Hallowe'en is coming up next week! In previous years I've done themed posts. You can check out last years here:
Hallowe'en Inspiration: https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2018/10/halloween-inspiration.html
This year I decided to feature some horror films from around the world. Unless otherwise stated, videos are trailers. :)
Hong Kong
Dumplings (2004)
Please note: This film contains themes that may disturb some people.
Former
actress Mrs. Li (Miriam Chin Wah Yeung) feels that life is passing her by, she fears losing her
looks and her husband is having an affair. So she goes to mysterious
local chef Aunt Mei (played by Bai Ling) for help. Mei's speciality is
dumplings which have amazing rejuvenation powers. But they have a secret
ingredient that Mrs. Li could never have imagined....
Update 4/6/22: The original trailer was gone, so I had to replace it.
Spoilers below!
Dumplings was a originally a segment in the horror compilation Three...Extremes and got expanded into its own movie. I haven't seen Three...Extremes.
This is really quite a strange and shocking film, since the secret ingredient in the dumplings is aborted foetuses. Mei gets them from a clinic she used to work at and also does backstreet abortions on the side. It's quite a difficult subject but an interesting one, especially exploring the theme of how far people will go to stay young!
Plus:
Hong Kong/Singapore
The Eye (Gwin gwai) (2002)- Story of classical violinist Mun (Angelica Lee) who has been blind since she was 2. After she has a cornea transplant she is excited to regain her sight, but soon begins seeing things that are out of the norm. Terrified, she goes on a quest to Thailand to find out who her cornea donor was, accompanied by her doctor's nephew, psychotherapist Dr. Wah (Laurence Chou).
This is a good film and the American remake starring Jessica Alba is equally good. There's a sequel as well called The Eye 2 (Gwin gwai 2), which I recommend. Also just came across The Eye: Infinity (Gwin gwai 10) which I haven't seen.
Interesting info: Lead actress in The Eye, Angelica Lee is married to Oxide Chun Pang who directed the film along with his twin brother Danny. They're known as the Pang Brothers. Oxide also co-directed Bangkok Haunted (see below).
India (Bollywood)
Bollywood Horror
Last year I posted about Bollywood horror. Read that here: https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2018/10/bollywood-horror.html
I've seen the others in the Raaz series this year (mentioned in the post), Raaz: The Mystery Continues, Raaz 3: The Third Dimension and Raaz: Reboot. My favourite was The Mystery Continues. Raaz 3 was ok but the reboot was a bit silly in my opinion! Although it did have an interesting storyline. You could get slightly confused because the same actors appear in different films, lol. Bipasha Basu is in both Raaz and The Third Dimension, and Emraan Hashmi is in The Mystery Continues, The Third Dimension and Raaz: Reboot. (Although I like them both, Emraan in particular, so that's ok! lol).
Here's the song Kya Raaz Hai from Raaz 3:
I also watched Darna Zaroori Hai (sequel to Darna Mana Hai) the other month. It unfortunately didn't have English subtitles but I could basically guess what was going on! lol. I prefer the first one but my favourite story in Darna Zaroori Hai was Spirits Do Come. (Which also happened to feature Bipasha Basu). And I liked the first part as well, the unofficial story.
See the Bollywood Horror post for a trailer and song from the film.
Phobia (2016)
Artist Mehan (played by Radhika Apte) has become agoraphobic after being sexually assaulted by a taxi driver. Her friend Shaan (Satyadeep Mishra) suggests that she move into an apartment that has recently become empty, hoping that the new place will give her a fresh start.
Mehan wonders what happened to the previous owner, and after finding her diary, starts to believe that she is dead and haunting the apartment. Confined to the flat, she becomes increasingly paranoid and freaked out by unusual events, especially visions she is experiencing. But is she really being haunted, or is it all in her head?
I saw this a few months ago and it's worth a watch. It's a psychological thriller/horror rather than a "jump scare" supernatural one, so something different to include. It's also good to see the subject of a mental disorder that many people suffer from covered in a Bollywood film.
