Tales from the occult have long captivated human imagination, taking us on thrilling and sometimes terrifying journeys into the unknown. These tales delve into the mysterious world of magic, witchcraft, and supernatural phenomena, offering a glimpse into a realm that exists beyond the boundaries of our rational understanding. One such tale involves a coven of witches who gather at midnight, under the pale glow of a full moon, to perform a powerful ritual. As their chants fill the air, their intentions manifest, and a dark force is summoned. This force wreaks havoc on a small village, causing strange occurrences and unexplainable phenomena. The villagers are left puzzled and fearful, as the line between reality and the occult becomes blurred.
The villagers are left puzzled and fearful, as the line between reality and the occult becomes blurred. In another story, a young woman inherits an ancient book of spells from her deceased grandmother. Intrigued by her family's secret history, she embarks on a dangerous journey to uncover the truth.
‘Tales From The Occult’: Udine Review
Newcomer Wesley Ip Sang-hoi joins veteran filmmakers Fruit Chan and Fung Chi-chiang for the first instalment of Media Asia’s new Hongkong omnibus series, Tales From The Occult. Bringing together three distinct modern takes on the classic ghost story, Tales From The Occult is spooky rather than scary and even occasionally funny as each of the filmmakers use well-oiled horror tropes in a nod to the spectre of the territory’s past whilst also providing 111 minutes of quality genre entertainment.
111 minutes of quality genre entertainment
Narratively efficient due to the short run-times of each individual film, all three ghost stories move along at a cracking pace – there is no time for tiresome false jump scares, or characters who don’t believe their friends are being haunted; all three shorts simply cut to the chase. And though each short film is distinct, there is tonal continuity in Henry Lai’s consistently creepy scores. A polished package, with a big enough name in Fruit Chan, Tales From The Occult should have no trouble finding its audience both at genre festivals and beyond – this would be a perfect Hallowe’en offering for cinemas or a streaming service.
The first short, The Chink, is Ip’s directing debut. It begins with two teenage girls hanging out after school. After they part ways, and on her walk home alone, Yoyi (Cherry Ngan) follows a cat up to the titular chink between two walls. But when she pulls an obscuring object away for a closer look she finds instead the cold, hard stare of a dead, rotting corpse. Editor Mathew Tang, who is also a producer on the project, cuts abruptly to the present day where the two girls, now women, are unpacking in Yoyi’s new apartment. As the story goes on, it becomes clear that the cut represents the callousness with which Yoyi has forgotten her past trauma, revisiting it now as, “The feeling’s been creeping back.”
Crafted entirely around that creeping tone, The Chink is all billowing curtains and growling, rumbling sound design. Her sensible Uncle Ronald (Lawrence Cheng), a psychiatrist, uses relaxation techniques to help Yoyi through her trauma, which he assumes to be imagined and not real. Ultimately, though, the surprise ending, which takes place in session, suggests some ghosts have greater impact than modern methods can manage.
In Fruit Chan’s Dead Mall, real estate, consumerism, pandemic panic and online influencers all come under attack. The aesthetic is claustrophobic, beginning with close ups of a crowd at a busy street crossing, wearing masks, mostly surgical style until Benny Chan’s slow motion focuses on gas masks, signalling something even more serious than the current Covid-19 pandemic. Moving indoors and with a smaller resolution handheld camera, Dead Mall is an assault of bright lighting, point of sale signage and eerily empty shopfronts. Our host is Wilson Yeung (Jerry Lamb), an online influencer for a channel called ‘The Gate To Wealth’. He is staging a video to encourage investment in the mall, working with its managers and a crew of paid actors. But things take a turn for the worse when a female figure wearing a gas mask starts stalking him and another influencer turns up to film in the mall.
