Rap nawng sayawng khwan (aka Scared) follows a pretty standard slasher formula, but it is pretty good at what it does. It's certainly good enough that the film as a whole can still be appreciated despite a horrible ending that feels like it was tacked on by some guy in a suit without the filmmakers' knowledge -- I'd like to think that's what happened, anyway. The heart of the movie is a wonderfully gory treat of fast-paced slashing action. The continually dwindling number of characters rarely have time to get their breath or think the worst might be over before they're running and fighting for their lives once more.

The kills themselves are effectively simple and brutal; let's face it (I'm looking at you, Hollywood), you don't need to get all fancy with impalings, decapitations and the like.

If this movie is any indication, college freshmen in Thailand have to go through a bit of a hazing from upperclassmen. In this particular case, the fun culminates in a freshman excursion to some forest out in the middle of nowhere. They find the road closed once they get there, but some weird dude pops up out of nowhere and offers to lead them in through some back road. That involves crossing a rickety old bridge -- and that's where the trouble starts.

The survivors head off into the woods on a search for help, only to find that death awaits them in many forms -- natural, man-made, and perhaps even otherworldly. Lest you think this is just another "kids running around in the woods" slasher, the action finds its way to an eerily quiet town and then some kind of manufacturing plant, as well. Among other things, that means no two kills are the same. Those doing the killing are highly adaptable and relentless.

There's not much in the way of character development, but that really doesn't matter very much. These kids are basically there to run, cry and die in brutal fashion. There's one character you suspect will survive in the end, but everyone else's fate seems to be totally up in the air -- and notice I didn't say whether the character you expect to survive actually makes it to the end. As for why they're being hunted down and killed -- well, that really doesn't matter much, either. The kids themselves barely have time to wonder about that sort of thing.

Those who think Asian horror means Japan and South Korea exclusively are missing out on some great films. I keep waiting for the day when Thai horror will receive the recognition it deserves. Rap nawng sayawng khwan doesn't even represent the best that Thailand has to offer horror fans, but it's still better than most Western slasher films.