Hung biu hyn sin ji daai tau gwaai ang
Director: Pou-Soi Cheang
Writer: Pou-Soi Cheang, Sunny Chan
Cast: Francis Ng, Josie Ho, Sam Lee, Niki Chow, Michelle Zhang
Part of: Viennale, Soi Cheang Tribute

Plot:
Ben (Francis Ng) is the producer of a radio show where people can call in to report any unusual things they have seen, any urban horror myths. One day, while TV reporter Mavis (Josie Ho) is doing a feature about the program, one caller talks about the Big Head Baby he has seen as a kid and never really gotten over. Mavis interest is aroused and she starts digging, unearthing more than she bargained for.

I was really looking forward to the Soi Cheang tribute, but apart from Accident, all of the films I’ve seen by him proved to be a disappointment. I thought that this one would be the surest win, but it, too, continues the trend of meh.

Maybe the whole thing would have worked better if they hadn’t insisted on calling the monster “Big Head Baby”. I don’t know if it’s the translation or if it’s the Chinese original. Maybe big-headed babies have an especially sinister connotation in Hongkong. But to me it sounded so extremely ridiculous, that I couldn’t concentrate on anything but not facepalming every time it was mentioned.

Apart from the monster name, there was the character of Mavis who was annoying per se, but made even worse by Josie Ho’s complete lack of talent. It was really very hard to bear.

When two such essential ingredients (monster and main character) don’t work in a film, it is hard to enjoy it at all. Never mention that I might be scared, even the slightest bit.

And so I was very bored very fast and then I fell asleep for a little bit and then I was bored some more and then it was finally over.

Summarising: well, I think that’s it for me and Soi Cheang.