7 Taiwanese Horror Films to Watch This Ghost Month

From Friday July 29^th to Friday August 26^th 2022, Taiwan will be celebrating Ghost Month (鬼月) or Zhongyuan Festival (中元節). Though predominantly recognized in South-East Asian countries, Zhongyuan Festival is also celebrated in Taiwan, China, Korea, and Japan. A month-long festival with Buddhist and Taoist roots, it takes place during the 7^th month of the Chinese Lunar calendar. 

What is Ghost Month?

Though its origins are unclear, Ghost Month is said to be when the ruler of Hell, Yama, takes a holiday.

While celebrations and traditions for the festival differ from country to country, this period is generally seen as a time to honor and pay respect to one’s ancestors. It is also, as opposed to Taiwan’s tomb-sweeping Qingming festival, a time to honor one’s ancestors regardless of age.

On a more sinister note, Ghost Month is also said to be when the gate is open between the land of the living and the dead. Once this gate opens, ghosts – both friendly Casper-like ones and Annabel-esque ones too – are free to roam our world. That gate opened July 29^th 2022.

But what does this mean? Do we need to call the Ghostbusters? For those residing in countries celebrating Ghost Month, or the ‘Hungry Ghost Festival’, your daily lifestyle shouldn’t be too affected. It’s fairly easy for foreigners in Taiwan to even go about their daily lives without realizing there’s a festival.

That being said, there are subtle changes. One of the more obvious differences will be the increase in promotions at the supermarkets (like Carrefour), usually related to packaged foods like instant noodles, sweets, and cookies. 

How is Ghost Month celebrated?

A common tradition of Ghost Month is to offer food to one’s ancestors. When performing this ritual, family members will lay out food for their ancestors to ‘eat’, and light incense. The time it takes the incense candles to burn out represents the time it takes the ghosts to ‘eat’ the food, which is about 15 minutes. Once extinguished, the family making the offering is then allowed to eat the food themselves. Everyone wins.

But this traditional activity isn’t all that makes up the festival. There’s also a more sinister side to the holiday too, and this is where the actual content for this article comes in. Remember how we said all kinds of ghosts are released into our world, even the not-so-friendly ones? Well, there are actually many kinds of ghosts, such as poor ghosts, hungry ghosts, wild ghosts, and even horny ghosts. 

Now, this is where it can get a little tricky. According to Taiwan News, all ghosts are ‘hungry ghosts’, which are those that committed misdeeds during their lifetime or didn’t have a proper burial. This is probably how the name ‘Hungry Ghost Festival’ was derived. Don’t use this as a blanket term for all ghosts though. What this article fails to notice is that not all ghosts fall into this category. What about someone’s ancestors? It’s unlikely that they are the one’s creating havoc during Ghost Month.

No, we’re serious, lots of strange things happen during Ghost Month. To avoid encountering trouble from any of these ghosts, there are several taboos Taiwanese people observe (avoid doing) during this month. More comprehensive lists of these can be found here (22 of them, in Chinese) and here (13 of them, in English). One of the most taboo activities for Ghost Month is watching ghost films at night. Yet here we are, curating a horror movie playlist just for you. 

So, without further ado, go on and celebrate the 7^th month with 7 of the best Taiwanese horror films! For those wanting to test their bravery, we recommend watching these at night. Or better yet, in a cinema at night, since it’s said that ghosts like to go to the movies too. Good luck and keep safe this Ghost Month! 👻

~ NOTE ~ We’ve made a list of things you should know before watching a Taiwanese horror film. We recommend checking it out before watching the film, otherwise you run the risk of not fully understanding why your Taiwanese friend is terrified. Or why we gave it such a high rating…

INCANTATION (2021)

Ranked #3 as the most viewed non-English film on Netflix, and inspired by a true story in Kaohsiung, Incantation (咒 (zhòu)) is truly terrifying. The description goes that 6 years after having committed a grave taboo, a mother begins to record spooky and sinister happenings that start to occur when her young daughter rejoins her life. 

Though western news outlets are right that the story depicted in Incantation is not true, the events that loosely inspired the film are. For the full story, we recommend looking at Storm Media’s article (heads up, it’s in Chinese). For a less informative, but English, opinion on the matter, check out HITC’s article.

Our Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Netflix: YES

HOSPITAL (2020)

Involving Taiwan’s largest haunted building, Hospital (杏林醫院 (xìnglín yīyuàn)) is based on the abandoned Xinglin hospital complex in central Tainan. Opened in 1975, the building was a fully-functioning hospital until 1993, when it was shut down due to falsifying medical records. Though there, supposedly, have been multiple attempts to demolish the building, rumor has it that each construction manager in charge met a rather untimely death. As a result, the hospital is still standing today.

While there are numerous rumors related to the hospital, the movie decides to focus on those that happened within its walls. After the failed procedure of her son, a heart-broken mother sets herself on fire – ultimately committing suicide. We’re not sure if there’s any truth in this basis that the movie uses, but there is a rumor that the hospital was on fire at some point or other. Spooky.

