There's a Thai tradition of using a coffin to release oneself of bad karma, even as far as cheating death itself. One man named Chris attempts this only to find himself in hospital, suffering from severe hallucinations. Later on a young woman attempts to use the coffin to rid herself of cancer only to lose her boyfriend Jack. The two will find their lives entwined as they attempt to resolve their spiritual difficulties and work out the mysteries of the coffin ritual.

The Coffin is a very trippy, visual and at times downright surrealist escapade into the world of Asian mysticism. The storyline is not delivered in the obvious fashion that we're mostly accustomed to here in the west. It's a more cerebral watch, delivering it's message in a very disjointed, symbolic way. If you've seen any David Lynch you'll have a rough idea of what to expect. To really appreciated The Coffin it'll likely involve more than one viewing, not only get some of the finer details of the story but to actually get the story period. It can be a tough watch at times, it's a movie that deals with the whole 'don't mess with nature' ethic. Basically if one life is to be saved then another must be taken, the world needs to be balanced.

The cast of actors are all unknown to me, though the acting standard is good. The actors deliver their characters emotional arcs with a good sense of continuity and believability.

Special effects are on the spartan side, this is a low budget deal but what's there works well. Gore is very light, The Coffin just isn't the kind of movie that would deliver buckets of blood for the sake of it. Whilst i would'nt say the movie is very scary it can without doubt be a little unnerving in parts, some of the imagery and concepts are delivered in a poignant way.

One other thing worth mentioning about The Coffin is it's visual style. It has a very strong tint of cerulean blue throughout large parts of the movie. This honestly wasn't an issue for me, though it may be for some.

The Coffin is a solid piece of Asian horror and whilst it may not be everybody's cup of tea it certainly succeeds at delivering an intriguing, at times bewildering watch. The Coffin is available through Vicious Circle in the US August 30th.