Horror is one of the most enduringly popular film genres. They routinely top the box office and many of their characters have become part of the cultural zeitgeist, from Sadako in The Ring and Kayako in The Grudge to Chucky in Child’s Play and Pennywise in It. For fellow horror movie fanatics out there, here are three spooktacular Chinese horror movies to watch and enjoy alone or with friends and family:
1. The Door (2007)
Jiang, Hong, and Li were classmates in high school. Jiang has worked as an editor since graduating. Meanwhile, Hong achieves great success in business and purchases Jiang’s publishing company, becoming his new employer. However, Hong is murdered the next day after seeing Jiang.
Jiang, on the other hand, had always assumed that his old classmate Li had attempted to assault his lover, but Li appears unexpectedly and pleads innocence. All of these events are driving Jiang insane, and he begins to hear odd and eerie sounds behind the doors in a horrible dream. Throughout the film, he eventually starts to question if these hallucinations have become his reality.
2. The House That Never Dies (2017)
Ruoqing is a young mother who relocates from Taiwan to mainland China to be with the man she loves. Together with Ruoqing’s daughter Meng, the two lovers dwell in Ruoqing’s ancestral mansion, a magnificent structure that emanates a haunting aura. Ruoqing discovers a locked box of letters written by one of the house’s former residents while exploring her new home, exposing tremendous romance and terrible family secrets. As Ruoqing explores further her family’s history and sets out to discover who haunts the hallways of No. 81 Chaoyangmennei Street, past, present, reality, and hallucination all collide.
The House That Never Dies is actually based on a real building. Chaonei No. 81, a French Baroque architectural style building in Beijing’s Dongcheng District, is said to be haunted by a female spirit. According to popular belief, she is the wife or mistress of a Kuomintang official who escaped to Taiwan in 1949, leaving her behind. She committed suicide in the house, heartbroken and lonely, and now haunts everyone who tries to live there.
3. Mortal Ouija (2019)
The film recounts the story of a divorced woman and her daughter who moved into a big but run-down apartment near her daughter’s school. The flat is regularly characterized as chilly and musty, and a terrible stench may be noticed at night, although no cause could be found. The previous occupants left the storage filled with trash, including an antique ouija board and a dish with which the daughter plays. As a result, the evil spirit within is summoned. Supernatural incidents begin to occur in the apartment, and with the assistance of a few scientist ghostbusters, they conclude that there is nothing weird going on, but the incidents still continue.
The daughter suddenly becomes unwell and is admitted to the hospital. The mother then calls the previous owner, who informs her that the ouija board contains a ghost that must be handed on to another person within seven days of being summoned, or it would murder the person who summoned it.
Horror movies are great when you want to watch something thrilling and suspenseful. I suggest watching these films at night for the ultimate horror movie-watching experience as they are most frightening at night when any shadow or inexplicable noise might make you jump. Happy binge-watching and we hope you have a spooktacular night!