Our Rating: ⭐⭐

Netflix: YES

THE BRIDGE CURSE (2020)

Based on the urban legend surrounding Donghai University in Taichung, The Bridge Curse (女鬼橋 (nǚ guǐqiáo)) centers around the ‘Female Ghost Bridge’. Rumor has it that this bridge is haunted by a female student who committed suicide after confessing her love to a boy. Set in the fictional Donghu University – yep, super creative – the movie focuses on an investigative news reporter and her photographer searching for answers as to the disappearance of a group of university students four years prior.

With twists and turns, The Bridge Curse is sure to delight and fright, and will definitely make you think twice about going out with your friends at night.

Our Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Netflix: YES

TAG ALONG 1 (2015)

Based on an urban legend about the Little Girl in Red, Tag Along (紅衣小女孩 (hóng yī xiǎo nǚhái)) is not something you want to watch while in Nantou. With numerous cases of people going missing in the mountains in Taiwan, and having no recollection of how they got there or even came back to civilization, Tag Along is part documentary, part horror/thriller. 

The plot of the movie revolves around a grandmother, her grandson, and his girlfriend. When Wei’s grandmother suddenly disappears, Wei works with his girlfriend Yi-chun to find her. What is uncovered, though, could spell a terrible fate for them both.

Our Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Netflix: No

There is a sequel: Tag Along 2 (The Devil Fish) 

DETENTION (2019)

Not to be mistaken for the TV show with the same name, Detention (返校 (fǎn xiào)) is a dramatic thriller that is sure to keep you on your toes. Set in the 1960s during Taiwan’s White Terror and martial law, two students become trapped in their school at night. Attempting to break free, the two must work together to find out what has become of their friends and teachers.

Our Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Netflix: YES

‘Detention’ the TV show is an 8-episode supernatural horror drama on Netflix, loosely set on the same story as the film.

THE ROPE CURSE (2018)

We don’t know who makes the ratings on IMDB, but they have sorely mistaken this film for something that doesn’t deserve at least a 7.5/10. Based on the traditional ceremony to de-curse possessions that have been used to commit suicide, The Rope Curse (粽邪 (zòng xié)) merges the old with the new through livestreaming. When Jia-wei streams an ancient ritual with his girlfriend Shu-yi, they become cursed, turning “their lives upside down” (IMDB). 

Our Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Netflix: YES

There is a sequel: The Rope Curse 2

MINXIONG HAUNTED HOUSE (2022)

With a run-time of just 1hr20m, newly released Minxiong Haunted House is a fairly underwhelming experience for your average scare-master. Ironically enough though, it does make for a relatively pleasant film about family. Relatively. We still don’t recommend watching it with anyone under the age of 15.

Set in the most haunted house in Taiwan (Chiayi county), the movie depicts a family’s disturbing history that starts to unravel when Xiao Qi stumbles upon a tomb and becomes possessed. We can’t tell you more than that otherwise there would be massive spoilers, but you need to check out the stories related to this movie. Minxiong Haunted House relies heavily on these two stories, so if you go in without knowing them, well… understanding the plot is going to be tricky, to say the least.

Our Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (Please be aware that this film features rape and suicide)

Netflix: NO – just released!

Related Activity to Minxiong Haunted House

Those currently residing in Taiwan can get a heads-up of what to expect by visiting the Minxiong Haunted House immersive exhibition at National Taiwan Science Education Center (Shilin, Taipei). Open until September 11th 2022 from 10am to 6pm, there are two routes – A and B – through which visitors can explore the frightening world of Minxiong Haunted House. Routes can be booked separately ($220 each) or together ($399). Tickets can be purchased in person or online at Klook. There’s also a bargain deal of an exhibition ticket AND a movie ticket for only $599!

Can’t decide what to eat? We got you covered!

Everyone knows that the horror movie experience wouldn’t be complete without a pizza (or two), fries, and a Coke (or Pepsi, we’re not judging). So, to get you in the mood, we’ve partnered up with KFC and PizzaHut to bring you some super sweet deals (if you’re in Taiwan). Not in the mood for that? No problem, although we are questioning your decision. Check out Uber Eats for more choices near you!

External Articles Related to Ghost Month

For external articles related to Ghost Month, we recommend checking out the following:

• 3 People Who Should Be Especially Cautious This Ghost Month (Chinese) – Storm Media
• 22 Taboos To Avoid During Ghost Month (Chinese) – UDN
• 13 Unlucky Taboos to Evade During Ghost Month in Taiwan (English) – Taiwan News
• Recommended Ghost Movies On Netflix (Chinese) – ELLE

External Resources Linked to Ghost Month

Ghost Month is the 7^th month of the Chinese Lunar calendar, a calendar that is determined by the moon. Each date in the Gregorian calendar (that’s the one that we use now) corresponds to a date in the Chinese Lunar calendar, but not the same one! That means that your lunar animal isn’t based on the Gregorian year you were born; it’s actually based on the Lunar calendar. Find out what your Lunar birth date is using China Highlights’ calendar. This will let you know if you should be careful this Ghost Month or coming New Year.

Thanks for reading this post, and let us know what you think in the comments!

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