Inhuman Kiss (3/5) – Netflix Movie Review

Inhuman Kiss is a horror drama on Netflix from Thailand. The original title is Krasue which is also the name of the bloodthirsty creature in the story. While this is a slow-burner of a horror movie, it is also visually gorgeous with high production value. Read our Inhuman Kiss review here! 

Inhuman Kiss is a horror drama on Netflix that starts out strong but quickly becomes a slow-burner. With a runtime of almost two hours, it could easily have been 30 minutes shorter. And yet, I somehow find myself ready to forgive a lot of these slow moments.

The main reason being that this horror drama from Thailand is so beautifully shot. Admittedly, the CGI is not the best at times. But then in other scenes, it’s so well done that I wasn’t sure if it was CGI or somehow real. 

Read more about the movie in our Inhuman Kiss review below. 

Bloody, beautiful and slow

I have to mention the three above facts several times. Each of them is an important element of Inhuman Kiss. There is quite a lot of blood (along with both bad and good CGI), so if you like blood and gore, then this will be good for you.

The new horror movie is also stunningly shot and set in a rural part of Thailand. This means beautiful shots of the area and images that will take your breath away. Both the bloody bits and the beautiful parts are big plusses for Inhuman Kiss.

However, it is insanely slow at times. No, I don’t mean the plot or storyline for Inhuman Kiss is dragging along. I am referring to the fact that many dramatic scenes seem to be shot in a soap opera style.

You will look at him looking at her and then see her looking at him. For a few seconds at the time. And then you’ll go through this motion once or twice more before we can move on to the next scene.

It literally does come off as a spoof at times and I can only imagine how it could be perfect for some sort of drinking game; Take a shot whenever a “longing looks”-scene comes along. Only, you’d be passed out drunk within the first half of the movie.

The character-driven plot

Here at Heaven of Horror, we’re pretty big fans of Asian horror movies. In particular, we adore horror and thriller movies from South Korea, but we’ve also watched a lot of great movies from other Asian countries.

If you’re curious about the style of Asian horror movie, you should check out the HBO anthology series Folklore. Each episode is from a different Asian country and does give a pretty good indication of what to expect. Well, except for the fact that we didn’t care too much for the Korean episode. But hey, you can’t win them all.

Be sure to check out: Our Season 1 review of the HBO series Folklore here >

What every Asian produced horror movie seems to have in common, is the fact that the plot is always very character-driven. This is also why they tend to be longer than horror movies from English-speaking countries. While horror movies from our neck of the woods seem to thrive on a crisp 90-minute runtime, Asian horror movies tend to be at least two hours long.

Inhuman Kiss is no exception and while it is all about the slow-burn, it is also all about the characters. And this is something that definitely works for it.

Watch Inhuman Kiss on Netflix now!

Inhuman Kiss (or Krasue) was directed and co-written by Sitisiri Mongkolsiri. Or rather, Sitisiri Mongkolsiri is credited with the story while Chookiat Sakveerakul wrote the screenplay.

This is only the second feature film for Sitisiri Mongkolsiri, but (even with the slow-burn) it is a sharp and gorgeous movie, so hopefully, we’ll see more soon.

Chookiat Sakveerakul has written a few screenplays in the past and I can’t really fault the storyline in Inhuman Kiss. The story about the “Krasue” was engaging and I could easily watch another movie about this creature. 

If you enjoy horror movies that are built on old legends with mysterious creatures, then you should enjoy the story of the Krasue as well. Check out Inhuman Kiss and you will get a very different, but also fascinating story!

Inhuman Kiss is out on Netflix in the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK along with several other countries. 

Details

Director: Sitisiri Mongkolsiri
Cast: Phantira Pipityakorn, Oabnithi Wiwattanawarang, Sapol Assawamunkong, Sahajak Boonthanakit, Surasak Vongthai, Sasithorn Panichnok, Makorn Supinacharoen, Sahatchai ‘Stop’ Chumrum, Surasak Wongthai

Plot

A teenage girl is caught between the affections of two childhood friends while battling the bloodthirsty demon inside of her that manifests at night.