Japan
Dark Water (Honogurai Mizu no soko kara) (2002)
Single mother Yoshimi Matsubara (played by Hitomi Kuroki) and her daughter Ikuko (Rio Kanno) move into an apartment. Yoshimi is going through a divorce and can't afford much, so the place isn't in good shape. There is a consistent water leak from the empty apartment above, which Yoshimi appeals to the building superintendent about, but he does nothing to fix it.
On top of all the stress, weird things start happening. Ikuko finds a child's bag and Yoshimi gets rid of it, but it keeps coming back. There are strange sounds coming from upstairs, dark water coming out of the taps and Yoshimi has seen a little girl in a yellow raincoat who keeps vanishing.
She learns that the bag belonged to a girl named Mitsuko Kawai (Mirei Oguchi), who used to live in the flat above them but disappeared a year ago. Could that be who she is seeing? What happened to her and what is causing the leak upstairs?
I like both the original and the American remake with Jennifer Connelly. I have the Dark Water book as well. It's a short story collection by Koji Suzuki who also wrote the Ring books (see below) and Dark Water is the title story (although it was originally "Floating Water" in English) that this film is based on. The ending in the book is different though.
Plus:
Ringu (The Ring) (1998)/Ringu series- probably one of the most famous Asian horrors, also based on a book by Koji Suzuki. Ringu is the story of a cursed video tape that is said to cause the death of anyone who watches it in 7 days. I actually got into Asian horror after the American remake of this, The Ring. (I wanted to see the original). There's also Ringu 2 and Ringu O (prequel). Don't think I've seen Ringu O.
Ju-on: The Grudge (2002)- From cursed video tapes to cursed houses! Social worker Rika Nakshima (Megumi Okina) is assigned to visit a family who live in a house with a bad reputation. Anyone who goes into the house seems to disappear or die.
Ju-on is a franchise and I believe the main Japanese films are Ju-on: The Grudge, The Grudge 2, The Beginning of the End, and The Final Curse and there's also a spin-off called Sadako vs Kayako (Ringu crossover). There are also American remakes of the first two. I've seen Ju-on and The Grudge (American remake). My favourite is the first Ju-on.
Korea (South)
Thirst (2009)
I featured this vampire film in my 2017 post More Hallowe'en Films. Check it out here: https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2017/10/more-halloween-films.html
The Wailing (2016)
After a stranger from Japan arrives in a Korean village, people start becoming ill with a mysterious sickness. Locals believe he could be an evil spirit responsible for causing the illness. When policeman Jong-goo's (Do-won Kwok) daughter Hyo-jin (Hwan-hee Kim) also becomes ill, he resolves to find out what happened so he can save her.
The first half of The Wailing was more like a comedy featuring Jong-goo and his fellow policemen! Then it picked up later. It is confusing, so definitely a film that makes you think .
Plus
A Tale of Two Sisters (Janghwa, Hongryeon) (2003)- Two sisters return from a mental hospital to live with their father and stepmother. Their stepmum treats them badly but on top of that ghosts start appearing in the house.
Whispering Corridors (Yeogo goedam) series- Series of movies set in a girls' school where mysterious deaths happen. I have seen Wishing Stairs (Yeogo goedam 3: Yeowoo gyedan) years ago and I think the first one Whispering Corridors. I'm not sure about Memento Mori (2nd). There are 5 films in total.
Nigeria (Nollywood)
There are quite a few Nollywood horror films but I've only seen a couple. There was one I watched a while ago about a man (a writer, I think?) who bought a house that was haunted. I can't remember what it was called or the name of the actor though! The man had a typewriter and children haunted the house. There was also another man (a houseboy?) who wasn't well, he walked with a limp but then he got healed. Please let me know if you know which film I'm talking about!
Check out this post for a list of 7 scariest Nollywood movies: https://www.pulse.ng/entertainment/movies/pulse-list-7-scariest-nollywood-movies-of-all-time/wr02l0f
Sweden
Let The Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in) (2008)
This is a Swedish vampire movie about Oskar (played by Kåre Hedebrant) who is bullied and lonely until he meets new neighbour Eli (Lina Leandersson), who draws him into her world. It is quite a strange film, but good. I included it in my 2011 post More Vampire Films. Visit that to read more and watch a trailer: https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2011/05/more-vampire-films.html
There's also an American remake called Let Me In, which is pretty similar. Quite good but I prefer the original. Check out a trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyXBtJA9JJc
Thailand
Bangkok Haunted (2001)
Thai horror anthology where 3 women tell each other ghost stories in a bar.
