Keeping other cultures in mind is a definite rule of thumb when reviewing foreign movies. What another country practices might not be the way it's done in the United States, and critics can't let the resulting confusion sway their judgments in a negative direction. Still, even viewing it with an open mind, The Victim, Thailand's biggest horror hit of 2006, is a mess, and if the cheesy ghost effects and tired scare techniques don't have you giggling up a storm, the abominable subtitle translating will.

Ting (Pitchanart Sakakorn), a young acting student with bright aspirations but not the greatest luck careerwise, is stuck as a background player in game shows. She gets her big break when the police ask her to portray a murder victim in a crime scene re-creation. Her performance is so good that other police departments ask her to play additional victims, which culminates in Ting being cast as a former Miss Thailand contestant as part of a highly-publicized re-enactment. Unfortunately, after taking on this role, Ting becomes plagued with strange visions, not only of the victim she's playing but also of the gray, horrifying spirits of others who've been killed. Her character's ghost has some unfinished business in this world, so Ting must carry out an investigation in order to save her life and her sanity. 

Lately, I've become frustrated with Asian horror, especially in how a few filmmakers seem to be making up stuff as they go along without any self-generated restrictions. Of course, not all of these movies should follow a particular formula or chain of events, but there's a thin line between being inventive and drumming up new twists at the convenience of the plot. The Victim was a real test of my patience, in more ways than one. Ting's occupation comes first on my list of gripes. Yes, I know I should be objective,  but I can't wrap my head around the concept of Ting playing the victim in a crime scene re-creation, with the captured killer right there explaining his actions. Isn't it enough for the Thai police to have the murderer in custody -- do they also need photos of how the crime went down for some blasted reason? I blame my own ignorance of Thailand's crimefighting practices, but it's still a nagging aspect of this movie. 

Also irritating is how boring and by-the-books The Victim plays out in terms of the terror factor. Not only have all the scares been done to death, but their cheesiness makes them even worse. This film contains terrible CG effects, some moments of goofy presentation (the dancing ghost is as funny as anything in last year's Wicker Man remake), and one of the choppiest subtitling jobs I've ever seen. Who in the world came up with lines like "I might not get enough sleep last time" without thinking they would look a little off for English-speaking audiences?

The Victim, an extremely generic and unintentionally hilarious horror movie for the first 40 minutes or so,  stops about halfway through and takes the story in a completely different direction but still can't shake the B-movie blues it's accumulated. The lone saving grace is the acting; thanks to Sakakorn's solid turn as Ting (and, without spoiling anything, a different side of her) and a generally satisfactory supporting cast. 

The dramatic and thematic potential of a story involving an actress supernaturally growing closer to her role is endless, but watching what The Victim does with this intriguing plot is like seeing Fred Astaire do the Macarena.   

MY RATING: * 1/2 (out of ****)

(Released by Tartan Video; not rated by MPAA.)