A trio of ghostly tales of terror, each from a different country, form the anthology Three. Initiated by acclaimed Hong Kong producer and director Peter Ho-Sun Chan, the film would prove highly influential in its innovative approach to pan-Asian horror, and lead to the shockingly compelling sequel, Three… Extremes. Dive into the ultimate omnibus of horror with both films lavishly restored and featuring a wealth of new and archival extras. Korean genre maestro Kim Jee-woon (A Tale of Two Sisters) opens Three with “Memories”, where a husband and wife with no memory of how they fell apart discover the terrifying truth behind their separation. In Thai filmmaker Nonzee Nimibutr’s (Nang Nak) tale of guilt and jealousy, “The Wheel”, a puppeteer fears his marionettes are possessed by the spirits of those he has wronged. Finally, in Peter Ho-Sun Chan’s “Going Home”, a widowed police officer and his young son move into a new apartment and uncover the chilling secret behind their new neighbor and his seemingly comatose wife. Three… Extremes’ unforgettable first story, “Dumplings”, directed by celebrated filmmaker Fruit Chan (Made in Hong Kong), sees an aging actor discover that the dumplings she’s been eating for their miraculous rejuvenating benefits contain an unsavory secret ingredient. Next, in Korean legend Park Chan-wook’s (Oldboy) segment “Cut”, a wealthy filmmaker is caught in a twisted game when a vindictive actor takes his wife hostage. Finally, Japanese Master of Horror Takashi Miike’s (Audition) segment, “Box”, sees a novelist plagued by nightmares of her past as a child circus performer with her long-lost twin sister, until she receives a mysterious invitation to return to the site of her old circus.
What We Thought:
I wasn’t familiar with Three / Three… Extremes and I’m a bit surprised by that. I watch a lot of Asian films including horror, but I’m not the biggest fan of anthology films so I probably missed these because of that. At first I understood why these might not have been brought up to me before, but once I popped in the second disc (Three… Extremes) I was shocked no one had told me to watch it previously.
This collection is Three and then Three… Extremes which features three stories each. I watched Three first and it’s your standard supernatural/paranormal Asian horror storylines. Three opens with Memories about a husband and wife who don’t remember why their relationship fell apart before finding out the truth. The Wheel is about a puppeteer who believes his marionettes are cursed by those he did wrong. Going Home is about a cop and his son moving into a new apartment and discovering there’s more to their new neighbor and wife. The anthology is fine especially if you like J-Horror or Korean supernatural stories.
But the gem of this collection is Three… Extremes. After not thinking much of Three, this was a nice surprise. It features three stories that are much better and it is filled with names I know like Bai Ling, Byung-hun Lee and a Takashi Miike story! In Fruit Chan’s Dumplings, Ling plays a woman who makes dumplings with de-aging qualities. An aging actress seeks her help, but soon finds out the terrible secret of the dumplings. In Park Chan-wook’s Cut, Byung-hun Lee plays a director who’s taken hostage by an extra who makes him decide between his wife and a young child. The third story is Miike’s Box which is about a woman who is a writer with a terrible past. She was once a performer with her sister until a terrible accident strikes. Three… Extremes is fantastic with great stories, fantastic acting and filmmaking and is worth the price alone.
Like all anthology films Three / Three… Extremes has some good stories and some that don’t land as well. Three… Extremes is the best by a mile to me. Three is your typical paranormal anthology, but with Chan, Park and Miike, Three…Extremes stands out on its own. You don’t need to see Three to follow along to Three… Extremes and I honestly see myself watching that way more often. This new collection is packed with bonus features and if you’re a fan of Chan, Park, Miike or the always charismatic Lee, I suggest picking it up.
Bonus Features:
- LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
- Brand new 2K restorations of both films by Arrow Films
- High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation of both films
- Original 5.1 DTS-HD MA surround audio and lossless stereo audio on both films
- Optional English subtitles for both films
- Reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork for both films by Xinmei Liu
- Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the films by Stacie Ponder and David Desser
- Double-sided foldout poster featuring newly commissioned artwork by Xinmei Liu
- DISC ONE: THREE
- Cross-Pollination Horror Part 1, a brand new interview with producer and “Going Home” director Peter Ho-Sun Chan
- Recalling Memories, a brand new interview with “Memories” director Kim Jee-woon
- Making Memories, a brand new interview with ”Memories” cinematographer Hong Kyoung-pyo
- Terror Without Borders, a newly edited interview with Peter Ho-Sun Chan, filmed in 2005 by Frédéric Ambroisine
- Between Life and Death, a newly edited interview with “Going Home” star Eugenia Yuan, filmed in 2004 by Frédéric Ambroisine
- Peter Ho-Sun Chan: Cinema Without Borders, an archival interview
- Kim Jee-woon: Memories from Beyond the Grave, an archival interview
- Making-of featurette
- Original theatrical trailer
- DISC TWO: THREE… EXTREMES
- Audio commentary on the segment “Box” by director Takashi Miike
- Cross-Pollination Horror Part 2, a brand new interview with producer Peter Ho-Sun Chan
- Cooking Dumplings, a brand new interview with “Dumplings” director Fruit Chan
- Something a Little More Beautiful, a brand new interview with Takashi Miike
- Taste, Taboo and Truth, a newly edited interview with Fruit Chan, filmed in 2004 by Frédéric Ambroisine
- More Than Skin Deep, a newly edited interview with “Dumplings” star Bai Ling, filmed in 2005 by Frédéric Ambroisine
- Making-of featurettes for each segment
- Trailers for Three… Extremes and the feature-length version of Dumplings
The Nerds Templar 