The Child's Eye
Encyclopedia
The Child's Eye is a 2010 Hong Kong horror film by the Pang brothers. The film takes place in 2008 in Bangkok where six find themselves at the Chung Tai Hotel. After Rainie (Rainie Yang
) sees a female ghost and Ling (Elanne Kwong) finds a disembodied hand, they find that while at dinner, the three men they came with have disappeared. Rainie leads the girls to find their friends.
The Child's Eye premiered on September 4 2010 at the Venice Film Festival, making it the first 3D Hong Kong horror film. The film has received negative reviews noting the films script quality.
) sees a female ghost and Ling (Elanne Kwong) finds a hovering hand trying to grab her. While at dinner the three men disappear. Rainie leads the girls with the aid of Man-man and her ghost-seeing dog Little Huang as they try and find them in the hotel's underground passages where they encounter the female ghost and a strange monster which is actually a dog human hybrid.
and Bolt, the idea of producing The Child's Eye as a 3-D film was greenlit. The Child's Eye is the first 3D Hong Kong horror film and the first Hong Kong production to be entirely shot in 3-D and in high definition. Director Danny Pang stated that when he "went to see the 3-D Hollywood films the first chance we got...The technology of 3-D filming is now well-developed enough for us to try applying our horror style."
The film began shooting in June 2009 in Thailand
. The Pang brothers stated they had difficulty with the camera movement, editing, and filming on location in 3D, saying "It took 10 hours to get 12 shots. It took more time to adjust the lighting for the 3-D effects. And we needed to adjust the balance level of the left eye and the right eye—getting the correct focus is important and quite difficult." Actress Rainie Yang
said the role in the film was difficult for her, stating "I never tried this before in my previous works. It is demanding as it all depends on your own imagination. But I feel lucky that I could try such special role which others may want to try but could never have a chance".
on September 4, 2010. It was released in Hong Kong on October 14, 2010. Clips to promote the film were shown at Ocean Park
in Hong Kong before its release.
commented on a weak script, and notes that the "hands pop out of the ground, monsters lunge camerawards, and other shocktastic devices that even William Castle
would have thought corny are deployed...Outside Asia, this one looks destined to be eyeballed mostly by cultists." Film Business Asia gave the film a three out of ten rating, stating that "The Child's Eye 3D is not as lame as the previous entry in the Pang Brothers' Eye cycle, The Eye 10
...The fault, as with so many of the brothers' films, lies in the script, which generates little characterisation among its six young leads (actually three, for most of the film) and relies purely on eerie sound effects, sudden crashes on the soundtrack and ghost/monster shots for its horror." Screen Daily gave the film a mixed review, stating that the script is a "strictly by-the-numbers affair, there are more than a few nicely set-up 3D moments and a healthy moment of surreal filmmaking in amidst the film's horror-in-a-hotel tale." Today
gave the film a rating of 1.5 out of 5, saying that "poor acting, the lack of cast cohesiveness and too many plot holes makes this wannabe fright flick one huge disappointment".
Rainie Yang
Rainie Yang , born June 4th, 1984, is a Taiwanese singer, Golden Bell Awards actress and talk show host.-Career:Yang began her career in 2000, as a member of Taiwanese quartet girl group 4 in Love, where she was given the stage name of Rainie, matching the weather theme of each member. The group's...
) sees a female ghost and Ling (Elanne Kwong) finds a disembodied hand, they find that while at dinner, the three men they came with have disappeared. Rainie leads the girls to find their friends.
The Child's Eye premiered on September 4 2010 at the Venice Film Festival, making it the first 3D Hong Kong horror film. The film has received negative reviews noting the films script quality.
Plot
In Bangkok, six young people on vacation find themselves stranded at an airport due to a riot. A driver takes them to the Chung Tai Hotel, run by Chuen (Lam Ka-tung), where Rainie (Rainie YangRainie Yang
Rainie Yang , born June 4th, 1984, is a Taiwanese singer, Golden Bell Awards actress and talk show host.-Career:Yang began her career in 2000, as a member of Taiwanese quartet girl group 4 in Love, where she was given the stage name of Rainie, matching the weather theme of each member. The group's...
) sees a female ghost and Ling (Elanne Kwong) finds a hovering hand trying to grab her. While at dinner the three men disappear. Rainie leads the girls with the aid of Man-man and her ghost-seeing dog Little Huang as they try and find them in the hotel's underground passages where they encounter the female ghost and a strange monster which is actually a dog human hybrid.
Cast
- Rainie YangRainie YangRainie Yang , born June 4th, 1984, is a Taiwanese singer, Golden Bell Awards actress and talk show host.-Career:Yang began her career in 2000, as a member of Taiwanese quartet girl group 4 in Love, where she was given the stage name of Rainie, matching the weather theme of each member. The group's...
as Rainie. The romantic partner of Lok. They are on the verge of breaking up. - Elanne Kwong as Ling. The sister of Rex.
- Lam Ka-tungLam Ka-TungGordon Lam Ka-tung is a Hong Kong actor known for his supporting roles in films from the likes of Andrew Lau to Johnnie To.-Career:Lam graduated from TVB's 15th Artist Training Class in 1988. For the next seven to eight years, he was no more than an extra in most television productions...
as Chuen. The owner of the hotel. - Jo Koo as Chuen's wife.
- Ciwi Lam as Ciwi. The girlfriend of Hei.
- Izz Xu as Hei. Ciwi's boyfriend.
- Rex Ho as Rex. Ling's brother.
- Shawn YueShawn YueShawn Yue is a Hong Kong actor and singer. A former model, he has starred in many films such as Jiang Hu and Infernal Affairs II and has established himself as a recognized face in Hong Kong cinema.- Background :...
as Lok. Rainie's romantic partner.
Production
Due to the success of Journey to the Center of the EarthJourney to the Center of the Earth (2008 film)
Journey to the Center of the Earth is an American 2008 3D adventure film starring Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson, and Anita Briem...
and Bolt, the idea of producing The Child's Eye as a 3-D film was greenlit. The Child's Eye is the first 3D Hong Kong horror film and the first Hong Kong production to be entirely shot in 3-D and in high definition. Director Danny Pang stated that when he "went to see the 3-D Hollywood films the first chance we got...The technology of 3-D filming is now well-developed enough for us to try applying our horror style."
The film began shooting in June 2009 in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. The Pang brothers stated they had difficulty with the camera movement, editing, and filming on location in 3D, saying "It took 10 hours to get 12 shots. It took more time to adjust the lighting for the 3-D effects. And we needed to adjust the balance level of the left eye and the right eye—getting the correct focus is important and quite difficult." Actress Rainie Yang
Rainie Yang
Rainie Yang , born June 4th, 1984, is a Taiwanese singer, Golden Bell Awards actress and talk show host.-Career:Yang began her career in 2000, as a member of Taiwanese quartet girl group 4 in Love, where she was given the stage name of Rainie, matching the weather theme of each member. The group's...
said the role in the film was difficult for her, stating "I never tried this before in my previous works. It is demanding as it all depends on your own imagination. But I feel lucky that I could try such special role which others may want to try but could never have a chance".
Release
The film premiered out of competition at the Venice Film FestivalVenice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
on September 4, 2010. It was released in Hong Kong on October 14, 2010. Clips to promote the film were shown at Ocean Park
Ocean Park Hong Kong
Ocean Park Hong Kong , commonly known as Ocean Park, is a marine mammal park, oceanarium, animal theme park and amusement park, situated in Wong Chuk Hang and Nam Long Shan in the Southern District of Hong Kong. Founded in 1977 by the then Governor of Hong Kong Sir Murray MacLehose, Ocean Park has...
in Hong Kong before its release.
Reception
The film received generally negative reviews after its premiere. VarietyVariety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
commented on a weak script, and notes that the "hands pop out of the ground, monsters lunge camerawards, and other shocktastic devices that even William Castle
William Castle
William Castle was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. Castle was known for directing films with many gimmicks which were ambitiously promoted, despite being reasonably low budget B-movies....
would have thought corny are deployed...Outside Asia, this one looks destined to be eyeballed mostly by cultists." Film Business Asia gave the film a three out of ten rating, stating that "The Child's Eye 3D is not as lame as the previous entry in the Pang Brothers' Eye cycle, The Eye 10
The Eye 10
The Eye 10, also known as The Eye Infinity, is a 2005 horror film directed by the Pang brothers, starring Wilson Chen, Kate Yeung, Isabella Leong, Bongkoj Khongmalai, Ray MacDonald and Kris Gu. The number "10" in the title is not an indicator of chronology in The Eye film series...
...The fault, as with so many of the brothers' films, lies in the script, which generates little characterisation among its six young leads (actually three, for most of the film) and relies purely on eerie sound effects, sudden crashes on the soundtrack and ghost/monster shots for its horror." Screen Daily gave the film a mixed review, stating that the script is a "strictly by-the-numbers affair, there are more than a few nicely set-up 3D moments and a healthy moment of surreal filmmaking in amidst the film's horror-in-a-hotel tale." Today
Today (Singapore newspaper)
Today is a free English-language compact in Singapore published by government-owned MediaCorp print media arm. It is distributed from Monday to Sunday....
gave the film a rating of 1.5 out of 5, saying that "poor acting, the lack of cast cohesiveness and too many plot holes makes this wannabe fright flick one huge disappointment".