Secrets in the Hot Spring สามแสบแอบท้าผี (2018) [ บรรยายไทย ]

 

Who knew that a goofy horror-comedy flick could contain so much heart?

Despite the occasional jump scares and the ridiculous slapstick gags, what elevates this Taiwanese offering from other films that have attempted to combine horror and comedy in the past, is the genuine emotion in this story.

It is what many Singaporean horror-comedies have never managed to achieve - think The Ghosts Must Be Crazy (2011) and Where Got Ghost? (2009) - as they offered nothing more than cheap scares and easy laughs.

But Secrets In The Hot Spring - not a sleazy R21 film even if it sounds like it - takes time to develop the characters, especially that of protagonist Xiao Gin.

There are several questions surrounding him from the start: Why has he transferred high schools at least three times? And why does he despise his family-owned hot-spring resort so much?

These are all given proper, believable answers by the time the film ends and some of the reasons may even touch you.

The best part about the film, however, has to be the strong chemistry that Xiao Gin shares with his two classmates.

Each of the three boys has his own way of dealing with the creepiness of the resort.

Xiao Gin is the braver and cooler one, or at least he pretends to be; Little Princess lets out high-pitched screams; and Lu Qun sleepwalks through it all, sometimes unintentionally.

 

 

The boys manage to play to their distinct personalities and strengths to face their fears as a group. And, often, the results are very funny.

Supporting the boys here are the equally hilarious elderly couple played by Hong Kong veterans Chu and Law.

They often look like they are having a blast as they attempt to keep straight faces while saying the most ridiculous things, including when they randomly bust out lines in Cantonese.

In Taiwan, the film received such strong early reviews that some netizens questioned if they were faked. But trust the word out there - this is fun, entertaining and, surprisingly, heartfelt.