I’m not a big scary movie person. There’s something about intentionally instilling fear in myself for Halloween that doesn’t compute with me, but I still sincerely tried to get behind them this Halloween season.
With the recent rise in the Asian diaspora on screen, seeing Asian American creatives break into a space not dominated by identity-driven stories was gratifying. It’s good to see Asian Americans play characters that don’t centre on some (often overdone) aspect of their identity. Plus, I found some horror movies play with important themes and tropes of the Asian experience in fun and interesting ways.
In no particular order, here are some spooky Asian American Halloween films that are worth a watch this spooky season.
Totally Killer (2023)
Coming off AAPI hits like Always Be My Maybe, Fresh Off the Boat, and Young Rock, director Nahnatchka Khan melds horror, sci-fi, and comedy in a delightful Asian American Halloween film this year. Solid performances all around fuel a fun new take on the classic slasher, situating itself between classics in the sub genre (Back to the Future meets Scream?) in a whimsical manner that feels more in line with what we expect from Asian American centred stories.
Daughter (2022)
This movie refits the popular suspense narrative around kidnapping through Southeast Asian American specificity. Through excellent performances by Vivien Ngô and Elyse Dinh, Daughter explores the experiences of human trafficking victims and transracial adoptees, both saliently tied to the Southeast Asian American community.
Ring (1998)
The classic American horror film from 2002 about the ghost that haunts us through the television screen remains uber popular. However, what many don’t know is that the movie…
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