Haunted Universities

Ghoulish tales of the macabre, loosely linked by a melancholy paramedic, featuring an assortment of stories containing restless spirits and creepy ghosts.

The first deals with the ghost of a young woman who hung herself in the fifth floor bathroom of a university..two gangsters force a student who stole drugs from their mob boss(and the student's fiance)to the university to get the goods back, one of them deciding he wants to see a shrine located inside the haunted fifth floor bathroom, with all four suffering the consequences.

The second tale concerns the niece of a general who ordered the execution of protesting students, and how she must bring the spirits of two lovebirds (..who were separated during the gunfire by soldiers hunting them down, shooting the kids in cold blood)back together in order them to find rest. Also, of great importance in this episode is how the student copes with what her ancestor did and how she is treated by others for something a relative committed decades ago. The distinct image of the "red elevator" and the bloody student bodies of those executed is quite haunting.

The third tale, and my personal favorite, follows a medical student during a night alone(except for a practical joker/student pal always tormenting him)as the body of a cadaver is brought in..his paranoia overcomes him as the fear of dead bodies(or, to be more specific, the fear of dead bodies rising up from their gurneys to get him)provokes a state of hysteria which could further cause a descent into madness if he doesn't control the terror which befalls him. The frightened reactions of our medical student as he encounters night terrors is certain to enduce giggles..this poor kid seems to always be on the verge of shitting his pants at any moment.

The fourth tale involves Muay, the paramedic, herself. Her best friend, Sa, has been chatting on-line with a mentally disturbed neighbor named Beckhem, a fellow student considered quite the creep no one desires to associate with. Beckhem, however, befriends a fellow psychopath online who preys on Thai girls and their first joint effort for execution is Sa. But, even though their grisly handiwork leaves little left that is recognizable, will the two actually be rid of Sa?

I think horror fans will have much to rejoice about when you check out Bunjong Sinthanamongkolkul's Haunted Universities. The ghouls of each tale are a ghastly sight, most decaying corpses, in a state of rigormortis, or as they were at the moment of death. We also see ghosts of those who still remain as they were before death, needing peace.

The first is more of an "spook show" where four people find themselves trapped on the fifth floor as the ghoul closes in. They try to run and hide, but the fifth floor provides little room to escape(although take a plunge to the ground below, risking their lives just to get off this dreaded floor).

The second is more of a haunting tale of tragedy and how lives were terminated for no good reason other than to silence voices who disagree with their government and what it stands for. This one is also about bringing souls together who were split apart by unforeseen circumstances.

The third tale is a study of how a medical student(who is so distraught, sweaty, panicky, and afraid he could pee on himself at anytime)might react to a night alone nearby a morgue full of dead bodies. We see inside his nightmares as he encounters bodies, covered by white sheets, rising up, arms stretched open towards him..the highlight being one nightmare where he must remove the teeth of a burnt corpse, with clouds of steam from the body filling the morgue, as a host of charred cadavers surround him!

The final tale(..concerning two psychopaths, one a pro who has been at this for quite sometime and his protege, recruited through a chat site, who inflict all types of damage on a female victim in a secluded forest where no one could hear her scream) is probably the most disconcerting of the anthology. Truly chilling is how the pro informs his new apprentice of a team in Bangkok he would like the kid to meet, this telling us that these predatory games they play using women they stalk, kidnap, and execute, happens on a regular basis. The way a destroyed body moves steadily up the steps towards those who did it harm is really a startling sight.

There's just something about the way the director lights the scenes involving ghouls and cadavers which really generate the goose bumps, the make-up department also deserving a round of applause for their work at producing some seriously morbid, spine-tingling creations which cause fright, distress, and terror for anyone who deals with them throughout the running time of Haunted Universities.

There's an asian horror movies site that has become a major find for me and features an endless list of titles I've never heard of from many countries where it's hard to find such films. I look forward to future discoveries, particularly if they are as good as Haunted Universities.