Warning: This story contains minor spoilers for 'Incantation'. Read at your own risk.
Taiwanese horror film Incantation has been available for streaming on Netflix since July 8, 2022. It originally released in Taiwan on March 18 this year. But as reviews start coming in, and as people start sharing their experiences with the film, we're slowly starting to realize just how uniquely-terrifying the found-footage style Asian horror flick is.
The amount of attention the film is getting comes as no surprise, seeing that it became the highest-grossing Taiwanese horror film of all time.
But if you haven't managed to watch the film yet, take this article as a warning – Incantation hits you in ways one wouldn't normally expect. It's subtle, it's tastefully interactive (breaking the fourth wall), and most importantly, it doesn't rely on usual horror flick tropes like jumpscares or scary-looking ghosts. It doesn't need to.
And if you've already seen the film, let's relive the terror together, shall we?
Beneath the surface, Incantation recounts a mother and daughter's relentless love for each other.
Image courtesy of Netflix.
I say it 'recounts' a mother's love for her daughter because of the way the film was shot: Found-footage, kind of reminiscent of 1999's The Blair Witch Project, but leaps and bounds more terrifying. This is especially apparent if you grew up with Asian superstitions as a part of life.
It's important to keep in mind that the movie straddles back and forth between two different timelines: The present and six years prior. This article will also make a few references to both timelines, so please try to bear with the time-shifts.
At the heart of the story is Ronan (Tsai Hsuan-yen), a mother who finally reunites with her daughter Dodo (Huang Sin-ting) after having to surrender her to foster care six years ago. As you can imagine, six years of separation is quite a long time. So it makes sense that their long-awaited reunion is a little awkward at first.
Image courtesy of Netflix.
As the two spend more time together, Dodo slowly starts warming up to Ronan again, showing just how powerful a daughter's unwavering faith in her mother can be, despite having spent six years in foster care, away from her. However, Dodo eventually starts acting really strangely, supposedly seeing "monsters" in their home – specifically, on her bedroom ceiling.
Regardless of the difficulties they endure together, it's obvious that Dodo will do anything for her mother, even if it means subjecting herself to things no child should ever have to do. This is by no means a negative reflection of Ronan's parenting; it's a portrayal of unconditional love. But let me tell you now, this isn't exactly a happy story. It never was, it never will be.
Tempting fate and religious taboo.
Image courtesy of Netflix.
I'm not going to completely spoil the film (I still want you to feel just as terrified as I was while watching the film). But, for more context, let's rewind to six years prior to understand why Ronan even had to give Dodo up to foster care in the first place.
Going back six years, Ronan, along with her boyfriend Dom and his cousin Yuan, visit a remote village temple run by the Chen clan (Dom and Yuan's relatives) to document their unique rituals, rooted in a Yunnan folk religion that worships a deity called the Buddha-Mother. The trio run an online ghost-hunting video channel, so they're hoping to 'catch' some good footage here.
During one of the rituals, the three of them are asked to submit their names for the Buddha-Mother chant. One clan elder tells Ronan that she must also submit her daughter's name once she's born. Confused, Ronan shrugs this off, unaware of the fact she's actually pregnant. Later that night, the group spies on the clan performing the ritual and sees a girl who looks like she's been prepared for sacrifice. Later, she's placed in front of a tunnel near the temple that clan elders say is forbidden to enter.
Image courtesy of Netflix.
But of course, wanting to get some valuable footage for their channel, Dom and Yuan disobey these rules and tear down its barricades. To put things bluntly: Play stupid games, and win stupid prizes. In this case, that prize is death. Completely traumatized by the harrowing incident (and the loss of her boyfriend), Ronan's mental health naturally takes a turn for the worst.
When Dodo is born, she's immediately given up to foster care, since Ronan is in no way, shape, or form able to care for her. And here we are, back to the present.
As for the rest of the story, watch the film yourself. You won't regret it. Well, you might. Depends on how high your horror threshold is.
Viewers report feeling 'cursed' or 'unlucky' after watching Incantation.
Image courtesy of Netflix.
One of the central themes of Incantation is a curse that brings about a series of unfortunate events.
Interestingly, however, some people who have already watched the film also report feeling cursed or unlucky in their real lives.
watching incantation alone was the worst decision of my life — marklouis (@_marklouiss) July 11, 2022
Watched incantation last night and i said the chant like 20 times, power went out a couple minutes later….never been so scared in my whole adult life pic.twitter.com/HHarggRjMm — certified milf enthusiast (@mxl_mxd) July 27, 2022
In fact, when Mashable Southeast Asia interviewed the cast and director of Incantation over Zoom, lead actress Tsai Hsuan-yen revealed that the taxi she had taken to the interview venue had gotten into a minor car accident (keep a lookout on our socials for the upcoming interview video).
Bad luck, or a pure coincidence? You decide.
Click here to watch Incantation on Netflix.
And stay tuned for our interview video with the film's director Kevin Ko, Tsai Hsuan-yen (Ronan), and Kao Ying-hsuan (Chi-ming).
People are also reading these stories:
'Thor: Love and Thunder' will not show in Malaysia. And we can only guess why. ?
12 Korean titles on Netflix you should look out for in the second half of 2022
'Money Heist Korea': A faithful remake of the original, with unique Korean flair
Follow Mashable SEA on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Telegram.
