a challenge to get through if you are unfamiliar with Asian traditions and superstitions, especially because the movie was very slow paced and detail-minded. And for those in the audience unfamiliar with Asian superstitions, then "Ghost Bride" will be unfathomably boring to sit through.Luckily I am fairly familiar with Asian culture, superstitions and traditions, but even so, I found this movie to be slow and fairly uneventful.That being said, I am not saying that the movie is all bad. It is actually nicely directed and filmed, and there is a good coherency throughout the movie, despite it lacking pace and captivation. And for a thriller, then "Ghost Bride" was fairly devoid of thrills and scares.The acting in the movie was adequate, and oddly enough the one carrying the movie was Fiona Feng who played May-Ling, who was the only one with almost no speaking parts in the entire movie.Whereas Asian horrors tend to be more spooky and eerie in their usage of the traditional ghost in a white gown with long black hair covering the face, "Ghost Bride" makes use of a more colorful and 'cheerful'-looking ghost, which was a nice pace of change.The movie is very predictable, and doesn't once throw the audience off the track, which is a shame, because you see things coming a mile away.There are nice things to the movie, but if you are looking for a proper Asian scary movie, then your money is better spent elsewhere.