The Park - Trapped in the Midst of Horror

October 2005 – Press Release
THE PARK
Trapped In The Midst Of Horror…


Manila, 26 September 2005 – Living up to its Chinese title meaning "Cursed Amusement Park," THE PARK provides more terror than amusement in its tale of an abandoned theme park that seems to come to life after a girl’s deadly fall off the ferris wheel. Andrew Lau (director of INFERNAL AFFAIRS) uses conventional scare tactics, jerky camera moves, BLAIR WITCH-style shots and good ol' fashion suspense to keep things tense. What’s more? Parts of the horror flick were filmed in 3D so wearing 3D goggles here will heighten the viewing pleasure! Premiering Saturday, 8 October at 21:00 on STAR CHINESE MOVIES.

14 years ago, a little girl fell to her death from the ferris wheel. Since then, eerily similar accidents have happened in the park, leading to its closure. 14 years later, a new version of the same park re-appears. But this time, it’s more a vicious ‘abusement’ park filled with haunted rides, suicidal clowns and ghosts of dead children. Student Alan (Hong Kong pop singer Edwin Siu) decides to look around the park’s crumbling remains. When the teen fails to return, his sister, Yen (waif-like starlet Bobo Chan), is determined to find him despite her Taoist mother’s (Thai star Kara Hui) premonitions that he’s already dead. Yen and a group of friends head to the park but fail to heed a warning given to them by a disfigured caretaker, who issues the standard "Get out!" warning before the kids regroup and return to the park – in the dead of the night. Soon, their numbers are dwindled by the restless spirits that haunt the ground, which was once a cemetery.

Based heavily on Chinese spiritual and paranormal lore, the film is much less violent than the standard Asian horror movie, yet still features many truly intense and spooky moments. With all sorts of hot and young model-singer-actors running around, THE PARK often reminds viewers of the Hollywood teen horror flick I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER.

Bobo Chan told reporters that all went well when the film was shot on location in Thailand. However, once they returned to Hong Kong, the production was plagued by weird problems. For instance, tapes from voice looping sessions turned out to be soundless. Those who’re not afraid of seeing a movie that seems cursed by its subject matter can take in THE PARK when it premieres Saturday, 8 October at 21:00 on STAR CHINESE MOVIES. Watch it at your own peril.