Shocktober Foreign Frights: Southeast Asia

As we head into our fourth celebration of international horror, we head to the Pacific coast of Asia. To be honest, it's probably unfair of us to lump Asian horror together into one big pot. Each country involved has its own unique identity and its own approach to horror. Japan has a long tradition of ghost stories that, in recent years, have melded with their increased dependence on technology to create such horrors as Ring and Pulse. Meanwhile, South Korea -- a deeply Christian country -- draws on religious themes of guilt and redemption for its cinematic tales of terror. Thailand's supernatural cinema is informed by a culturally-held belief that spirits are everywhere -- they even have a "ghost festival" every year.

Still, time in October is limited, so we are only able to present a very limited selection of the wide range of horror movies produced by Southeast Asian countries.

Monday, October 20th: The Host (2006, S. Korea) by John Dubrawa
Tuesday, October 21st: Shutter (2004, Thailand) by Eric Miller
Wednesday, October 22nd: Ichi the Killer (2001, Japan) by Eric Miller
Thursday, October 23rd: Whispering Corridors (1998, S. Korea) by Julia Merriam
Friday, October 24th: Jigoku (1960, Japan) by Nate Yapp

Other Reviews of Southeast Asian Horrors

Matango (1963)
Kwaidan (1964)
Onibaba (1964)
Mighty Peking Man (1977)
Guinea Pig: Flower of Flesh and Blood (1985)
Full Metal Yakuza (1997)
Ring (1998)
Battle Royale (2000)
Ring 0: Birthday (2000)
Dark Water (2002)
Inner Senses (2002)

Shocktober 2008: Foreign Frights:

October 1st - 4th: Mexico / South America
October 5th - 11th: Spain
October 12th - 18th: Germany
October 19th - 25th: Southeast Asia
October 26th - 31st: Miscellaneous