As the Hungry Ghost Festival comes to a closure this 15 September, many of us are eagerly awaiting the day we can finally breathe that one big sigh of relief. After all, just the thought of living through an entire month with the “Gates of Hell” open and souls of the dead free to roam among us in itself is already nothing but scary.
Scary, indeed it is. But if you’re thinking of having a little more fun before the ‘party’ is over, we’ve got some ideas to keep the scare factor going for the next few days. Of course, there’s no better way than with our Top Ten list of Asian horror movies guaranteed to scare you silly.
A Tale of Two Sisters
If the Hungry Ghost Festival hasn’t given you a good enough scare, A Tale of Two Sisters might just do the trick. An ingenious storyline intertwined with a horrifying twist and turn of events will have you screaming like a kid and crying out like a baby.
With surprises unearthing themselves one by one, we suggest keeping your eyes glued to the screen. But then again, remember to turn around once in a while, just in case. You never know what lurks among us, behind us, and even right in front of us.
The Eye
Who can forget this spine-chilling, supernatural film that had us at the edge of our seats? Co-produced by Singapore’s MediaCorp Raintree Pictures and Hong Kong’s Applause Pictures in 2002, and possibly one of the best Asian horror films around, we thought The Eye would be an exceptional way for you to spook yourselves out – especially during an unnerving time like this.
As they say, “the eyes are the windows to our soul,” and it is through our eyes that we may see more than we bargained for. Watch The Eye and you’ll see exactly what we mean.
The Eye 10
Three years following The Eye, the Pang brothers released The Eye 10, also known as The Eye Infinity, as the third of the three-part horror trilogy. So is it any better?
Well, you can expect tints of humour injected into the film, but as much as the laughter goes, you’ll see that the ghostly elements can actually be found in everyday event – and that’s exactly what makes this heart-gripping film so apt for the Hungry Ghost Festival.
The Maid
How apt The Maid will be to put a nice, hair-raising closure to this year’s Hungry Ghost Festival! For those who don’t already know, this 2005 box office record-breaking Singaporean production tells of a rather chilling tale about a maid, Rosa, who arrives from the Philippines to live with a Teochew family. Apart from domestic housework, she helps out at their Teochew opera workplace during the Chinese Seventh Month. A chain of ghostly sightings and strange paranormal occurrences ensues.
If you think you’re brave enough, we dare you to sit through this film from start to finish. And if this doesn’t scare the hell out of you, we don’t know what will.
Shutter
Shutter makes a great horror film to scare the living daylights out of anyone. The story is centered on an avid photographer whose one fatal mistake leads him to discover ghostly shadows in the photographs he develops.
Definitely not a movie for the faint-hearted, we actually think Shutter is one Thai horror film that is worth the scare. We’d suggest having some friends around, especially if you’re watching it at night.
The Ring (Ringu)
Let’s turn back the clock to 1998 where one of the best horror films ever produced took centre stage and redefined the meaning of the word ‘horror’ for all of us. As the highest grossing horror movie in Japan and still considered Japan’s most terrifying horror film production, well, need we say more?
Watch it late into the night, lights switched off, and experience for yourself the true essence of terror. The Ring, so disturbing, creepy and intense, it’ll make for a great fright flick for just about any fright night.
Ju-On: The Grudge
Horror movie buffs would absolutely love Ju-On – the film, that is. Ju-On, on the other hand, is everyone’s worst nightmare. Returning as vengeful spirits of a woman and her son, both of whom died a god-awful death under the brutal hands of her husband, Ju-On is a curse that breathes life into an old abandoned house and is out to kill anyone who enters it.
Ju-On: The Grudge is absolutely suited for a mid Hungry Ghost Festival scare for its very painfully slow and quiet scenes, so unsettling that you’ll be in for chain a not-so-pleasant surprises. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Where Got Ghost?
Now, not many would actually take a Jack Neo film all too seriously, especially not when satire-filled comedies like Money No Enough, Liang Po Po, I Not Stupid and Ah Long Ptd Ltd, were all produced by him. If you consider yourself a little bit of a scaredy-cat, you’ll be glad to know that watching this film is unlikely to leave you scared out of your wits. A very typical Singaporean film production with the occasional laugh, cry and scream, Where Got Ghost? will be a fitting movie to catch before the Hungry Ghost Festival ends.
4Bia (Phobia)
A play on the word ‘phobia’, 4Bia is a four-part anthology with yes, you guessed it, 4 different twisted tales of horror. Put it right smack into your Hungry Ghost Festival horror-film playlist and be prepared for a suspense-filled night of chill and gore – and maybe more.
Audition
Takashi Miike has received a fair share of both extreme ends of critique when it comes to his films. Audition is one that has garnered praises for great acting, solid storyline, and powerful art direction. Beginning with melancholy and slowly morphing into a masochistic and gruesome chain of events, Audition will be a film to catch before the Hungry Ghost Festival ends
