By means of 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. So much of our lives are filtered through a lens, whether it be that of a phone, laptop or an actual camera. Don’t worry about the shaky movements, the odd framing or the unpredictable elements that appear on screen: nowadays the cameras are always rolling. And if not, you’re missing out.
This is the context that motivates the adventurous ghost hunting team of celebrities and online influencers 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 influence , for money .
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 recreate viral moments for their web series – until actual paranormal symptoms start to happen.
As a fan of Found Footage horror (a horror genre characterized by shaky hand-held camera movements or grainy camera quality due to the footage being “self-shot”), I was so ready to be disappointed by this. It was probably the incredibly low level of expectations that made this film such a pleasant surprise for me. It’s actually well executed, director Kerwin Go seemingly given a decent budget to bring the creepy atmosphere and demonic imagery to life.
Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Killer Hospital is directly inspired by the 2018 Korean horror film Gonjiam: Haunted Asyluma fact that it wears on its sleeve and that the characters even list it as one of their favorite films. What people usually ask about Philippine adaptations of Korean films is whether it is a tried-and-tested version of the source material. I’m happy to report that it is neither better nor worse, but has become a thing in itself. Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum had less distinct characters, but more chilling scares as far as I remember Strange frequencies provides more memorable character dynamics with some promising scares. Not bad.
(Spoilers ahead!)
Jane De Leon is the standout here, her facial expressions, voice and body language are perfectly suited to this genre. So much so that I wished she had been one of the last two to survive. She hit the sweet spot of desperate and smart, but ultimately doomed befitting a Final Girl.
That said, the entire cast did their job, each bringing out their celebrity qualities: Enrique Gil’s hubris, Alexa Miro’s cute excitement, Rob Gomez’s asshole behavior, Raf Pineda’s dramatic verse delivery . Even Ryan Azurin, one of the first to die, and MJ Lastimosa, an annoyingly emotionless beauty queen, contribute. It is with this cast that tensions rise and personalities clash, giving us the impression that life in the public eye has ruined their sense of integrity (fake viral moments to get more views? No problem!).
Of course, none of it makes complete sense. The evil entity sometimes pursues and plays with them as pawns, wandering them obnoxiously to others. Some characters die immediately; some are hunted and harassed for extended periods. Certain abilities of this demonic spirit are introduced, but its hauntings are inconsistent.
To be even more nitpicky, the rules behind the visuals are thrown out the window quite quickly, with us seeing first-person handheld camera footage mixed with third-person POV shots. I’m aware that pure found footage would be difficult to make, especially with this film having a lot of moving parts, but some moments could have been better timed to have more impact when switching from one mode to another. other.
Also, a little more work could have been done to narrow down the glaring plot holes.
For example, they allegedly live-streamed their entire adventure and never got caught (when they clearly revealed illegal machinations behind the scenes) or received help (when they got injured and died and begged their followers for it). Sure, it could have been a creative choice by the filmmakers to show how desensitized internet users are to viral, obviously sensational online content, choosing to believe it’s all fake and therefore not reacting normally, but even then There is a limit to that conceit.
However, the ending had a solid message that could have been refined.
The final moments and deaths of certain characters set up themes of fame and virality that motivate celebrities, content creators, and horror-related content today. Being stupid, inauthentic, irrational, and disrespectful (towards both the living and the dead) has horrific consequences. It was riveting stuff that evoked the satirical elements of the 2023 American horror comedy Dead currentand the thought-provoking yet fast-paced sensibilities of various segments of V/H/S, a popular Found Footage horror film series.
Strange frequencies‘ meta approach is interesting, the creepy atmosphere and fun scares are definitely worth the screams in cinemas – a good sign that Philippine Found Footage horror has found its footing. The last good effort was the 2015 Mindanao film To rescue by Sherad Anthony Sandhez, and the genre hasn’t really been played with since. Hopefully we’ll see more of it soon!
MTRCB Rating: R-13