Netflix has announced that it will be the exclusive streaming home of the hit Taiwanese horror film “Incantation” starting July 8, 2022.
The found-footage horror helmed by Kevin Ko is loosely inspired by real-life events involving a family of cult worshipers and tells the story of a mother trying to save her child from a deadly curse. The film has seen tremendous success at the Taiwan box office, having earned $170M (US$5.7M) in Taiwan and counting, making it 2022’s highest-grossing movie to date at the Taiwan box office. The film has also been nominated for seven Taipei Film Awards (including Best Narrative Feature and Best Director). In fact, the film has been so successful that preparations for a sequel, also directed by Ko, are already in progress.
Inspired by Internet culture, such as forum threads, YouTuber confessionals, and email chain letters, Ko’s goal was to create a unique found footage experience with an interactive connection with the audience. While the film techniques will feel familiar, with characters who address the audience through the camera, the key idea is for viewers to feel like their intentions can shape real-world outcomes. This idea is first embedded with the psychological test with a Ferris wheel and a moving train in the film’s trailer.
“I know how to scare the audience with an effective horror sequence. But a good horror movie is not just about these tricks,” he says. “The core has to be about human nature. Ultimately, the audience has to care about the characters.”
In this, he is very much influenced by the wave of Asian horror that became globally popular in the 1990s and early 2000s, and included films like Japan’s “Ring,” “One Missed Call,” “Ju-on,” and “Dark Water,” as well as Hong Kong’s “The Eye.” “Asian horror is not just about hardcore gore,” says Ko. “It has a softness to it. It scares you, but it also moves you, even heals you.”
“Incantation” will premiere globally on Netflix on July 8.
