Dorrie and the Blue Witch is a children's book written by Patricia Coombs. It is a part of the Dorrie the little witch series, which follows the adventures of a little witch named Dorrie and her black cat, Gink. In this particular book, Dorrie and Gink encounter a blue witch, who is causing trouble in their town. The blue witch is known for her tricks and mischief, and the townspeople are afraid of her. However, Dorrie is determined to confront the blue witch and put a stop to her misdeeds. Dorrie and Gink set off on a journey to find the blue witch's lair.
Into this death chamber steps Maggie (Michelle Wai Sze-nga), a former teen idol who is desperate to make her acting comeback. Ho happens to catch her in a particularly feisty mood during a late-night meeting and Hui, working with a simple yet effective story, keeps the tension high until the hair-raising end.
Wong keeps us guessing as to how the psychological thriller will turn out and flirts with stereotypes that associate sexual subcultures with murderous impulses. His crime thriller A Witness Out of the Blue screened at various film festivals worldwide and was nominated for six Hong Kong Film Awards, including Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor.
Dorrie and Gink set off on a journey to find the blue witch's lair. Along the way, they encounter various challenges and obstacles. They meet talking animals, magical creatures, and friendly witches who offer their help and guidance.
‘Tales From The Occult’: Udine Review
Newcomer Wesley Ip Sang-hoi joins veteran filmmakers Fruit Chan and Fung Chi-chiang for the first instalment of Media Asia’s new Hongkong omnibus series, Tales From The Occult. Bringing together three distinct modern takes on the classic ghost story, Tales From The Occult is spooky rather than scary and even occasionally funny as each of the filmmakers use well-oiled horror tropes in a nod to the spectre of the territory’s past whilst also providing 111 minutes of quality genre entertainment.
111 minutes of quality genre entertainment
Narratively efficient due to the short run-times of each individual film, all three ghost stories move along at a cracking pace – there is no time for tiresome false jump scares, or characters who don’t believe their friends are being haunted; all three shorts simply cut to the chase. And though each short film is distinct, there is tonal continuity in Henry Lai’s consistently creepy scores. A polished package, with a big enough name in Fruit Chan, Tales From The Occult should have no trouble finding its audience both at genre festivals and beyond – this would be a perfect Hallowe’en offering for cinemas or a streaming service.
The first short, The Chink, is Ip’s directing debut. It begins with two teenage girls hanging out after school. After they part ways, and on her walk home alone, Yoyi (Cherry Ngan) follows a cat up to the titular chink between two walls. But when she pulls an obscuring object away for a closer look she finds instead the cold, hard stare of a dead, rotting corpse. Editor Mathew Tang, who is also a producer on the project, cuts abruptly to the present day where the two girls, now women, are unpacking in Yoyi’s new apartment. As the story goes on, it becomes clear that the cut represents the callousness with which Yoyi has forgotten her past trauma, revisiting it now as, “The feeling’s been creeping back.”
Crafted entirely around that creeping tone, The Chink is all billowing curtains and growling, rumbling sound design. Her sensible Uncle Ronald (Lawrence Cheng), a psychiatrist, uses relaxation techniques to help Yoyi through her trauma, which he assumes to be imagined and not real. Ultimately, though, the surprise ending, which takes place in session, suggests some ghosts have greater impact than modern methods can manage.
In Fruit Chan’s Dead Mall, real estate, consumerism, pandemic panic and online influencers all come under attack. The aesthetic is claustrophobic, beginning with close ups of a crowd at a busy street crossing, wearing masks, mostly surgical style until Benny Chan’s slow motion focuses on gas masks, signalling something even more serious than the current Covid-19 pandemic. Moving indoors and with a smaller resolution handheld camera, Dead Mall is an assault of bright lighting, point of sale signage and eerily empty shopfronts. Our host is Wilson Yeung (Jerry Lamb), an online influencer for a channel called ‘The Gate To Wealth’. He is staging a video to encourage investment in the mall, working with its managers and a crew of paid actors. But things take a turn for the worse when a female figure wearing a gas mask starts stalking him and another influencer turns up to film in the mall.
