Halloween is almost upon us — which means that it’s time to scare ourselves by turning off the lights and putting on a horror movie. But if we’re to be honest, Western horror films don’t quite have that sort of intimate, personal horror that Asian ones do. Asian horror films strike closer to home with their familiar settings, meaning that we always have this lingering feeling that the ghost may have followed us home.
To stave off all the bad luck that comes from talking about ghosts, we’ve given you eight (an auspicious number in Chinese culture) horror films to revisit during this period.
1. The Bride (2015)
If you’re superstitious (and which Singaporean isn’t?), then you can identify with the Taiwanese horror film about a couple who is plagued by a vengeful ghost. The source of the hauntings? A red envelope that the man picks up while strolling through a park. Remember how your parents always told you not to pick up strange things outside and bring them home? It turns out that there’s a very good reason for that, and this film doubles up as a moral about leaving foreign objects where they are outside.
2. Bring Back the Dead (2016)
This local horror movie played on the fears of every parent, tugging on the heartstrings with a vulnerable and relatable protagonist. However, the horror didn’t just come from the hauntings — but also the story. In a dark twist, we learn that there some forces truly beyond our mortal ken and that humanity may be its own worst enemy. Bring Back the Dead shows us exactly we should not do what the title says. What better way to spend your Halloween than with a Singaporean horror film?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NBjQLE9E0A
3. Train to Busan (2016)
The surprise zombie hit that was Train to Busan showed us that Korean films could actually go beyond pointless melodrama and into other, more imaginative genres. What made Train to Busan‘s zombies terrifying was that they were fast and furious, and they came in literal waves. Zombies would swarm victims, crawling all over each other to get that sweet, sweet human flesh.
The personal story of an estranged father and daughter also helped to anchor the film in more personal stakes, mixing tragedy with terror in the film.
4. Sadako vs Kayako (2016)
The menaces of the Ring and Ju-on franchises met in an epic clash in Sadako vs Kayako, with child ghost Toshio (of the Ju-on film series) also popping in to assist his mother Kayako in the fight. While the premise was a little over the top and the film looked like it had budget constraints, it was great fun seeing both the ghosts vie for supremacy.
Who won? Well, you had to stay for the post credits scene to find out. Sadly, it was an ending that has yet to be realised in film form, but one can still hope…
5. The Handmaiden (2016)
As a dramatic narrative, The Handmaiden was a pretentious failure. But if you view it through the lens of a horror movie, it sets your hairs standing in ways that few horror movies can. The Korean erotic thriller was, undoubtedly, an excuse for the director to project some of his issues onto film, being a period piece about a plot to scam a wealthy woman. It tells the tale thrice from different perspectives, revealing secrets that the characters have been keeping from each other. Although there’s no supernatural element here, it’s the depravity of the characters that really chills you — just like a good horror movie should.
6. The Promise (2017)
Thai horror film The Promise was a story of a suicide pact between two girls which went wrong, with the survivor being plagued by the ghost of the girl who killed herself. It goes back to basics by using traditional storytelling techniques to evoke horror, without any of the cheap tricks that we see nowadays. Since the film is set in both the past and present, it also gave viewers a dose of nostalgia by showing us the memorable trends of the 1990’s in flashback scenes.
7. Dearest Sister (2017)
Laotian horror film Dearest Sister gives its blind protagonist a horrifying ability — the ability to communicate with the dead. Thematically, it trades the ability to see the physical realm for the ability to “see” the spiritual realm, making it feel like a terrifying tradeoff. By playing on the feelings of helplessness from being unable to see, it makes the supernatural all the most dangerous. You know the creature is there, but you can’t tell where it is…
8. Satan’s Slaves (2017)
Indonesian horror classic Satan’s Slaves (Pengabdi Setan) about a family plagued by supernatural terrors got a remake last year, updated with a modern and stylistic look but still playing upon the same primal fears that drove the original. What makes this movie intriguing is that the haunted house (where the movie is set in) almost feels like a character in and of itself. Perhaps there’s more to it than meets the eye.
If you haven’t caught any of these Asian horror films in the last few years, now’s the time to catch up. Switch off the lights, turn up the sound, and get your blanket ready.
You may also want to read:
- [Movie Review] “Bring Back The Dead” combines both supernatural and psychological horror
- [Movie Review] ‘Train to Busan’ is as much about character development as it is about zombies
- [Movie Review] ‘Sadako vs Kayako’ is one crossover you’ll definitely want to catch!
- [Movie Review] ‘The Handmaiden’ is painfully pretentious
- [Movie Review] ‘The Promise’ promises classic horror without gimmicks
- [Movies] “Satan’s Slaves” was as terrifying to shoot as it is to watch
- [Movie Review] ‘Rings’ is a mystery movie trying to be a horror film
- [Movie Review] “Ju-On 4: The Final Curse” overuses its ghosts
- [Movies] 5 scariest horror films of 2016 that made you pee your pants
This article was first written for and published on Yahoo Singapore.
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I’m a television scriptwriter who’s written for popular shows like Lion Mums, Crimewatch, Code of Law, and Incredible Tales. I’m also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. You can find me on social media as Optimarcus and on my site.
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