Spooky stories concerning hotels in Genting Highland is nothing new for Malaysians and probably, among HK celebrities, too. FAMA duo have personally related their paranormal experience at Genting to me and so has Hins Cheung, to my friend. Ria apartment, First World, Genting Hotel ...all have their fair share of haunted tales but the most eerie one has got to be Amber Court, which is about 15 minutes away from Genting Resort. Just the exterior of the building send chills down your spine (although it looks much better now after being renovated in 2012). I just did a search and was surprised that Amber Court is still being rented out. God bless those unsuspecting and desperate folks who had to stay at this place.
The movie "Haunted Hotel" was shot at Amber Court during the middle of last year. It piqued my curiosity then because I've been a huge fan of the leading lady, Aom Sushar (Sushar Manaying), for years. Aom is a Thai actress whose popularity is on the rise (from Aom/Tina to Aom/Mike shippers) and is a well known figure in Asean countries. Despite the urban legend surrounding hotels in Genting (and not forgetting, Karak Highway) for ages, I don't recollect having seen any horror movies being made about this place. "Haunted Hotel " is produced by Penangite, Ryon Lee. Ryon is no stranger to the local movie scene and used to be a scripwriter before taking-up directing. Aside from having Aom in the line-up, this movie also stars Leon Li Chuan (Mainland China) and Malaysia is represented by Teddy Chin, plus a cameo appearance of Alvin Chong. The dialogue is in Mandarin and it's impressive that there is no dubbing on Aom's part. She speaks all her Mandarin lines although she only understands basic Mandarin.
I have had the chance to watch the movie premiere and for a locally produced movie, I would rate it a 7 out of 10. First off, a haunted movie that centers around an iconic place like Genting is definitely intriguing for horror fans like me. The creepier, the better ! After all, Amber Court is voted as one of the top 10 haunted hotels in Asia. In addition,sterling effort from all in the acting department. Scripts were kinda cheesy at times but still bearable. The only complain that I have is they tried to throw in too many twists/revelations towards the end. Scare factor and special effects are quite commendable for a local flick. The director has also filmed a different version of this movie to penetrate the China market. Apparently, the Chinese authorities oppose any movies that promotes ghosts and cults. Yup, certainly no Pennywise and Annabelle will show-up in China's cinemas. The director also shared his eerie encounter during filming (watch the clip). I was extremely excited to see Aom for the first time, too - darn gorgeous and sweeeeeeet ! Really hope that I could see her again soon as we don't really get much chance to see Thai artistes in Malaysia. The movie will be released nationwide on October 19th.
