The West has a tendency to lump horror from East and Southeast Asia into one basic but limiting category. Because of this, someone might write off an entire continent’s contributions to the genre based solely on a few popular movies with similar plots and executions. However, Eric Khoo’s series Folklore highlights — not to mention celebrates — the differences that make each episode’s depicted culture so unique. That’s not to say there isn’t an overall theme here. This anthology show emphasizes a commonality among its stories; every tale of terror draws from the supernatural. More specifically, each self-contained episode is based on a local custom, myth or superstition. And as the second season demonstrates with both flair and potency, defying the past and ignoring tradition has serious consequences.
Like other anthology series, there is no specific order when watching the episodes. Skipping around is surely an option, though the sophomore season officially opens with Liao Shih-han’s The Rope. The Taiwanese entry straddles the line between life and death as a bride gets lost on her wedding day. The ceremony is incidentally held near a cleansing rite for the dead, and after Vivian Sung’s skeptical character gets caught up in the procession that same night, she wakes up with no recollection of how she even got home. Her strange experience leads to suspicions about her good-on-paper new husband (Wu Kang-ren), who hasn’t been entirely forthcoming about his last relationship. Luxurious production values and an almost intoxicating sense of dread help conceal flaws in this unsurprising story.
Idol-turned-actor Seiko Matsuda (Drop Dead Gorgeous) directs and co-writes the Japanese episode The Day the Wind Blew. While she admits she doesn’t enjoy standard horror, Matsuda delivers an invigorating story that is unlike anything else shown in the series so far. The episode described as “romantic horror” centers around smitten schoolgirl Mika (Haori Takahashi) and the object of her affection, a popular singer named Ken (Win Morisaki). When the plot starts to parallel that of a cheesy J-drama, Matsuda does the unthinkable and turns this serendipitous love story into something achingly bittersweet. There’s nothing quite overtly scary here, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to be afraid of, either.
“Ayizah, Ayizah”
Sittisiri Mongkolsiri serves up the most intentionally distasteful story in the whole bunch. The Thai episode Broker of Death shows the lengths a struggling father (Natee Ngamnaewprom) will go to to make certain his ailing daughter (Jennis Oprasert) gets the operation she needs. Although once the desperate parent learns the terms and source of his loan, his entire outlook on life and family changes. His journey to do right by someone who continues to be wronged in death is compelling. The surprisingly emotional moments here offset the less savory ones.
Erik Matti represents the Philippines in 7 Days of Hell, a bizarre and excruciating tale of revenge. Dolly de Leon (Triangle of Sadness) plays Lourdes, a mother and police officer who has to choose between her badge and family when her son becomes afflicted by a growing stomach tumor. Lourdes turns to the supernatural to help save her boy when traditional medicine and prayers don’t work. What comes next, though, is shocking and a testament to one mother’s unconditional love.
Retirement homes were once taboo in Asia, but times have changed and these places are gaining in popularity. Billy Christian explores this idea in the Indonesian episode Grandma’s Kiss, where a daughter temporarily moves her mother (Lydia Kandou) into a senior community until their home renovations are completed. As the mother begins to suspect this is actually a permanent arrangement, the other residents fear a monster called a Palasik. The director decidedly uses the supernatural to communicate suffocating parent-child relationships, but the theme ultimately becomes lost in its own metaphor.
“7 Days of Hell”
Nicole Midori Woodford plumbs the depths of maternal grief in The Excursion. Set in Singapore, a bereft mother (Mindee Ong) is still reeling from a family tragedy when her young son (Ethan Ng Kai En) starts to behave strangely. The parents take the boy to the beach as a way to mend what is broken, but their going there only opens the door to more pain. Sumptuous cinematography accompanies this meditative as well as relatable study of anguish and healing, and Woodford’s story is rife with gothic tendencies. The director doesn’t invent scares to make the viewer jump or squirm. On the contrary, the scares have more of a cleansing effect.
Season Two ends on a strong note with Bradley Liew’s Ayizah, Ayizah. The episode’s namesake (Sarah Ali) endures humiliation time and time again as she works as a live-in domestic helper for the Zuls (Remy Ishak, Sharifah Sakinah). The workaholic husband resorts to the dark arts to stay afloat at work and keep his demanding spouse happy, and the wife takes her frustrations out on her employees. The Malaysian entry eventually transforms into a macabre but delightful takedown of the entitled and rich. The stifling atmosphere is dependent on the oppressive setting, and the ending is straight out of a dark fairytale.
There’s more cohesion to the stories this time around, and despite some slights here and there, no episode is outright dismissible. A few have distinct problems — namely weak follow-through and belabored messages — but as a whole, the second season is both attractive and engaging. If additional seasons are feasible, Folklore would do well to expand its reach to more directors and places. As of now, though, it is a significant and unmatched source of cultural storytelling.
Along with the First Season, the entire Second Season of Folklore is now streaming on HBO Max.
“Broker of Death”
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