Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Killer Hospital is directed by Kerwin Go and the cast includes Enrique Gil, Jane de Leon, Alexa Miro, MJ Lastimosa, Raf Pineda and Ryan "Zarckaroo" Azurin.
Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Killer Hospital is a Taiwan remake of the Korean horror film Gonijam: Haunted Asylum, so if you have seen that movie, not too much is new in this, and honestly, I am not quite sure why they remade that film, but they did,
The setup is pretty basic, where seven celebrities sneak into Taiwan’s most haunted hospital, and yes, they’re playing themselves too.
I quite enjoyed the way the film looked and the style, where the camera choices are clever, and the hospital itself is the kind of perfect setting for a horror film shot in the found footage style.
But the movie isn’t just about ghosts, it’s also poking fun at clout-chasing, and the livestream comments became part of the story too, much like in Deadstream. Audiences inside the movie assume everything’s staged, even as the characters start spiraling into real danger, and there’s a dark humor in that, almost like director Go is holding up a mirror to how numb we’ve all become online.
People can be bleeding out and viewers will still write, “LOL great acting.”
As for the cast, Raf Pineda was good, and he has this natural charisma that makes him watchable even when nothing’s happening, while some of the others felt more like they were “playing famous people” rather than leaning into the absurdity of the situation. But that mix works fine, and it gave the movie an odd, slightly awkward energy that felt in line with what it was trying to do.
Now, on the bigger question, is Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Killer Hospital actually scary?
Scary is very objective of course, and I am sure some of the jump scares will get some, but for me, it didn't do much because you know what is coming before it does, all very predictable and cliche - doors slam, someone screams, a shadow flickers, and then cue the jump scare.
I didn’t hate it, but I wasn’t surprised either, and it feels more like watching a magician do tricks you already know by heart, but as a piece of entertainment, I think it works fine.
It’s the kind of film you’d want to watch with others, the sort of thing where half the fun is screaming and then laughing at yourselves for screaming, although if you have seen many similar films before, you might find it tame, but if you just want some simple creepy fun, it will probably do the trick for some.