WARNING: This Article May Contain Spoilers
I’m not going to pretend this article was easy to write because it really wasn’t. Truthfully it should be called Chinese Language Horror as very few of these films were actually made in China. However, it does mean that places like Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia, who probably wouldn’t have enough films for a stand-alone article, still get represented.
Blood 13
I would’ve said this was more of a murder mystery film than a horror. Yes, Cheng Xiao seems to have been killed in a ritualistic fashion but the main focus is on the investigation. I guess sometimes people associated blood alone with horror no matter the plot around it. Interestingly, this film reflects a genuine case that took place in the UK in the 70/80s, the Yorkshire Ripper. It’s actually hard to say much more about this film because, although it’s not a horror film in the traditional sense and probably doesn’t deserve its place in this article (there were a lot of films I was unable to get hold of), it’s actually a really good film for what it is.
Incantation
Warning: shocking scenes from the outset! I actually didn’t realise going in to this that it was a found-footage film. It follows the story of Li Ronan and her daughter Dodo as they battle for their lives against an unseen deity. After those opening scenes, which look unbelievably real I might add, all the happenings are rather innocuous, spilt milk or a glass breaking, but they gradually build up to bigger disturbances. I don’t think I would describe this film as terrifying, it’s very rare for a film about the paranormal or spiritual to scare me, but it’s definitely shocking. Mainly because the majority surrounds a 5 year old girl! I actually had to cover my face when she jumped off the building! The film is so good that I don’t want to say too much but please prepare yourself for disturbing moments but also for the last 50 minutes to pull at your heart strings.
Midnight Ruins
I got the feeling from the beginning of this film that it was going to be a Prom Night style storycrossed with Phantom of the Opera. Something about the conversation between Cheng and Su Fei made me feel like they did something to Du Haoyang in the past and well the mask kind of says Phantom. Also, why else would she be haunting Cheng as well as the school? I can see how this film could have been scary but unfortunately certain moments didn’t pay off, like the jump scares for example, I wouldn’t say they were predictable, they just didn’t have the desired effect. I also feel like the majority of the film is actually focused on Cheng, Su Fei and Shen Xue and them coping with what happened four years ago rather than the ghost story happening right in front of them. Well, I guess it’s more of a Scooby-Doo ghost story in the end.
The Sadness
As this film was made in 2021, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was inspired by the pandemic that hit only the year before. The virus mentioned seems very similar, in my opinion, to that used in 28 Days Later because of its relative structure to rabies. Weird things start to happen quite early, like the old man covered in blood on the rooftop. However, unlike 28 Days this virus doesn’t turn them into zombies. Instead it creates violent psychopaths which weirdly I found more terrifying. Especially on the train, as there is this moment where you think everything is going to be OK but then the violence starts all over again. It’s almost as if this film is a reminder that violence can breed violence. I feel like The Sadness is a mistranslation of its release title of Ku Bei because sadness seems like an understatement to me.
The Haunted Graduation Photo
Now, who doesn’t love a good slasher film? At least, that’s what I was thinking at the start of this film. I’m really confused what relevance the opening scene had to everything else. Just like Midnight Ruins, this isn’t a proper ghost story. Even when the same character seems to reappear at the end – it makes no sense to me. However, it is portrayed in such a way that you believe the photo, as well as the students are genuinely haunted by the ghost of Piaopiao, their classmate who died accidentally on a school trip. This actually isn’t that bad a film, my only issue is that the fake Piaopiao doesn’t actually hurt or truly interact with any of classmates. She just kind of floats around of the periphery of the goings-on until about 15 minutes from the end but I guess that really should have been the giveaway.
The Eye
I have been waiting for a long time to watch this film – especially as it has been remade (yes, second article incoming). What I love about this version, is it focuses more on Mun’s confusion of what she believes she is seeing rather than fear. Instead, the fear comes later along with the realisation. Having said that, for some odd reason, the contact lenses they used for Mun’s blind eyes actually creeped me out a little bit! Obviously, not having seen the film before this, I always had assumed that her new eyes were possessed in some way, but weirdly I was glad to find out this wasn’t the case, but instead that Mun was always special. I also love the little addition that Mun can see Death as well as the spirits.
