The film involves a young lady, Alyssa (Marina Resa) who gets a housekeeping job at an isolated house in the desert to try to get away from her obsessive ex-boyfriend. Her employer is Miss Wu (Shirley To), whose father was an expatriate Chinese architect who designed the home in which they live. Miss Wu and her Aunt Chen (Akiko Shima) are devout followers of the old Chinese folk ways, and perform rituals to appease the spirits wandering the earth. Alyssa has arrived, it seems, at the beginning of ghost month, the thirty days of the year in which the spirits of the dead come up from hell and try to find someone to trade places with them.

In order to keep the evil spirits at bay, one only has to follow a few simple rules. These include not whistling, not turning around if one's name is called, and not disturbing the ashes of the burnt offerings made to the ghosts. Of course, Alyssa breaks each of these rules prior to being told that she ought to keep them, inviting all sorts of bad luck, terrifying visions and fainting spells. Far from being a sympathetic protagonist, Alyssa is constantly snooping into Miss Wu's things and casually violating the less than onerous house rules set out by her employer. For instance, even though Miss Wu has forbidden guests without prior approval, Alyssa allows handsome neighbor Blake (Rick Irvin) over for a glass of tea, makes long distance phone calls and tries on dresses that don't belong to her.

In the course of her snooping, Alyssa discovers that the previous housekeeper Mei Ling mysteriously disappeared a few months before she herself started. Miss Wu intimates that Blake may have had something to do with the disappearance, though she can prove nothing. During this time, Alyssa has repeated visions of ghosts, animated corpses and dark mists, which seem to transport her to the half finished basement of the house and view terrifying scenes that may or may not be real. After these episodes, she will wake up to find that she has passed out on the floor. Something is definitely wrong in the Wu household, and Alyssa is determined to find out what it is.

The biggest problem with Ghost Month is that it simply is not as frightening as it ought to be. At numerous points in the film, it is clear that the filmmakers want us to be startled or disturbed or even just uneasy, but it never reaches that level. There are at most two or three moments that are slightly scary, but no more. A sense of tension and fear is never established, and the timing is always off by just a few beats, defeating any jump scares that are attempted. The effects, particularly the realization of the ghosts and spirits, are quite good and realistic. They are not used well, though, and cannot make up for the deficiency in timing.

Another problem is the quality of characterization. Quite often throughout the film, characters act in ways that are not consistent with human nature, or are simply off putting. When characters ought to be repulsed or offended, they are flattered. When they ought to be emotional, they are flat and calm. When they ought to be fighting for their life, they barely struggle. These seem to be relatively minor inconsistencies, but they distract from the enjoyment of the film as the viewer asks himself why anyone would act like that. Our putative heroine Alyssa, who is not terribly sympathetic to begin with, does little to invite empathy or even understanding throughout the film, and then at the end completely destroys any vestigial good feeling that the viewer might have for her. These moments, which might be forgivable in isolation, together with an entirely unnecessary obsessive boyfriend subplot add up to an unbelievable and disappointing story.

Overall, Ghost Month is a tepid though good looking thriller that tries but fails to deliver scares. Unrealistic and unsympathetic characters along with a not very compelling plot doom this effort to failure. Skip it.

The DVD

Video:
This review is based on a check disc, so no comment can be made on the quality of the final product.

Sound:
The sound is presented in Dolby digital 2 channel, with no subtitles or alternate language tracks available. This review is based on a check disc, however, so no comment can be made on the quality of the final product.

Extras:
The only extra included on the disc is an unrelated trailer. This review is based on a check disc, however, so no comment can be made on the quantity or quality of the extras included on the final product.

Final Thoughts:
Ghost Month seems at first blush to be a unique idea, being essentially a Chinese horror movie set in the American desert southwest. It weaknesses, which are present in the areas of characterization, performances and story, not to mention the overbearing score, prove too great to overcome. While the film is often visually interesting and the effects are top notch, these are exceptions in an otherwise bland effort. In the end, it is a disappointment.