31 Days of Asian Horror: Shudder Picks

Shudder is one of my favorite places for streaming horror, and while they don’t have many international titles compared to the rest of the selection, they do tend to pick up some good ones. I checked out what they currently have in their lineup and picked my top picks to check out that are currently available.

---

+ 0.0 MHz (Korea - 2019)

Staring Eun Ji (of APINK), this movie follows a college supernatural club that decides to stay the night at a house that is believed to be haunted and document their findings while they sleep. It’s a sort of campy trip with the familiar setup of kids doing things that lead to bad choices, a classic in horror but I enjoyed it and is definitely a good choice if you are into the supernatural/leaning towards slasher-type movies. Yoo Seon Dong directs this, if you are a fan of the second Death Bell or the drama Uncanny Counter, you might want to check this out.

+ Dead & Beautiful (Taiwan/Netherlands - 2021)

Dead & Beautiful is a co-production between Taiwan and the Netherlands. A group of hot, annoying rich kids turn into hot, annoying rich kid vampires. Technically this more supernatural/thriller than horror but I’m letting it slide for this post. It also has vampires and we all love those.

+ Evil Dead Trap (Japan - 1988)

If you are in need of a true, gory slasher look no further. A TV station sends a crew out to an abandoned place that is said to have been the set for snuff film and things go crazy.

+ Exhuma (Korea - 2024)

I’m going to make you work for this one to know what I thought about it by checking out a full podcast episode on it. Do you love shamans and letting out evil spirits? I think this might be a winner for you.

+ Lingering (Korea - 2022)

Are creepy supernatural buildings your thing with a side of weird kids? Lingering might be the movie for you. Yoo Mi's mother unexpectedly dies leaving her to care for her young sister she ends up at her mom's best friend's lake house and weird shit happens.

+ The Medium (Thailand - 2021)

I wrote a whole non-spoiler review of this one that you can find here, here’s the synopsis: The Medium follows a documentary crew as they travel to Isan in northeastern Thailand to document the life of a local shaman, Nim (Sawanee Utoomma). While there the crew notices how strange her niece, Ming (Narilya Gulmongkolpech), has been acting and starts to focus their attention on her increasing outbursts and aggression, thinking that they might be witnessing her possession by the spirit of Bayan, an ancestral God that has been possessing women in the family for generations, and who currently inhabits Nim.

+ Metamorphosis (Korea - 2019)

An evil spirit invades a family and they all start to turn on each other. The mom is played by Jang Young Nam, who is just always a good choice when you want eery and creepy.

+ Mon Mon Mon Monsters (Taiwan - 2017)

Another film I reviewed during the last 31 Days, this one was a complete shock to me. I didn’t think I’d like it as much when I clicked play but it won me over. I

+ One Cut of the Dead (Japan - 2017)

The only thing you should know going into this movie is that it’s about a film crew shooting a zombie film that just goes…bizarre. It’s so good. I loved it so much.

+ Warning: Do Not Play (Korea - 2019)

I feel like this is one of the first movies I watched on Shudder. It falls into the cursed movie genre that Asian horror loves, with a film maker trying to find a banned film to help her with her own when things go wrong. Classic caper.

+++

31 Days of Asian Horror: Dumplings (2004)

Welcome to the first day of the 31 Days of Asian Horror! Today we are talking about a classic movie from Hong Kong that I think deserves to be on everyone’s radar if they are into Asian horror and gastro horror, 2004’s Dumplings directed by Fruit Chan. The movie was originally part of a horror anthology Three…Extremes, and was then turned into this full-length feature. I have not seen the short yet, so I don’t know how it compares but from what I’ve read it is fairly close, leaving out a few storylines from the length. Both movies are based on a book of the same name by Lillian Lee who serves as script writer for the films.

I very much wanted to make this review as spoiler-free as possible because Dumplings is so very good and like any good movie most of it is in the reveal - but the main reveal happens fairly early on, leaving the rest of the movie to spend its time taking it to new extremes so while I won’t spoil all I will spoil some. The premise is quite simple. Mrs Li, a former actress who is not handling aging well and is in a failing and loveless marriage, finds help in Aunt Mei, a chef who makes “special” dumplings that she claims help with youth and rejuvenation. The cure isn’t fast enough for the actress and she begins asking for stronger and higher potency doses to the point of obsession. The secret ingredient being used that of fetuses - mostly those that have been aborted - making it harder to find for Aunt Mei the right type to help her client.