Finally, Fung Chi-chiang’s The Tenement, which blends comedy with horror, is both the most classic and revisionist of the three ghost stories. In a half-empty, dank and crumbling apartment building, occupied only by five strange and stubborn tenants who won’t sell to developers, a water ghost appears. They all see it, and immediately form a 1980s-style ‘kids on a caper’ gang (think The Goonies, or Stranger Things, but with a strong sense of irony). The water ghost first appears as a shadow on the wall, with long, sharp talons and a hunchback. Later, in close-up, it appears to be a woman whose face is painted ghostly white, her fixed stare and dark cloak a genre giveaway that she has come specifically for one of the five individuals. Who then, can anyone trust? Literally drudging up the past, flooding the stairs and apartments with water, this initially appears to be your garden variety ghost. But, when a journalist turns up, investigating one of the tenants, the whole thing is turned on its head, giving the overall project a killer ending.
The films are ordered according to their seriousness, lightening a little in tone each time, but always anchored by Henry Lai’s creepy score. For a first instalment, Tales From The Occult promises old school horror with a contemporary twist, its light-touch satire a welcome addition to classic supernatural fare. The next instalment, the currently undated Tales From The Occult 2, has Frank Hui, Doris Wong and Daniel Chan attached.
Production companies: Media Asia Film, Movie Addict Productions
International sales: Media Asia Film, [email protected]
Producers: John Chong, Mathew Tang
Screenplay: Fruit Chan, Fung Chi-chiang, Wesley Ip Sang-hoi, Ling Wai-chung, Ho Sui-hong, Stanley Wong
Cinematography: Benny Chan (Dead Mall), Ming Wong (The Tenement), Kwan Pun-leung, Sunny Wong (The Chink)
Editing: Tin Sup-fat, To To, Mathew Tang
Production design: Delon Sui, Chet Chan, Pater Wong
Music: Henry Lai
Main cast: Jerry Lamb, Cecilia So, Richie Ren, Sofiee Ng, Peter Chan, Paul Che, Baby Bo, Cherry Ngan, Ng Wing-sze, Kelvin Kwan, Lawrence Cheng
3/5 stars
As she delves deeper into the realm of magic, she discovers that her ancestors were powerful sorcerers, haunted by a curse that threatens to consume her as well. With each spell she learns, the darkness within her grows, and she must confront her own inner demons in order to break the curse and find redemption. The tales from the occult often revolve around the age-old conflict between good and evil. In one haunting story, a demon possesses a young boy, wreaking havoc on his family and the local community. Desperate for help, the family seeks the aide of an exorcist, a man who has dedicated his life to battling the forces of darkness. Through a harrowing spiritual battle, the exorcist fights to save the boy's soul and rid him of the malevolent entity that possesses him. This tale serves as a reminder of the eternal struggle between light and darkness, and the power of faith in overcoming evil. The allure of the occult lies in its ability to awaken our deepest fears and desires. It explores the uncharted territories of the human psyche, revealing the fragility of our existence and our endless quest for meaning. These tales remind us that there is more to the world than meets the eye, and that we must strive to embrace the unknown, for within it lies the potential for both incredible wonder and terrifying darkness..
Reviews for "The Witching Hour: Spooky Stories of the Occult"
1. Emma - 1 star
I found "Tales from the Occult" to be incredibly boring and unoriginal. The stories lacked depth and the characters were incredibly one-dimensional. I was hoping for a collection of spooky and engaging tales, but instead, I was left disappointed and underwhelmed. The writing style was also lacking, with clunky dialogue and awkward descriptions. Overall, I cannot recommend this book to anyone looking for a thrilling and imaginative read.
2. John - 2 stars
I was quite disappointed with "Tales from the Occult." The stories had potential but were poorly executed. The pacing was off, with some stories dragging on unnecessarily, while others were rushed and lacked proper development. The writing itself felt amateurish, with grammar and punctuation mistakes throughout. Additionally, I found the plotlines to be predictable and unoriginal. Overall, this collection left me unsatisfied and I would not recommend it to fellow readers.
3. Sarah - 2 stars
I had high hopes for "Tales from the Occult," but unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations. The stories lacked originality and felt like a rehash of clichés from other supernatural and horror literature. The character development was minimal, leaving me feeling disconnected and uninterested in their fates. The writing style was also a letdown, lacking fluidity and failing to create a sense of tension or suspense. Ultimately, I found this collection to be forgettable and would not recommend it to anyone seeking a truly spine-chilling read.