AANHPI Films to Watch This (and every) Halloween
The spooky season is in the air 🎃🦇 If you’re craving some recommendations to watch on Halloween (or any time of the year if you are a real thrill-seeker), here are a few outstanding works of the horror genre from the long history of AANHPI cinema.
The Housemaid (South Korea, 1960)
Director: Kim Ki-young (Kuk Dong, Seki Trading Co.)
The Housemaid, written, directed, produced, and edited by Kim Ki-young, is a psychological domestic horror about the destruction of a piano composer’s family after hiring a young, unstable live-in housemaid. Setting in post-war South Korea, the movie explores marital infidelity, betrayal, sexual obsession as well as discusses social classes and cultural issues. The Housemaid is dark, chilling, shocking, and it keeps viewers on edge throughout its duration. The film has a great impact on contemporary South Korean cinema since it is cited as the inspiration for Park Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden (2016) and Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite (2019).
Stream: The Criterion Channel
Kwaidan (Japan, 1964)
Director: Masaki Kobayashi (Ninjin Club)
Another great horror work from the 1960s is Kwaidan, an anthology film directed by Masaki Kobayashi. The movie consists of four separated parts based on four different Japanese ghost stories: "The Black Hair", "The Woman of the Snow", "Hoichi the Earless", and "In a Cup of Tea". Kwaidan won the Special Jury Prize at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival as well as received a nomination for Best Foreign Film at the 38th Academy Awards. Many critics highlighted the astonishing visual of the film and Kobayashi’s use of colors.
Stream: Max, The Criterion Channel
The Vampire Doll (Japan, 1970)
Director: Michio Yamamoto (Toho)
The Vampire Doll is the first installment of Michio Yamamoto’s Bloodthristy trilogy, followed by Lake of Dracula (1971) and Evil of Dracula (1974). Kazuhiko comes back to Tokyo from a business trip and visits his girlfriend, Yuko, at her secluded home in the countryside. However, he learns about Yuko’s passing upon arrival, which shocks and profoundly saddens him. A week later, Kazuhiko still has not returned home, which worries his sister and her fiance. They then come to Yuko’s house to find their brother but end up encountering various strange, dangerous incidents and slowly discover the deep dark secrets of the house. The film is a Japanese take on Western vampire movies. Its narrative structure, atmosphere, the sound design, editing, and performances are on point, creating such a scary cinematic experience for viewers.
Stream: Tubi
House (Japan, 1977)
Director: Nobuhiko Obayashi (Toho)
Hausu (House) is a bizarre fever dream filled with horrifying moments. The story follows a group of seven schoolgirls traveling to their aunt’s isolated country home for the summer trip. Here, they continuously face creepy supernatural occurrences which threaten their safety. This experimental horror film sounds like other haunted house movies at first, but there is nothing similar to it throughout cinema history. House is celebrated for its uniqueness, humor, absurdity, and serious underlying themes. Obayashi’s work has acquired a cult following through the years, and the film is considered as a J-horror classic.
Stream: Max, The Criterion Channel
Ringu (Japan, 1998)
Director: Hideo Nakata (Ringu/Rasen Production Committee)
Ringu (The Ring) is one of the most popular Japanese supernatural horror films internationally. The plot centers on Reiko Asakawa, a reporter who is trying to investigate a cursed video tape rumored to kill its viewers seven days after viewing. The movie terrifyingly discusses technophobia and how technology affects Japanese culture and traditions, which is a common theme in many later J-horror works like Pulse (2001). Ringu gained huge successes in both box office and critics’ reviews, paving the way for many American remakes of J-horror movies.
Stream: AMC+
The Sixth Sense (United States, 1999)
Director: M. Night Shyamalan (Hollywood Pictures, Spyglass Entertainment, The Kennedy/Marshall Company, Barry Mendel Productions)
Regarded as one of M. Night Shyamalan’s best works, The Sixth Sense is a psychological thriller surrounding Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist, and his patient, Cole Sear, who is able to communicate with the dead. The film is full of chills and mysteries. At the 72nd Academy Awards, Shyamalan received nominations for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Haley Joel Osment, who portrayed Cole in the movie, was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at age 11. Toni Collette also had a nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Cole’s mother. Shyamalan is known for his twisting thrillers with horror elements. Other famous works of his are the Unbreakable trilogy (2000-2019) and Signs (2002).
Available for rent on multiple platforms
Audition (Japan, 1999)
Director: Takashi Miike (Omega Project, Creators Company Connection, Film Face, AFDF Korea, Bodysonic)
Based on the novel of the same name by Ryu Murakami, Audition tells the story of a widower who looks for a new romantic partner by setting up auditions. He eventually falls for Asami, whose real self is nothing like she appears to be. The film is loved by moviegoers, critics, and several fellow filmmakers, such as Quentin Tarantino and Eli Roth. Miike’s influential work is included in many lists of the best horror movies ever made and remembered for its shocking final sequence.
Stream: Tubi, Kanopy
Pulse (Japan, 2001)
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Daiei Film, NTV Network, Hakuhodo, Imagica)
This Japanese techno-horror has developed a cult following since its release in 2001 and was praised by critics around the world. Pulse is often listed as one of the creepiest movies of all time. Written and directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, a prominent figure in J-horror, the film features two parallel stories about ghosts invading the world via the Internet. Kurosawa did not need to use jump scares nor many sound effects to send shivers up the viewers’ spines and demonstrate the terror of loneliness in this digital age. If you enjoy Kurosawa’s works, Cure (1997) is another amazing film to check out.
*Read more about Cure in our list of API Films and Mental Health.
