During the sweltering summer, telling ghost stories and holding courage-testing events at night is a tradition to cool down by getting chills from fear. In the seventh month of the lunar calendar, TFAI selects three Asian horror films from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Japan, inviting audiences to cool off with these chilling tales.

The Dead and the Deadly, set in the late Qing Dynasty, showcases Maoshan sorcery, funeral rites, and cultural practices, with themes of greed and selflessness. The Bride explores ghost marriage, a custom originating from China's Shang Dynasty, and also seen in Taiwan, Korea, Southeast Asia, and Europe. Taiwan director Yao Feng-pan's The Ghost (1976) centers on the same practice. The Bride delves into fate and reincarnation, highlighting themes of empathy and redemption. It Comes, inspired by demon legends from Japan's Mie Prefecture, uses folklore, talismans, shamanic prayers, and purification rituals to depict the consequences of parental selfishness, as well as the collective effort to protect innocent life amidst fear of the unknown.

Ghosts and spirits roam the night, but human obsessions are more compelling in these ghost stories, which can often in turn evoke human kindness. In this scorching summer, TFAI offers a chilling experience that goes beyond strong air conditioning.

Program Adjustments

【Changes concerning the film rating】(updated 2024/07/31)

• The Dead and the Deadly：G → PG12