999-9999 (999-9999 Dat Dor Dai)
Director: Peter Manus
Stars: Chulachak Chakrabongse (Sun), Sririta Jensen
(Rainbow), Paula Taylor (Meena), Thepparit Raiwin (Ar-Chee), Thitinun Kietthanakorn
(Rajit)
Time: 1 hour 47 minutes
Year: 2002
Don't call the number. Don't pick up the
phone. Like at Alice's Restaurant you can get anything you want, but the bill
is much too high to pay. This horror film from Thailand combines the most
popular recent trends from both Asia and the United States - the technology
kills aspect of The Ring and The Phone and the teenage "and then there were
none" aspects of the Scream series. What's rather intriguing about this film
is that you could watch it - and other than the language - you would barely
know this was a Thai film taking place in Thailand. The surroundings look
very much upper middle class American suburbia as does the architecture as
do the actors. This could play at a local multiplex with some good dubbing
and no one in the audience would have a clue. I read an article recently
that the latest fad in Thailand is the popularity of "Luk Kruengs" or half
Thai/half falang in films, TV and modeling. Three of the main cast here fit
into this category - Chulachak and Paula are half Thai and half English and
Sririta is half Dutch.
A group of students who call themselves the Daredevils learn that a new
girl (Sririta) was previously in a school in Ching-mai where a student had
been found impaled on the flag pole. They question her about this and she
reluctantly tells them that it has to do with a phone number - 999-9999.
If you call this number after midnight she tells them, you can request anything
you want and it will come true - but death will soon make a return call.
Of course they all think this is nonsense and call up jokingly and one of
them gets through and asks for a Ferrari. The next day he accidentally wins
one - coincidence or not? - but the second part of the deal soon comes true
as well with an army of scorpions and a very deadly car wash combining
to make mincemeat of him. One might think this would deter the others - but
they only focus on the first part of the bargain and start dialing 999-9999
as well and asking for their dream to come true. The film seems to be poking
fun at a very materialistic Thai upper class that has lost its values of
hard work and it's parental responsibilities (this is a completely parentless
world the film depicts).
The production values of the film are really first rate - very well filmed
and great color schemes - it really could play at your local multiplex - but
the film itself is a real mishmash of good and very bad. The deaths are wonderfully
staged and quite clever - a few of them had me chortling and horrified at
the same time. The final twenty minutes of the film is also quite tense and
well done as the remaining few try and solve this mystery before their phone
rings and I found myself being a bit surprised (and delighted) at the ending.
There is though a whole other part of the film that is very bad - idiotic
humor around a fat guy who wants to join the group, fart jokes, poor group
dynamics, bad dialogue, mediocre acting from some and a few truly annoying
characters. Of course this makes watching them go to their deaths in gruesome
style a bit more rewarding! Still, for those into the Scream/Saw You Last
Summer genre, this isn't a bad imitation until the next Scream comes out.
The Thai DVD has English subtitles and has an
excellent transfer.
My rating for this films: 6.0