‘Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Killer Hospital’ REVIEW: A New Touch to Local Horror
‘Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Killer Hospital’ REVIEW: A New Touch to Local Horror
Jane de Leon in Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Killer Hospital | Still taken from the film’s official trailer on YouTube
Filipino horror films are no joke. From local to international adaptations of different concepts and elements in Filipino folklore, they never fail to tingle and strike a nerve with their audiences. Superstitions that have passed onto many generations; mythical creatures originating from various provinces; and even urban legends that have tried scaring the characters off into a daze.
But Strange Frequencies is none of these three. As much as the film is a Filipino adaptation of the highly successful Korean found-footage classic Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum, director Kerwin Go’s unique elemental incorporations do their best to cater to different audiences that may enjoy a new sense of what they expect to be horror.
The film’s introduction already sets a tone for what the audience may expect throughout the plot. Since its setup is to understand the film through the live-streaming cameras of each character, the film involves first-person point-of-view scenes wherein the audience gets to experience the characters as themselves. This is a step towards local modernity, especially with the film’s overall theme and sense of exploration throughout the story.
From left to right: MJ Lastimosa, Jane de Leon, Raf Pineda, Ryan "Zarckaroo" Azurin, Rob Gomez and Alexa Miro in Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Killer Hospital | Still taken from the film’s official trailer on YouTube
The character dynamics have also been already wisely plotted out in its introduction. Since each actor is playing a version of themselves as the characters in the film, there is not much confusion in understanding their roles: Quen (Enrique Gil) as the actor and producer of the project (which is also titled Strange Frequencies as a meta show-within-a-film device) who wants to try something new and experiment with his capabilities in the field of horror; Alexa (Alexa Miro) as the sweet girl who has just finished with her big project; MJ (Mary Jean Lastimosa) as the well-known beauty queen who wants to join the fun, Rob (Rob Gomez) as an actor who also gets invited along with Jane (Jane De Leon) for their roles in Shake, Rattle & Roll Extreme; Raf (Raf Pineda) as the popular tarot card reader on TikTok who would make the perfect role as one of the ghost hunters in Quen’s project; and finally, Zarck (Ryan Azurin), a vlogger who frequently and professionally does real ghost hunting and exploring in his YouTube channel.
Each character’s reaction to Quen’s invitation to explore the haunted hospital determines their fate, which is a clever way to tell the audience how they respond to particular situations throughout the film. As each character is very distinct from the others, it is almost easy to see their personal beliefs and outlooks in particular scenes. They abide by their real-life persona, mixing both realistic and fictional aspirations of each character with another.
Personally, what stands out to me (and I’m guessing, for everyone who has watched the film as well) is how each character is paired to make a dynamic and unforgettable duo. Each pair has a push-and-pull effect to show how both take accountability for the decisions they make and the consequences of their actions. Unlike other horror films where these consequences are given to the characters in one go, we can see how the gradual turn of events made its unique way to overturn the audience’s expectations.
Enrique Gil with the rest of the ensemble in Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Killer Hospital | Still taken from the film’s official trailer on YouTube
The set dynamics between the paired characters and how they portray a particular ideology are also consistent, which is another good point to begin with. MJ and Zarck have the quickest scene and exploration among all three. Zarck’s slow death as the real-life ghost hunter makes sense in the first place, which leads him to help the least with what the others can figure out more about in the hospital. On the other hand, MJ, as this charming and protective woman, compels to Zarck’s instincts during the exploration. As Zarck’s panic fills the room with fear and terror, she makes sure to keep him close throughout their whole scene. Indeed, it is interesting to see how their characters have ended up in the story, especially with the decision for them to be together during the first exploration. It somehow gives a glimpse of how one simple damage can turn into an immense mess by the end.
Jade and Rob show how a fearful woman and playful guy work toward unraveling the secrets of a nurse who killed fifteen infants in the hospital. Because of their ‘yin and yang’ personalities, it is interesting to see how they gradually evolve throughout their exploration. Jade’s fear, already evident at the beginning of the film, renders a picture of how she treated fair warnings and personal beliefs. Besides her outstanding acting, her individuality compared to Rob is already a plus point for the film. Rob, on the one hand, plays someone who is very unserious about what his friends are facing. He believes that everything happening to them is just a set-up as he sees one of their crew put a doll in one room “just for show.” Despite Rob witnessing his friends enter into constant fear, his personal beliefs tricked him into not taking any precautions at all. Jade’s uneasiness and Rob’s silliness play a huge role in the story – they are more than just fears and jokes.
Lastly, Raf and Alexa, like Jade and Rob, truly show how this push-and-pull contrast between characters ends up between them. Raf is knowledgeable in the occult, given that he does frequent tarot reading in real life, and how this is genuinely reflected in the film. The concept of fate and foreshadowing show how his role has affected the lives of his friends, especially Alexa. Consequently, Alexa’s ‘dumb-girl’ character is fairly paired with Raf’s wise persona as someone who is truly invested in tarot and fate.
The characters being attacked by the maleviolent entities in Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Killer Hospital | Still taken from the film’s official trailer on YouTube
Quen’s role as the producer of the live show ties these pairs all together – they continue to explore the so-called hidden secrets because of his goal to reach three million views. Indeed, Strange Frequencies is a breath of fresh air after all the horror films that have been released over the past few years. Unlike our non-stop classical horror films in the Philippines, which usually focus on mythical creatures and Filipino superstitions, Strange Frequencies takes a bold step toward incorporating technological advancements to explore what Filipinos can do for the horror genre. With the help of the exceptional ensemble, it mixes both fictional and realistic elements to help the audience grasp this particular ‘reality’ in the film.
And despite the film’s meta nature, Strange Frequencies does not lose itself in its self-awareness. Kerwin Go keeps the film comprehensive and truly enjoyable. His use of live-streaming as a storytelling medium to thrill and build suspense makes the film even more entertaining and immersive. And although this is still a remake of a South Korean box office hit, the film’s creativity—with its added flourishes—can inspire more innovations in the Filipino horror genre.
‘Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Killer Hospital’ is currently showing in selected cinemas as part of the 2024 Metro Manila Film Festival, which has been extended from January 7 to January 14, 2025.
