A Comedy-Horror with a Touch of Romance Wrapped in a Ball of Crazy
It takes a few minutes to figure out the real protagonist of Sugar Street Studio. We start with a shyster movie producer who borrows money from a loan shark to make a D-movie that he may or may not be serious about. To avoid losing a digit or a nipple, he proposes his money-making epiphany. Take the mob boss’s news-worthily (and perpetually empty) haunted restaurant and turn it back into its original form – a haunted movie studio.
The best haunted attraction in Hong Kong is the one that’s actually real. They won’t have to pay a lot of actors or create special effects, also saving budget. Then they can use the perfectly imagined space to film a movie and the two haunted concepts can advertise each other. This is a slam dunk!
Pierre hires a team of horror prop and make-up artists to kit out the venue and film their customers. Once the lead stylist Gary picks up the story, narrating what they find, things start to get more grounded. ..
The team researches the ghostly history to use as inspiration for the design. The surviving lead actor – the hero on scene – retells the story of the studio’s fatal fire. With info in hand, they get to work. But they discover things weirder than their mission.
A recent trend in the hospitality industry is for customers to turn up to relieve stress by screaming. Guests who manage to see the real ghost and subsequently become repeat visitors are drawn in, and so the circle of promotion begins. It would be beneficial for businesses to make a VIP club where guests can only enter if they are terrified by it. This would help draw in more visitors, who would then relieve their stress in a more positive way.
The team has never seen the ghost because they believe that it’s a figment of their imagination.
This movie is a mix of the absurd and the scary, with a bit of romance thrown in for good measure. It’s a fast-paced, entertaining film that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Sugar Street Studio is an imaginative and fun place to work. It may have flowed a bit better with a resolution around the scam-producer and Chinese mafia ‘opening act’ strand, but they are merely comic tools in the story. The ‘main stage’ of the story is far-out, fun and fit to engage. ..
The first feature film for writer/director Sunny Lau, who co-wrote the screenplay for Missbehavior with award-winning director Edmond Pang Ho-Cheung. Director, Producer and prolific screenwriter Matt Chow plays the Producer, Pierre. As an actor, he’s appeared in over 60 movies including Raging Fire. And Yat-Ho Wong plays lead stylist Gary. Known forApart, The Gutter and Besieged City, he carries the story first as artist then as self-appointed chief investigator.
I’ve been unable to find out any information about the soundtrack, which is a shame because it sounds really fun. Lai Ying Tong, a Cantopop writer and arranger, led the score. If you have any detail about it, please let me know in the comments. ..
Apparently, in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay, you can find a live Sugar Street Studio Experience Hall and Restaurant. If you’re visiting, it may be something to check out. If you’ve been there, please tell all your friends! ..
This film is more fun than scary. It has a lot of odd twists, turns and random starts, which makes it feel like an easy watch. It’s also very entertaining, making it a great choice for those who enjoy comedy horror films. Whilst this movie isn’t perfect, there’s something about it that just makes you want to watch it again and again.
The London East Asia Film Festival (LEAFF) runs from October 21-31, 2021. For screening information on more fantastic movies from across East Asia, visit the programme here. Click here to see more movies reviewed as part of this festival. ..
