31 Nights of Horror Movies 2019 — Recap

Another Halloween has come and gone, which means yet another October full of horror movies! Like previous years, I continued the tradition of choosing a theme and selecting 31 horror films to watch for the first time. Inspired by my language studies -I’m currently learning Korean, and I’ve dived deeper in self-learning Japanese- this year the theme I settled on was Asian horror.

Previous to the 31 Nights of Horror Movies challenge, I was familiar only with Hideo Nakata’s Ringu, which was part of last year’s selection -last year’s theme was Horror Classics. I was also technically aware of the influence this subgenre had on the early-2000’s wave of horror remakes like Dark Water, The Grudge, and so many others. Yet, I hadn’t seen the originals until now.

I spent a couple of afternoons checking out several lists of recommendations, trying to include any film that appeared in more than two or three of those. Finally, I ended up with a robust selection that included Japanese, Thai, Philippine and Korean horror movies from different years, directors, tones and styles.

Now that it’s over, I can say this: it was quite a ride!

Although 31 movies are hardly enough for turning me into an expert in the subject, I think it definitely sparked my interest in exploring the vast pool of horror tales made in these countries.

To officially put an end to this year’s challenge, here are some of my thoughts and personal recommendations, in case you’re interested in giving Asian horror a try.

You can also check out the full list of films I watched on Letterboxd.

Asian Horror -a brief recap

Before watching this year’s selection of films, I associated Asian horror movies with elements from The Ring, The Grudge or Dark Water. That is: people being haunted by long-haired, pale ghosts, that make horrific noises in the dark.

Undeniably, there’s a little bit of that in the movies I watched. But what I didn’t expect was to find an underlying existential anguish to go with it. Even the most convoluted of them have a theme or poses a question about humanity, society, family, loneliness… And sometimes the characters deal with it while bathed in blood, or harassed by an endless string of unsettling visions, or -of course- haunted by terrifying ghosts.

In order to focus and convey the weight of their heavy themes, most of the films rely more on atmosphere than jump scares. Long silences and pauses abound. For example, while a western horror film would rely on shocking its audience with a dramatic reveal, some of these movies prefer to take a pause and let the characters explore the truth gradually, intimately.

But don’t think for a moment that taking their time means they’re uninteresting or tedious. Every long silence is complemented with striking, memorable images that demand your attention. It’s the perfect visual expression of this subgenre in itself: there are beauty and serenity in the surface, but boiling underneath there are horrors too terrible and perplexing to fathom at a glance.

The protagonists in these films usually start their journey in a place of resigned contentedness and soon discover that the world around them has been dormant, just waiting to pounce on them to feast on their deepest fears.

Men are usually hard-working people, who often fall prey to their own ambition. Women are not quite like the western’s Final Girl, and in that sense, they act more submissively than what we’re used to seeing on screen. In both cases, we’re presented with average, imperfect people, trying to get rid of something that troubles them relentlessly.

When it comes to weak points, the swift and extreme tonal shifts in some of the films can be quite baffling. It affected Korean films the most, with movies that went from comedies ala Shaun of the Dead to distressing dramas, or full-on slashers, quite abruptly.

However, I do wonder if what kept me from enjoying that tonal variation is the result of a cultural difference I’m not aware of. Is this the style of movies that speak to a non-American audience?

In any case, I did have a lot of fun with this year’s selection! I also found a few masterpieces that will now be part of my Halloween-horror movie repertoire.

Here are my top 5, plus a few honorable mentions:

Dark Water (Honogurai Mizu no Soko kara)

Last year, The Innocents (Clayton, 1961) was the film that rattled me the most. It stayed in my mind long after it ended, and most of the other films in last year’s selection didn’t provoke that same haunting sensation that The Innocents gave me.

This year, that distinction goes to Hideo Nakata’s Dark Water.

I was aware of the Hollywood remake and had an unclear notion of the story. But nothing could prepare me for the emotional impact that the original movie had on me.

