Liao Shih-Han is back with the third iteration of the Taiwanese horror film The Rope Curse (粽邪3: 鬼門開), starring Zhang Ting-hu, Lee Hsing-wen, Wu Yi-jung, Jason Tsou, Wilson Hsu, Chen Bor-jeng, Liu Kuo-shao, Chang Lee and others. The movie has a runtime of 109 minutes and focuses on aspiring parkour influencer Kuan-yu, whose dreams come to a shocking halt when he stumbles across a horrible curse that might turn out to be bigger than anything he could’ve comprehended.
2020’s The Rope Curse 2 was a film with not many spooks but a lot of interesting cultural elements that made the movie dynamic. Fortunately for the franchise, The Rope Curse 3 is more creepy in a sense and plays with light and dark to create a haunting atmosphere. Although the storyline isn’t anything new, it still manages to use the things that we already know about the genre and its usual tricks to make us squirm and do something fun with it, thanks to its nonchalant protagonist and a general sense of gloom.
Interestingly enough, the movie does a fantastic job showcasing some great jumpscares and tense moments that will make your heart race a little. The movie weaves the storyline well with the cultural aspects and the various rituals, although new for many, look very believable and real. The set designs are also very well done and will immerse you in the experience of this culture. The vivid colours are beautiful to look at and create a wonderful distinction from the darkness and death all around the protagonist.
The movie also discusses the negative effects of grief and how it can change a person for the worse. The emotional moments are done well and don’t overstay their welcome by much, making them a rather healthy addition to this purely supernatural flick. Although I couldn’t really understand why the spirit in the hotel and the spirit following Kuan-yu’s father around have a correlation, the atmosphere and the breathtaking pacing keep things moving at a fast pace and keep you occupied for most of its runtime. It’s the ending of the film that feels a bit fantastical and over-the-top and doesn’t hold as much interest or intrigue as you’d expect from the climax of the movie.
When the movie ends, thus, you are left to grapple with a good timepass film that somewhat reaches that level of entertainment but doesn’t hit those feelings quite right. Thankfully, the performances are quite good, especially from the supporting cast. Zhang Ting-hu, as the protagonist, is believable in his role, although he didn’t leave much of an impact in his more emotional moments.
Final Thoughts
The Rope Curse 3 is more entertaining because of its better cinematography, direction and impactful scary moments. I must say there weren’t many moments wherein you’d find yourself laughing at the stupidity that you see on-screen, which the second film was unfortunately a victim of. In fact, for a good chunk of the runtime, the movie is quite gripping, and the dark atmosphere reels you into its lore. All in all, there is enough entertainment here to keep you hooked, but in the end, it’s just another horror movie that you forget right after you finish watching it.
The movie is streaming on Netflix.
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