Legend of the Drum- Jieb (Pimsiree Pimsee) receives an antique drum that she didn't order, but it has a tragic history attached to it.
Black Magic Woman- Pan (Dawan Singha-Wee) is looking for love and when she discovers a perfume that can entice men, she is keen to try it out. But it's no ordinary perfume and using it has unexpected consequences...
Revenge- Detective Nop (Pete Thong-Jeur/Thongchua) is investigating the death of a girl who is believed to have hanged herself on a construction site. But he thinks there's more to the story and sets out to investigate further.
It's a long time since I've seen this and people don't rate it as highly as other Asian horrors, but I think it's worth watching. It was directed by Oxide Pang (one of the Pang brothers; see under The Eye) and Pisut Praesangeam.
Read more about Bangkok Haunted here: http://www.steve-calvert.co.uk/movie-review-bangkok-haunted-2001/
UK
The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes: The Last Vampyre (1993)
The Last Vampyre is part of the series The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes, based on the books by Arthur Conan Doyle. This particular one is based on the story The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire. Stockton (Roy Marsden), a newcomer to a Sussex village, is blamed for mysterious events. He is descended from a family with a bad reputation, and has a mesmeric manner, so rumours start that he is a vampire.
Sherlock Holmes (played by Jeremy Brett) and Dr. Watson (Edward Hardwicke) are called in to investigate by Rob Ferguson (Keith Barron), an old school mate of Watson's, after the death of his baby son. There is tension in the household between Rob, his Peruvian wife Carlotta (Yolanda Vasquey/Vasquez), her maid/companion Dolores (Juliet Aubrey) and Rob's older son Jack (played by Richard Dempsey who was also Peter in the old BBC Narnia series!). The presence of Stockton adds to all this, especially since he seems to have a weird effect on the women.
Here's a clip:
Update 15/1/22: The video is gone but you can watch the whole episode on YouTube (may get removed later): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2UXt3A1gMs
I have this on DVD. Stockton seems a bit strange and has lived abroad and studied mystical techniques (something that makes him stand out in a 19th century English village) but I'll leave you to see whether he's as vampire or not! I've read The Sussex Vampire which is good but a bit different to the TV version.
The Disappeared (2008)
This is a creepy British film about a teenage boy whose missing brother seems to be haunting him. It's rarely shown on TV but definitely worth getting on DVD or Netflix etc. if you think it's your kind of thing. I featured it in my More Hallowe'en Films and TV post in 2017. Go here to read more and watch a trailer: https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2017/10/more-halloween-films.html
USA
IT (1990 mini series) and Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow: https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2015/10/halloween-films.html
Snow White: A Tale of Terror (1997)
Gothic version of Snow White with Sigourney Weaver as the evil stepmother Lady Claudia who is jealous of her stepdaughter Lillian (Lilli) Hoffman (played by Monica Keena). As the years pass she grows ever more jealous of Lilli but conceals her true feelings from Lilli's father Frederick (Sam Neill), all the while plotting to do away with her stepdaughter once and for all. For this she must turn to dark forces.
If you fancy a dark take on a fairytale you'll like this. The "dwarfs" are miners in this version.
Back in August I wrote about Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and IT: Chapter Two:
https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2019/08/upcoming-horror-films-scary-stories-it.html
UK/US
Top 5 Horror Anthologies: https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2011/11/top-5-horror-anthologies.html
Includes Half Light and IT: Chapter One (remake) : https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2018/10/halloween-inspiration.html
Hope you liked the post! :) I know it was a bit "Asian horror" heavy, but that's what I've seen the most. Asian horror is a whole genre in itself and I couldn't cover everything, so may do a standalone feature in the future! Maybe I could also feature more European horror another time.
What are your favourite world horror films?
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