The Victim (DVD)

Also known as The Spirit of the Victim ("Phii khon pen"), this Thai ghost movie has a most intriguing premise: It's about Ting (Pitchanart Sakakorn), an actress starring in the reenactment of a murder mystery, who starts to feel a strange, undeniable bond to the victims she is portraying.

While the acting job is legitimate, it serves a dual purpose for entertainment and detecting. Lieutenant Te (Kiradej Ketakinta) heads up the investigations on various murders, while Ting's star rises. Before long, one of the stories really strikes her. She gets so caught up in the case of beauty queen Min (Apasiri Nitibhon), that Ting decides to try and solve the crime and catch the culprit herself. She soon finds out that Miss Thailand's death was much more than just a simple murder, and finds herself in mortal danger.

Often confusing — and, unfortunately, dull — The Victim has much loftier goals than its filmmakers and actors can support. The ghostly graphics are pretty goofy, and the plot has more holes and loops than a crocheted garrote.  For instance, how will the police know who committed the crime by having it reenacted? Is it really smart to do it before the public, and if so what are the benefits of that? Why should the policewoman have to be killed so that Ting can take her place?

As the details of the gruesome (presumably — only a little skin tissue, and no body, was ever found of Min) murder surface, Min's boyfriend Jarun (Chokchai Charoensuk) becomes the prime suspect. Strange dream sequences ensue, and lots of talk and creepy black-haired girls follow.

Rinse, repeat.

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