I almost never write about horror movies even though it’s an Asian film staple mostly because it’s not my thing. I also write more about dramas and there really isn’t a horror drama genre aside from the occasional dip into supernatural flourishes in some dramas. In my younger days I loved and watched tons of horror movies, Asian and Hollywood alike, so I’ve basically watched them all until torture porn took over and my stomach for jump boos decreased. With that said, I have to write about upcoming Taiwan horror movie The Bride (Chinese title 屍憶 means corpse memory). It’s directed by the acclaimed Japanese director of the classic horror flick The Ring, and even more up my alley are the two leads being Chris Wu and Nikki Hsieh.
It feels like the drama gods are playing a macabre joke on me by reuniting one of the most addicting and memorable drama OTPs for me in a movie that I don’t have the cojones to watch anymore. Why the mental torture, why? Those of you hanging around here for years may remember the madness of SETTV drama King Flower (Substitute Princess) a few years ago, where Nikki and Chris made small screen magic with one of the wonkiest scripts ever, and even did the rare reversal where the second male lead got the girl. I still lub Terry and Da Hua so so much, okay mostly Terry only but if he loves Da Hua and gosh darn it I’ll like the girl too. In The Bride, Chris plays a film producer and Nikki his beloved fiancee, they are about to get hitched soon when Chris picks up a strange red envelope on the street and then all hell breaks loose with a vengeful supernatural bride wreaking havoc on his life.
The Bride reportedly incorporates a staple Taiwanese scary folk story about brides who don’t get to their wedding before dying lingering around the kill men so the dead guy spirit can marry said dissatisfied spectre in the afterlife. The Taiwanese media write ups on this drama are all hilariously tacking on the warning “DON’T PICK RED ENVELOPES UP ON THE STREET, STUPID!” Ahahahaha, love a little bit of humor when approaching a scary movie, and this one looks hella scary indeed. Watch the preview at your own discretion.
The Bride movie trailer:
Miss me some Terry and his Da Hua! I need them in a drama. Horror isn’t my thing but doesn’t mean I won’t watch for them.
I’m not one to get scared easily and this one looks real mild IMO. But it also looks somwhat well done which is rare in Asian horror flicks.
Im surprised to read this cos some of the most scary horror flicks are asian made. Western horror flicks don’t make me look over my shoulders (or under the blankets) after I’ve watched them, unlike asian ones. Try shutter, the ring and ju-on.
Yeah, I found Shutter really good and The Ring was THE Asian Horror that started it all. I also found The Unborn (Thai), Silk (Taiwan), Arang (Korea) and The Eye (HK/Thai) good scares too.
So true about the current trend for horror movies… All torture porn and ‘found footage’. I use to watch every horror movie release but now rarely touch the stuff… Not that I don’t like the genre, just finding a good one is like one in a million!
The last one I watched was about some Zombie apocalypse in Taipei. WTF. I want those 90 minutes back.
The preview make this one sounds okay, may check it out. Just hope the director actually does something different this time and not continue to rehash the same scares he has been churning out in all his movies since The Ring.