Jing Cheng 81 Hao
2014 / 90m - China
Horror, Romance
3.5*/5.0*
The House That Never Dies poster

Watches

May 12, 2021

3.5*/5.0*

A Chinese horror story based on a purportedly real-world haunted house. The film became quite the success in Mainland China, so much in fact that the owners of the property had to guard the house because it attracted tourists from all over the place. And sure enough, Raymond Yip delivered a very capable horror film.

Xu Ruoqing, a writer, moves into her ancestral house together with her husband. It's a beautiful French Baroque-style mansion, but it houses a dark history. It doesn't take long before ghostly apparitions haunt the family, but Xu's husband is so busy trying to save his business that he pays no heed to his wife's suspicions.

The film isn't terribly original or scary, but the lush cinematography and beautiful imagery kept me captivated from start to finish. Performances are good, the score is capable and though predictable, the plot is solid. It's a polished and capable horror film, prime filler if you're thirsty for a good haunted house flick.