Director Hung Tran's film centers on a group of streamers exploring the abandoned mansion of Chu Hoa (Hua Bon Hoa), a Chinese-Vietnamese businessman who lived in Saigon in the late 19th century. Promised increasing payment based on livestream views, the group eagerly enters the old house, inadvertently awakening a spiritual entity.

The script is based on "the ghost of the Hua family" legend, revolving around a girl who died of leprosy, whose spirit often appears in Chu Hoa's mansion. This story is considered a legend and was recounted in writer Son Nam's books. In 1973, director Le Hoang Hoa made a horror film based on the tale, starring artists Bach Tuyet, Nam Chau, Thanh Tu, and Ba Van, which drew a large audience. In 2018, the Hoang Thai Thanh theater launched a play with the same title, emphasizing the tragic love story of the two main characters.

Director Hung Tran aimed for the film to take a new direction, suitable for contemporary audiences. The producers opted for a found footage style, similar to many renowned foreign horror films such as "The Blair Witch Project", "Paranormal Activity", "Haunted Changi", "The Medium", and "Incantation".

Hung Tran stated that he encountered many technical difficulties, as this is one of the first Vietnamese films to pursue the found footage genre for the big screen. The crew used 21 cameras, with 12 devices worn by the actors, to give the audience the feeling of following the characters and observing events unfolding inside the mansion.

The cast primarily features young talents, including Nguyen Minh Thoi, who previously starred in the "Hongkong1" music video, and Nguyen Cong Nuong, who appeared in Victor Vu's "Qua Tim Mau". The film crew did not shoot at the actual mansion location but rather recreated "Lau Chu Hoa" elsewhere, which was more suitable for the creative vision and filming conditions. The director and producers researched late 19th to early 20th-century French architecture and the actual structures built by businessman Hua Bon Hoa before reconstructing the set.

A scene of the streamer group exploring the abandoned mansion. *Photo: Film crew provided*

In addition to "Lau Chu Hoa", several other Vietnamese films are set to be released in june, kicking off the summer box office race. "Mesdames Thanh Sac", starring and co-produced by Thanh Hang, revolves around Cam Thanh, a sought-after dancer in the 1960s, who gradually becomes a thorn in the side of Kim Do nightclub owner (Hong Anh). "Ma Xo" features artists Hanh Thuy, Le Khanh, Avin Lu, and Tin Nguyen, exploring fears derived from legends and folk beliefs.

Mai Nhat