I Watch 'Em So You Don't Have To

Foreign Movies That Don't Suck




Dek hor aka Dorm 
aka My School (2006) Thailand

I just couldn't face a movie I'd have to analyze carefully (the rest of the Bava collection) so I went for one I thought would be easy-peasy and a cinch to laugh at. Nope. This movie is billed as 'chilling' and 'gripping'. Not really. It's supposed to be a scary ghost story (that sort of thing is really big with Eastern culture) but instead I found it to be sweet, endearing and not the least bit frightening. I had to look up a little of the Thai habits portrayed in this movie since I'd never heard of these particular beliefs before, but other than that... The premise is that a young boy, Ton Chatree is sent away to boarding school to get good grades, plus not tattle on his father for having an affair. According to the premise he is bullied and mistreated until a mysterious student befriends him and the scares start. No. That was not the story - at least not completely. 

I mean I wouldn't want to have to go to this school - there's got to be several hundred boys crammed together, no privacy whatsoever, they bathe by using bowls in communal tubs to throw water over their heads (always wearing trunks and flip-flops) and a little soap, and eating a very bland diet. The, I guess it would be headmistress, Miss Pranee is a severe person who's had personal tragedies - each night she puts on a certain record, looks into her desk drawer and cries. Hmm.

The only reason Chatree had to be miserable is being away from his friends in this boarding school, and the fact that several of his bunkmates told him scary stories, causing him to be too afraid to use the bathroom at night and wet his bed. That's it. If that's torture and reason to be miserable... well, it's not. Ghost stories are just that, and they do nothing else to 'torture' him while he's there - he mainly tortures himself by feeling sorry for himself all the time. That's when he meets Vichien. 

Vichien is a nice young boy who kind of takes Chatree out of himself, and they have a lot of buddy scenes (this thing is 111 minutes). One night, the boys are treated to an outdoor movie. It's apparently a comedy/horror movie as the boys alternately laugh and respond to 'scary' parts. The 'ghost' hops after the supposed victims and the boys laugh. It grabs at the feet of one of them and all the boys in unison bring their feet up to their chairs. It then goes for something - more sensitive and again in unison all the boys grab theirs... all right, their danglies okay? Their balls, their testicles, their nuts... happy? Then one of the supposed victims instruct the others to hold their breaths - apparently in Thai lore, this makes you invisible to ghosts.

Now I tried to look this up but do you know just how much lore Thailand has about the dead? Way too much stuff to put here - and I couldn't find anything about holding your breath - although in the US it's an urban legend to hold your breath when you pass a cemetery lest a wandering spirit finds its way into your body... point being I guess you can have any type of superstition you want and it'll stick, no matter what the country.

Anyway, as every boy in the audience holds his breath, including Chatree, he notices his friend Vichien has disappeared. In Vichien's eyes it is all the other boys who have disappeared. Aha, we have our ghost. This frail little guy is supposed to scare us by what, being friendly? Wanting to help a kid get used to his new school? This is turning more like Casper (except a much better story). So now Chatree, who when he takes a breath again sees his friend, is aware that he is chummy with a ghost. It freaks him out at first (like I said, Eastern culture) but soon he realizes that Vichien is very likeable, not going to hurt him, and hey - he can make all the school's dogs (Corgis and don't ask me why they have them) howl in unison, which the boys had told him meant the presence of ghosts. 

He asks Vichien how he died - apparently when there was an outdoor pool, the boys were in it past their time and one was being silly and pretending to be drowing - laughing when the other boys 'rescued' him. Vichien (right at 6:00 p.m.) tries the same but the boys, knowing better, laugh and leave. But Vichien's leg has a cramp and he IS drowning now - and slowly sinks to the bottom. This supposedly is why Miss Pranee cries - she believes he killed himself and it's her fault.

So, for Thai reasons, every night at six Vichien must relive his drowning because 'his spirit can't be reborn' or something to that effect. Apparently being stupid gets you the same kind of 'limbo' as being a suicide. I dunno. Chatree witness this whole thing but despite trying to 'help' he of course can't grab Vichien because during this period he is truly a ghost. Afterward they discuss it, with Chatree definitely being eager to help his friend however he can. During this whole period his father has been constantly calling and trying to visit him, but he always hides. So you've got drama, a buddy picture and some comedy - no horror.

Chatree asks a young boy who supposedly 'knows' what to do - he must separate his spirit from his body to help his friend. So we've got a little The Frighteners in here. Chatree puts himself out with ether and runs (in spirit) to the pool to save his friend. His other classmates find him and rush his body to the pool (Why didn't he do this by the pool? Ask another Thai 'cause I dunno.) and Miss Pranee is trying to find everyone, fearing another tragedy. Chatree, in spirit form, saves Vichien which essentially 'frees' him I guess, and is revived by his friends.

So we have a lot of loose ends to tie so they spend the rest of the movie doing that. Chatree says goodbye to his friend, who is now free to, uh, move on? He is picked up by his parents and forgives his father. Before he leaves however, he goes to Miss Pranee saying no, Vichien didn't kill himself and it wasn't her fault. All ends tied, our story ends - and Chatree holds his breath now going over bridges (another Thai thing I guess) and looks forward to the next term of school.