The movie uses several techniques to lean into the unsettling nature outside of the reveal of the special ingredient that I thought worked well to create the tension of the watch. The sound design is most unique adding to the true tone of the movie, most of it heightened in unnerving but not overpowering ways. Not a good fit for anyone who has a sensitivity to food sounds (great if that’s your ASMR thing!), but it also ups the volume on a lot of background noises of everyday life. It is also very realistic in its presentation of these edits and creates a world in which you get placated by the reality of it all as the story progresses.

The way Aunt Mei creates her dishes are (gruesome) works of art that end up looking like any other dish you would be presented with from a chef who loves their craft. Aunt Mei’s approach to it is very matter-of-fact and views it as a way of using something that has already been discarded for her benefit. It’s not unbelievable that someone would go to these extremes for their desired wants. The outward change in the person is very subtle, mirroring that of someone having lost a few pounds or even just playing around with their outward appearance with clothes and makeup. With the exception of not knowing how old Aunt Mei is (she only hints around that she’s old enough to be called an Aunt), nothing seems too fantastical. It’s all so subtle but so excruciatingly important to Mrs Li, yet the viewer sees very little difference. It’s mostly that the confidence that the dish is working is what makes Mrs Li feel like it truly is changing her on a biological level.

There are moments in the film where we see Mrs Li’s husband eat balut, a fertilized egg that has been cooked in the shell. It’s a popular dish that is not seen as something that is too taboo to eat and is a mirror to what the dumplings are. The movie uses these types of imagery to subtly focus on the inconsistencies of what is acceptable for males in society and what is not for females. At its core, the movie is about the constant pressure females have to maintain a level of youth that their male counterparts don’t have to, even at the risk of going to the darkest most extreme and harmful place. There is never a point in the movie that Mrs Li is seen as looking bad, and while her husband is unfaithful he never specifically mentions her looks or alludes to his promiscuity coming from that. Even with some of the dialogue between the two women, it highlights the internalized trauma that society has placed on women. While Aunt Mei seems like the one that has the most freedom being her own “boss” she still lives in a society where she has to look her part and has kept up this ritual for most of her life.

All-in-all I do think this is an essential movie to add to your watchlist if you haven’t already. I thought it was entertaining and it kept me on the edge of my seat in all the right horror ways. The cinematography is fantastic, and the script kept me thinking and guessing as to where we were going to go. Bai Ling and Miriam Yeung are amazing in their roles and played well off of each other in a cat-and-mouse game where the two were ultimately looking for the same sad prize: the validation of males.

While it was just taken off of Tubi so there is no free streaming place to find Dumplings, it is available on DVD and OTT places to rent. Three…Extremes is a bit easier to find and on several services for free.

+++

31 Days of Asian Horror

Happy almost October!

While it’s spooky season year-round here, the Halloween season warrants special posts and this year I’ll be reviewing a different Asian horror every day leading up to Halloween. I tried to pick as much of a variety of movies and shows from different countries as possible, but I also wanted to keep it to things that are attainable and easily accessible. I’ll also be focusing on switching up the reviews from time to time with fun extras and behind the scenes and while most of the reviews will probably be spoiler free some of the movies and dramas will warrant a more in-depth look. As a means for me to narrow down what Asian horror that I was going to pick, each day of the week has a specific theme.

SCHEDULE:

+ Retro Sundays: Retro is a bit loose, as the earliest movie is from 1981, but I wanted to focus on some older Asian horror from before the 90’s.
+ Drama Mondays: To switch things up and not just focus on movies, Mondays I’ll be reviewing horror dramas.
+ Film Maker Tuesdays: Movies that focus on film makers, whether it’s a main character or the movie is documentary style, will be up on Thursdays.
+ Wednesday Pairings: The focus will be on movies that have remakes (like my Ringu post) and maybe a double feature, comparing the two movies.
+ Thirsty Thursdays: While vampires aren’t too common in Asian horror, there are some options and Thursdays are dedicated to the blood suckers.
+ Creature Feature Fridays: One of my favorite genres, Creature Feature Fridays will be devoted to all types of creatures (except the blood-sucking kind).
+ Freebie Saturdays: Saturdays will be a freebie day for me with no set theme.

While I’ll most likely dial back on some of my regular and extra posts for the blog outside of these, I will still be doing Wine and an X-Phile posts on Fridays. I may throw in a special post or two time allowing. If you have any Asian horror movies you think I need to watch, or just want to talk about your favorite, let me know in the comments! I’m still going to be watching movies outside of the reviews, and would love to add to my watchlist.

+++