What is going on here, I mean is it possible? Hong Kong has finally made a good, no an excellent horror movie and I'm not talking about a CatIII movie or a cheese horror comedy here. Thanks to the genius duo that made Bangkok Dangerous, the Pang Brothers have come to the rescue of the Hong Kong industry. Visually impressive, frightening and original, The Eye is a kind of supernatural thriller that we don't see very often.

By reading the synopsis you are probably telling yourself "Not a I see dead people movie again!" Yes it's true that the main premise is very similar to another very popular American movie, but I can tell you that The Eye has nothing to envy from other movies of the same genre. The story is very well built, maybe a bit slow paced in the middle but always keeps a good nervous rhythm that will keep you tense during the entire movie. I would say that the structure of the movie is very similar to the Japanese movie The Ring, in a sense that there's not many frightening moments during the whole movie until the final ending which just explodes right in your face.

The cast is also very surprising; the presence and acting quality has really given a deeper feeling to the movie. Angelica Lee plays the lead role of Mann and her acting is just perfect for the role. I think we are going to see her new face very often from now on, I just hope that she will stay in high production movies cause she really has great acting skill. We don't see much of the other characters since the story really evolves around Mann and her new psychic ability but none of the characters really felt out of place and the acting quality is always excellent during the entire movie.

Another interesting character was the therapist trying to help Mann who is played by Lawrence Chou. There's' a great complicity that will develop between these two character but fortunately for us the movie doesn't fall into stupid cliché love story and always keep that part of the movie well connected to the movie without taking over the scary feeling of the movie.

On the frightening side, the movie is surprisingly very effective. I usually find Hong Kong attempt at the horror genre very lame and stupid when they try something serious, but The Eye is really one of a kind. The special effects, by Centro Digital, were flawless. You won't find any stupid make up ghost trying to scare you with a flash light on his face here, but great and frightening realistic visual effects. I didn't find that there was a lot of scary moments during the movie but the atmosphere was always very tense and mystical which really keep you on your nerves all along the movie. There's also a lot of emotion and panic at the end of the movie, something that will make you remember this movie for a long time for sure.

Another element that makes the movie a stunning achievement is the sound and music. The Pang brothers have probably listened to Japanese director Hideo Nakata when he said that music and sound are a very important part of a scary movie. The music of The Eye fits very well with the atmosphere of the movie and the sound effects really gives you the creep during those really tense moments. A very well done job on that side indeed.

If you are like me and your faith in Hong Kong movies is leaving you, give yourself a treat and watch this movie, especially since the Americans has bought the rights to this movie. The American version will probably get rid of a lot of element since there's a lot of reference to the Chinese culture and ghost mythology in general. A frightening piece of art, The Eye is highly recommended for anyone who likes Asian horror.