I was instantly taken by the profound love between mother and daughter, and the perils they go through moved me with their rawness and sincerity -even in the midst of a ghost story!

The performances, the dark atmosphere,… everything added to its final, heartbreaking effect.

What’s about: in the midst of a divorce, a young mother and her daughter move into a new apartment, only to discover that there’s a spiteful entity lurking the place.

Kwaidan (Kaidan)

Masaki Kobayashi’s 1964 film was the first one on my list this year. And what an entree point!

Kwaidan presents four different Japanese horror folk stories. Horror anthologies can sometimes feel a little off as one tale moves to the next with little to no grace. But the stories in Kwaidan match each other very well, and it has much to do with a carefully crafted consistency in setting, tone and visual structure of all the stories.

Indeed, there’s no way of describing this movie without mentioning its striking visuals. Every frame is arresting. And although we’re not used to talking about horror movies in terms of beauty and artistic value, there’s no doubt Kwaidan has both.

In fact, it’s a film with a very different type of horror, which focuses on the horrors of human error instead of shock. To some, Kwaidan will seem too slow and eerie to provoke fear, yet others will definitely fall for its authenticity despite its evidently fantastical setting.

What’s about: 4 horror tales set in countryside Japan. Ambition, forgetfulness, and ignorance are some of the real-life monsters that haunt each story.

Pulse (Kairo)

If you decide to watch Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s 2001’s Pulse based on its poster or the Hollywood remake, prepare yourself to be taken by surprise!

I had previously seen the extremely clumsy 2006 version and was ready to be as disappointed with the original as I was with the retelling. Fortunately, the original Pulse is actually a wonderful, thought-provoking horror film that focuses on the devastating weight of solitude in our modern society.

The movie isn’t perfect. It has a rocky start and it takes a long minute to find its footing. Yet once it does, it becomes a pessimistic, evocative exploration of loneliness and will.

Just like Dark Waters, it distressed me on a deeper emotional level than most other horror movies, and for that reason alone I strongly recommend it despite its flaws.

What’s about: the cyberspace becomes a menacing net, as people all over Japan start losing their minds after mysterious spirits haunt them through their digital devices.

Gau Ji (Dumplings)

Fruit Chan’s 2004 film is less abstract and relies more on gore than the previous entries in this list. Still, it does ask some interesting questions about the ethics of nourishing desires and self-worth at any cost.

Its horror relies a lot on stomach-turning imagery and shock, and it deals with what might be perceived as certain controversial topics. There are also a few unnecessarily awkward and long scenes depicting very odd sexual encounters, which I could have personally lived without.

If you’re thin-skinned against any of those elements, do skip it. If not, you should definitely give it a chance. You might enjoy it!

What’s about: a wealthy woman goes to a local cook whose ingredients are famous for helping women look youthful. But after discovering what’s truly inside the cook’s dumplings, her moral integrity will be put to the test.

Janghwa, Hongryeon (A Tale of Two Sisters)

Similarly to Dark Water and Pulse, I was aware of this movie’s existence due to the 2009 American version, which I had previously watched. However, I barely remembered the final twist and had never re-watched after that first viewing, since I didn’t find it all that memorable.

But that’s not the case with the 2003 version.

Although I did find the third act a little too chaotic, overall it’s an unsettling horror tale that focuses on familial love, and the timeless ties it’s capable of creating.

It’s as tragic as it is disquieting. Its wonderful aesthetic is wonderfully captivating and irresistible. And it’s all complemented by a powerful trio of actresses that present delightfully nuanced performances.

A must-watch of this subgenre, for sure!

What’s about: two sisters return to their home after being released from a mental institution, only to find it has been taken over by their cruel stepmother and a mysterious evil entity.

Honorable mentions

· Ugetsu Monogatari (1953)

· Cure (1997)

· Gin Gwai (The Eye, 2002)

· Sake (Retribution, 2006)

· Seuseung-ui eunhye (2006)

· Kokuhaku (Confessions, 2010)

· Gok-Seong (The Wailing, 2016)