AFTER THE PAST few years of watching Ann Hui On-wah's poignant human dramas and social commentaries, a supernatural thriller seems out of place in her portfolio. The critical successes of Summer Snow and Ordinary Heroes have overshadowed the fact that the award-winning film-maker was never just a director of 'serious' films.
As one of Hong Kong's few lauded women directors, Hui has so far managed to avoid falling into the trap of making just 'chick flicks'. In her films, one finds social commentaries such as Boat People (1982) and Ordinary Heroes (1999) alongside costume dramas such as The Romance Of Book And Sword (1987) and romances such as Love In A Fallen City (1984).
And while her latest cinematic release, Visible Secret, is a departure from the norm for her, it is very much a return to form: take the time to thumb through her impressive resume and you find psychological suspense-cum-horror thrillers Secret (1979) and The Spooky Bunch (1980) early on.
'I'd wanted to do another supernatural movie since The Spooky Bunch. There was so much I learned doing those movies that I wanted to test further my ability to scare people but despite my efforts, I hadn't really been able to find anything suitable,' says Hui.
We're sitting in the conference room of Media Asia Films talking about headless apparitions and restless spirits that roam the streets of Hong Kong - all part and parcel of the spooky Visible Secret which opens here tomorrow.
Hong Kong loves a good bone-chilling tale: the Japanese army that 'marches' through the basement of a popular department store on some nights, families that hang out in office toilets, or the woman who 'races' alongside cars on the Tolo Highway . . . Hong Kong abounds with ghost stories and urban myths. Finding one that makes your hair stand on end can be difficult, but Hui has succeeded. That's why it has taken her more than 20 years to fulfil her early ambitions.
