Two stars are in cinematic peril in their latest films. Regina Hall copes with racism and ghosts (written/directed by a Black woman), while Sandra Oh is haunted by her Korean mother (written/directed by a Korean woman)

Umma Sandra Oh plays a woman who was scarred as a child by her mother (umma is Korean for mother).  She and her teen daughter are bee keepers on a farm with no electricity or electronics. When her umma’s remains are delivered, the haunting begins. Demanding traditional respect, her umma appears, but never with much tension. There’s lots of ominious atmosphere and a menacing score to try to amp up the anxiety. Even with a few jump scares, the story is uninspired and there’s not any suspense.This is a star vehicle for Oh that has little else to recommend it. (One stupid note: When the switch is flipped, the electricity turns on after 16 years of not paying the bill.) (2 / 5)
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Master Regina Hall stars as one of 3 Black women dealing with racial issues at their elite New England college. On top of that, 2 of them keep being threatened by ghostly apparitions. While this film combines cultural issues with a thriller, the racial angle is covered more effectively than the suspense. There are typical creepy images hidden in the dark, but the encounters are predictable and never remotely scary. Even with a quality cast, there’s nothing about this film to set it apart. (1.5 / 5)
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