Finally, Fung Chi-chiang’s The Tenement, which blends comedy with horror, is both the most classic and revisionist of the three ghost stories. In a half-empty, dank and crumbling apartment building, occupied only by five strange and stubborn tenants who won’t sell to developers, a water ghost appears. They all see it, and immediately form a 1980s-style ‘kids on a caper’ gang (think The Goonies, or Stranger Things, but with a strong sense of irony). The water ghost first appears as a shadow on the wall, with long, sharp talons and a hunchback. Later, in close-up, it appears to be a woman whose face is painted ghostly white, her fixed stare and dark cloak a genre giveaway that she has come specifically for one of the five individuals. Who then, can anyone trust? Literally drudging up the past, flooding the stairs and apartments with water, this initially appears to be your garden variety ghost. But, when a journalist turns up, investigating one of the tenants, the whole thing is turned on its head, giving the overall project a killer ending.
The films are ordered according to their seriousness, lightening a little in tone each time, but always anchored by Henry Lai’s creepy score. For a first instalment, Tales From The Occult promises old school horror with a contemporary twist, its light-touch satire a welcome addition to classic supernatural fare. The next instalment, the currently undated Tales From The Occult 2, has Frank Hui, Doris Wong and Daniel Chan attached.
Production companies: Media Asia Film, Movie Addict Productions
International sales: Media Asia Film, [email protected]
Producers: John Chong, Mathew Tang
Screenplay: Fruit Chan, Fung Chi-chiang, Wesley Ip Sang-hoi, Ling Wai-chung, Ho Sui-hong, Stanley Wong
Cinematography: Benny Chan (Dead Mall), Ming Wong (The Tenement), Kwan Pun-leung, Sunny Wong (The Chink)
Editing: Tin Sup-fat, To To, Mathew Tang
Production design: Delon Sui, Chet Chan, Pater Wong
Music: Henry Lai
Main cast: Jerry Lamb, Cecilia So, Richie Ren, Sofiee Ng, Peter Chan, Paul Che, Baby Bo, Cherry Ngan, Ng Wing-sze, Kelvin Kwan, Lawrence Cheng
Tales From the Occult - The Tenement ’s Director
With their assistance, Dorrie and Gink continue their quest to find and confront the blue witch. Finally, they reach the blue witch's lair, which is filled with magical potions, spells, and enchanted objects. Dorrie bravely enters the lair and confronts the blue witch. She uses her wit, kindness, and her own magical abilities to try and convince the blue witch to change her ways. Throughout the story, Dorrie learns important lessons about empathy, understanding, and the power of friendship. She realizes that the blue witch is lonely and misunderstood and that her mischief is a result of her own unhappiness. Dorrie's kindness and compassion ultimately leads to a heartwarming resolution between Dorrie, Gink, and the blue witch. Dorrie and the Blue Witch is a charming and whimsical tale that teaches children the importance of kindness, forgiveness, and acceptance. It encourages readers to look beyond someone's outward appearance or behavior and instead tries to understand their feelings and intentions. With its colorful illustrations and engaging storyline, this book is sure to captivate young readers and inspire them to embrace empathy and compassion in their own lives..
Reviews for "The Magic of Friendship in Dorrie and the Blue Witch"
1. Daisy - ★★☆☆☆
I found "Dorrie and the Blue Witch" to be quite disappointing. The story lacked depth and the characters were underdeveloped. Additionally, I felt that the plot was predictable and lacked originality. The writing style was also unengaging, making it difficult for me to connect with the story. Overall, I found this book to be mediocre and wouldn't recommend it to others.
2. Liam - ★☆☆☆☆
"Dorrie and the Blue Witch" was a complete letdown for me. The plot was slow-paced and uninteresting, failing to hold my attention. The characters felt flat and lacked any depth, making it difficult to care about their journey. The dialogue was also poorly written, with unrealistic conversations that felt forced. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any redeeming qualities in this book and would not recommend it to anyone looking for an exciting read.
3. Sophie - ★★☆☆☆
I was quite disappointed with "Dorrie and the Blue Witch". The story had potential, but it fell short in execution. The pacing was uneven, with moments of action followed by long periods of stagnation. The main character, Dorrie, was not relatable and her decisions often left me frustrated. The book also lacked descriptive language, making it difficult to visualize the world the author was trying to create. Overall, this book didn't live up to my expectations and I would not recommend it.