“Realms,” a supernatural horror film directed by Daric Gates (known for “The Appearing“), takes place in a secluded area of Thailand within an ancient, eerie mansion. The plot is made all the more intriguing by linking the characters and their tales to their past lives, as dictated by the principles of karmic philosophy.
The film starts like a modern-age bank heist where an American robber couple rushes into a bank in Bangkok with guns in hand and takes two women as hostages in their attempt to dodge the cops. As they try to flee the spot by forcing a cab driver to get them out of the streets, they meet an accident in which one of the hostages gets badly injured. Eventually, they take shelter in a depleted mansion inside the woods.
Both the robbers and the hostages, including the cab driver, soon start experiencing paranormal activities, as they struggle to spend time inside the isolated place. It seems they are the unwanted guests inside the house, where mysterious forces have their sinister motives in play.
‘Realms’ – Plot
Set against the backdrop of Bangkok, Thailand, after a high-speed police chase leads to an unexpected crash, two Americans bank robbers and their three local hostages take shelter in a mysterious manor in the woods. As the criminals plot their next move and the hostages try to escape, they begin to realize no one is safe from the evil lurking inside the house.
Not much scare amid oversimplification
“Realms” has a nice plot with a lot more possibilities, but the slow pace and sketchy characters could not bring much chill or horror. We never get any real scare amid oversimplification of storyline that could have been engaging.
The whole point is when we are dealing with the afterlife scenario, the expectation of unique treatment to the plot is very natural. While we can certainly accept the fact that the ending of the film is somehow just, the overall experience in the middle is not at all good.
Overall, ‘Realms’ is not scary, and to the standards of many great Thai horror films, this stands nowhere. Well, we were kind of expecting that this film might be an interesting project with the collaboration of American and Thai actors and filmmakers.
Watch the trailer below for ‘Realms’
Cast: Praya Lundberg, Golf Pichaya Nitipaisankul, Ryan Kelley, Madison McKinley, and Air Phantila.
Genres: Horror Films, Supernatural Horror Films
Director: Daric Gates
Release Year: 2017
Where to watch Realms (2017)