Stream: Amazon Prime Video, AMC+
Spirited Away (Japan, 2001)
Director: Hayao Miyazaki (Studio Ghibli)
Spirited Away is not exactly a horror film, but it does contain frightening imagery and themes. The whole movie feels like a beautiful dream at certain moments and an absolute nightmare at others. It follows Chihiro Ogino and her family as they are moving to a new neighborhood. On the way to their new home, they stumble upon an abandoned park and enter the world of spirits. Spirited Away is considered as Mizayaki’s finest work and one of the greatest films of all time. The award-winning score of Joe Hisaishi also enhances the magicalness of the movie.
Stream: Max
Thirst (South Korea, 2009)
Director: Park Chan-wook (Moho Film, Focus Features International)
Thirst, the winner of the Jury Prize at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, is a must-see for horror fans. Co-produced, co-written, and directed by the prolific director Park Chan-wook, the movie tells the story of Sang-huyn, a Catholic priest who turns into a vampire after volunteering for a medical experiment, leaving him the crave for blood and sex. Sang-huyn then falls in love with Tae-ju, a young wife of his childhood friend who is tired of her mundane life and unhappy marriage. Thirst is bold, disturbing, and darkly humorous.
Stream: Peacock
Pee Mak (Thailand, 2013)
Director: Banjong Pisanthanakun (GMM Tai Hub, Jorkwang Film)
Adapted from the Thai folklore of Mae Nak Phra Khanong, Pee Mak became Thailand's highest grossing film of all time and achieved box office success across Asia. It tells the story of Mak and his soldier friends returning to Mak’s hometown after the war, but now the village is haunted by a ghost, rumored to be Mak’s wife. The movie brings viewers all kinds of feelings with its humor, touching, romantic love story, and terrifying scenes. Thailand is known for making many hair-raising horror films. Some notable ones other than Pee Mak are Shutter (2004) and Alone (2007), both are co-written and co-directed by Pisanthanakun.
Available for rent on Apple TV+
The Conjuring (United States, 2013)
Director: James Wan (New Line Cinema, The Safran Company, Evergreen Media Group)
The Conjuring is a 2013 supernatural horror film directed by Asian-Australian filmmaker James Wan and starring Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson as the Warrens, a real-life married team of paranormal investigators and demonologists whose alleged experiences with hauntings inspired Wan and the screenwriters. The film follows the Warrens in 1971 while they attempt to aid the Perrons, a family disturbed by supernatural phenomena in the Rhode Island farmhouse they have recently moved into. This film was both a critical and commercial hit, leading to a string of sequels and spin-offs (such as Annabelle (2014) and the 2018 movie The Nun), thus creating The Conjuring Universe.
Stream: Max
What We Do in the Shadows (New Zealand, 2014)
Directors: Jemaine Clement & Taika Waititi (Resnick Interactive Development, Unison Films, Defender Films, New Zealand Film Commission)
Written, directed by and starring Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, What We Do in the Shadows is a mockumentary about a group of vampires living together in modern-day Wellington. This horror comedy was praised by critics and became a smash hit of 2014, which led to the highly successful and also critically acclaimed TV series of the same name. If you need something different from the classic vampire movies this Halloween, What We Do in the Shadows will be a great choice.
Available for rent on multiple platforms
Train to Busan (South Korea, 2016)
Director: Yeon Sang-ho (Next Entertainment World, RedPeter Film)
A zombie outbreak hits the country while Seok-woo, a workaholic father, travels from Seoul to Busan by train with his daughter, Su-an. Taking place in a claustrophobic setting, Train to Busan is intensely thrilling yet tremendously emotional. The movie is excellently done, from the writing, action sequences, acting, to the production, sound design and VFX make-up. Furthermore, it achieved huge box office successes worldwide and became one of the biggest South Korean films of all time. There are also social commentaries in the film, such as corporate greed, power dynamics, classism, speedy industrialization, and individualism.
Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, Paramount+, The Roku Channel, Tubi, Kanopy
Satan’s Slaves (Indonesia, 2017)
Director: Joko Anwar (Rapi Films, CJ Entertainment)
Satan’s Slaves, directed by Joko Anwar, is a loose remake and prequel of the 1980 film of the same name by the Indonesian horror filmmaker Sisworo Gautama Putra. The film illustrates a series of spooky, haunting events happening to a family after their mother’s passing. Anwar created an eerie, bone-chilling atmosphere throughout the movie and was able to incorporate the country’s culture and traditions into the story. Satan’s Slaves is the highest-grossing Indonesian film of 2017, which generated the successful sequel released in 2022.
Stream: AMC+
One Cut of the Dead (Japan, 2017)
Director: Shin'ichirō Ueda (Enbu Seminar)
This Japanese zombie comedy film is like no other work we have seen before. The whole first act was shot in one take, following a group of filmmakers and actors who are shooting a live television zombie movie in an abandoned water filtration plant. In the case of One Cut of the Dead, the less you know about the film prior viewing the better. It will take the viewers on a crazy ride. The movie is original, smart, funny, and it ended up making more than $32 million worldwide against a $25,000 budget.
Stream: AMC+
Honorable Mentions
Other great films for monster horror fans can be Gojira (1954) by Japanese director Ishirō Honda as well as The Host (2006) by South Korean director Bong Joon-ho. These two movies were listed in API Films with Environmental Themes (April ‘23 issue) and can be streamed on Max and Paramount+ respectively. In terms of animation, Satoshi Kon’s Perfect Blue (1997) is another good option to watch this Halloween season. This work was also introduced before in our list of API Films and Mental Health in the May ‘23 issue. It is currently available on AMC+ to stream.
