Singapore has its fair share of creepy urban stories. You may be familiar with the tales of Old Changi Hospital, the last cubicle in the girls’ toilet and kids playing marble on the roof of your house.
Horror stories are arguably Singapore’s unofficial national obsession and a genre that has been seeing an unprecedented boom in recent years.
What better way to kick start Halloween season than now with Scream Asia Film Festival – Singapore’s first ever horror film festival.
Get Your Scream On
Singapore has an immense thirst for the horror genre so it’s about time we have our own local horror film festival.
Organised by mm2 Entertainment and Cathay Cineplexes, the inaugural festival will run from 19 – 28 October. They will screen a total of 11 feature films and 1 short film, including JJ Abrams-produced Overlord, Yuki Kumagai’s Tokyo Living Dead Idol and upcoming Singaporean film Zombiepura.
Curated by homegrown award-winning auteur, Eric Khoo and and South Korean film programmer Jongsuk Thomas Nam, this festival also boasts two horror filmmaking masterclasses which will be taught by Indonesian director Joko Anwar (Satan’s Slaves) and South Korean director Yeon Sang-ho (Train to Busan).
If you love yourself a good scare, don’t miss its groundbreaking inaugural edition this coming October.
Here’s the official film lineup for Scream Asia Film Festival 2018:
1. Zombiepura (Singapore)
Directed by: Jacen Tan
Showtimes: 19 October, 7pm
Synopsis: Corporal Kayu is a lazy soldier doing guard duty during his mandatory reservist in an isolated army camp. A mysterious virus breaks out and turns his campmates into rabid zombies. Trapped, Kayu must team up with his arch-rival, the tough Sergeant Lee, to survive.
Cut off from the outside world, their military training is put to the test and they must find out what it means to be real soldiers.
2. They Who Are Not Seen (Indonesia)
Directed by: Billy Christian
Showtimes: 21 October, 5pm | 27 October, 7pm
Synopsis: Since childhood, Saras always had a sixth sense for ghosts. Despite Saras being possessed twice over the years, her mother Lydia refuses to accept her daughter’s ability, putting a strain on their relationship.
When the spirit of a bully victim begins haunting Saras, she needs her mother’s help and only forgiveness can unite them.
3. Hana (Japan & Korea)
Directed by: Mai Nakanishi
Showtimes: 28 October, 7pm
Synopsis: College student Sujin is hired on short notice by a single mother to be a babysitter for four-year-old Hana. It was supposed to be a simple babysitting job but as soon as they are alone, Sujin realises that there’s something very wrong with little Hana.
4. Overlord (USA)
Directed by: Julius Avery
Showtimes: 28 October, 7pm
Synopsis: On the eve of D-Day, a group of American paratroopers are dropped behind enemy lines to carry out a mission crucial to
the invasion’s success. But as they approach their target, they begin to realise there is more going on in this Nazi-occupied village than a simple military operation.
5. The House that Jack Built (Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden)
Directed by: Lars Von Trier
Showtimes: 20 October, 7pm & 26 October, 7pm
Synopsis: The controversial film that was too violent for audiences at the Cannes Film Festival. In 1970s USA, follow genius psychopath Jack over 12 years and witness the murders that define his development as a serial killer.
Each murder is experienced from Jack’s point of view,which he sees as an artwork in itself. As the net of police investigation grows tighter around Jack, he takes greater and greater risks in his attempt to create the ultimate artwork.
6. Mom and Dad (USA)
Directed by: Brian Taylor
Showtimes: 22 October, 7pm
Synopsis: An unknown static frequency spreads throughout a peaceful suburban community, turning otherwise loving and caring parents
into bloodthirsty killers targeting children. But not all children. The unfathomable pandemic causes parents to target their only own offspring. Suddenly, every son and daughter – in the neighbourhood – is running for their lives from their parents’ rage-filled murderous rampage.
7. Ghost Stories (UK)
Directed by: Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson
Showtimes: 19 October, 9.45pm & 27 October, 7pm
Synopsis: Professor Philip Goodman is a renowned skeptic of all things supernatural. Given the opportunity to investigate three case histories of baffling paranormal activity, he uncovers mysteries beyond his own imagination, leading to a nightmarish conclusion, both shocking and personal.
8. Tokyo Living Dead Idol (Japan)
Directed by: Yuki Kumagai
Showtimes: 24 October, 7pm & 27 October, 9.15pm
Synopsis: A popular Japanese female idol is bitten by a zombie. She has only 72 hours to find a zombie serum before she becomes one of
the living dead, but a high school zombie hunter and countless zombies attack!
9. Hounds of Love (Australia)
Directed by: Ben Young
Showtimes: 21 October, 7pm & 23 October, 7pm
Synopsis: In suburban Perth, sadistic, serial killer couple John and Evelyn White abduct teenager Vicki Maloney and subject her to a horrific nightmare of confinement and torture. Vicki’s only chance of survival is to play a deadly mind game of subterfuge and cunning with the depraved pair.
10. The Cannibal Club (Brazil)
Directed by: Guto Parente
Showtimes: 20 October, 10pm & 26 October, 7pm
Synopsis: Ultra-rich couple Otavio and Gilda are model citizens on the outside and VERY depraved people onthe inside, who regularly murder and feast on the flesh of their hapless servants.
They’re also notable members of the Cannibal Club. When Gilda angers the club’s leader, the cannibal couple need to be extra careful to avoid ending up as dinner themselves.
11. The Fake
Directed by: Yeon Sang-ho
Showtimes: 20 October, 5pm
Synopsis: In this animated thriller by the director of Train to Busan, a rural village falls under the spell of an evangelical pastor–Choi–who promises them a place in heaven in exchange for their savings. Only the violent ex-convict Min-chul sees through the con, but none of the faithful believe his doubts, forcing him into a fateful clash with the church.
12. The Folklore
Directed by: Joko Anwar (A Mother’s Love) & Eric Khoo (Nobody)
Showtimes: 27 Oct, 5pm
Synopsis: In two episodes from the six-part horror anthology by HBO Asia, Indonesian director Joko Anwar and Singaporean
director Eric Khoo tell stories based on their respective country’s deeply-rooted superstitions and myths.
Tickets are on sale from Sep 10 at cathaycineplexes.com.sg. Festival brochures with the schedule and film information will be available at all Cathay Cineplexes locations. All tickets are priced at $13 each.
If you love a good scare, Scream Asia Film Festival promises to be a real treat for all you horror fans!
Scream Asia Film Festival
Address: The Cathay, Handy Rd, Singapore 229233
Date: 19 – 28 October
Website | Facebook | Instagram
Also Read Quit Swiping On Tinder – This Singles-Only Comedy Event Could Be A Better Shot At Finding Love
(Header Image Source: Scream Asia Film Festival)
