Three...Extremes (2005)

Are Asian horror movies really all that scary? All too often they feel a little too stylized and preassembled to be truly unnerving, especially considering how outlandish the stories typically are. For proof, check out Fruit Chan's ''Dumplings,'' the first and best offering in Three...Extremes, an omnibus of fright tales by three big Asian directors. Chan's chapter looks exquisite, its studied beauty provided by formidable cinematographer Christopher Doyle (2046). But Doyle's work props up a negligible story involving Bai Ling as an entrepreneur who cooks up fetus-flavored dim sum for her customers. ''Cut,'' Oldboy helmer Park Chanwook's out-there torture fiesta, is so hyper-set-decorated it looks like sci-fi, and everybody walks around Audition director Takashi Miike's mopey twin-sister story ''Box'' like they're already dead. Another pulpy Creepshow movie would be more welcome than a second installment of this stiff stuff.