By Brontë H. Lacsamana, Reporter
Movie Review
Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Killer Hospital
Directed by Kerwin Go
Produced by Reality MM Studios and Creative Leaders Group 8
TECHNOLOGY, social media, and the horrors that come with it are themes that resonate with younger audiences today. Much of our lives is filtered through a lens, be it that of a phone, laptop, or actual camera. Never mind the shaky movements, the off-kilter framing, or the unpredictable elements that pop up onscreen — these days, the cameras are always rolling. And if they’re not, you’re missing out.<
This is the context that motivates the adventurous ghost-hunting team of celebrities and online influencers in Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Killer Hospital. Starring Enrique Gil, Jane De Leon, Alexa Miro, Rob Gomez, MJ Lastimosa, Raf Pineda, and Ryan Azurin as exaggerated versions of themselves, this film delves into the consequences of always being “on,” for clicks, for clout, for cash.
The pursuit of fame and fortune takes the group to Taiwan’s infamous Xinglin Hospital, one of Southeast Asia’s most haunted locations, where they expect to simply generate hype and act out viral-worthy moments for their webseries — until actual paranormal phenomena start to happen.
As a fan of found footage horror (a genre of horror characterized by handheld, shaky camera movement or grainy camera quality due to the footage being “self-recorded”), I was so ready to be disappointed by this. It was probably the unbelievably low level of expectation that made this film such a pleasant surprise for me. It’s actually well-executed, director Kerwin Go was seemingly given a decent budget for the creepy atmosphere and demonic visuals to come to life.
Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Killer Hospital is directly inspired by the 2018 Korean horror film Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum, a fact that it wears on its sleeve with the characters even mentioning it as one of their favorite movies. What people usually ask about Filipino adaptations of Korean movies is whether it’s a trying-hard version of the source material. I’m happy to report that it’s not better or worse, instead becoming a thing of its own. Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum had less distinct characters but more hair-raising scares from what I remember, while Strange Frequencies brings in more memorable character dynamics with some promising scares. Not bad.
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