‘The hour is coming’
The Ancestral is a 2022 Vietnamese horror film about a family that moves into a centuries-old ancestral home. Unfortunately, they discover sinister secrets and visions in the old family’s ancient crypt.
Directed and co-produced by Le-Van Kiet (The Requin; Furie; The Rich Woman; The Lost Tour: Vietnam; Bay Cap 3; House in the Alley; Dust of Life). Also produced by Nguyen Le Lan Anh and Dan Trong Tran.
The movie stars Lâm Thanh Mỹ, Quang Tuấn, Mai Cát Vi and Dieu Nhi.
Plot:
After suffering a family tragedy, a widower named Thanh moves his two daughters to a centuries-old ancestral home. Both daughters fall prey to sleep paralysis and night terrors.
Their father seeks the help of a local psychologist, but chilling secrets and visions eventually prove that all is not what it seems in the old family house…
Reviews:
” …viewers who are patient enough to stick around for the last third of the movie will be rewarded with some compelling twists and turns. Lâm Thanh Mỹ and Mai Cát Vi give very good performances as loyal sisters Linh and Yen, whose sibling relationship is at the heart of the movie. There’s a little bit of melodrama in a climactic “life or death” scene, but this melodrama doesn’t lessen the impact of the suspense that ramps up in this last section of the movie.” Culture Mix
“The Ancestral is a solid horror film with stylish production that melds its genre elements to a dramatic story involving grief and family trauma. In the end, the film does not fully live up to all of its ambitions, but it delivers an engaging combination of scares and pathos.” 4 out of 5, Hollywood Gothique
“While the film is polished on most craft levels (sharp and moody cinematography by Christopher Morgan Schmidt and a lush score by Nguyen Hoàng Anh), the CGI employed for the crawling, leaping ghosties isn’t convincing enough to get the blood-curdling.” Rue Morgue
“The film’s two most effective scares, the shadowy figures seen during sleep paralysis and a homicidal hammock are done with simple distorted photography and practical effects. I don’t fault Le-Van Kiet for trying to do something different with The Ancestral. The genre needs to find ways to shake up tired and generic storylines. Unfortunately, the direction he went in was a dead end and spoils what was a good enough ghost story.” 1.5 out of 5, Voices from the Balcony
Release:
In Vietnam, the movie was released on March 24, 2022.
Cast and characters:
Lâm Thanh Mỹ … Linh
Quang Tuấn … Thanh
Mai Cát Vi … Yen
Dieu Nhi … Hanh
Technical details:
1 hour 41 minutes
Original title:
Bóng Ðè
Trailer:
