Review: 'Strange Frequencies' Is Fun With Superficial Scares

(SPOT.ph) The most fun thing about Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Killer Hospital is the conceit that these celebrities are playing versions of themselves. Even if you aren’t that familiar with who they are, the movie gets some mileage out of the abstract idea of a life lived under the public eye; about the ways in which public figures act in front of a camera, and the lengths they go in order to achieve more fame. And if you are familiar with the personalities on screen, there’s an added layer of enjoyment as these cast members play around with their public personas, exhibiting a self-awareness that’s kind of endearing.

But this is also a horror movie, and while the film is certainly able to deploy the standard jump scares that one expects of the genre, it does so using clunky found footage mechanics and an amorphous threat that never really establishes itself as something to be feared. People will probably still have some fun with this, but this is the kind of horror movie where images just don’t stick.

The film’s setup involves an interview with Enrique Gil and his co-stars: Jane de Leon, Rob Gomez, Alexa Miro, MJ Lastimosa, TikTok tarot reader Raf Pineda, and YouTuber Ryan Azurin, aka Zarckaroo. Enrique is producing a new ghost hunting web show called Strange Frequencies, where he plans to explore Asia’s most haunted places. This takes them to Taiwan's Xinling Hospital, the site of a mass poisoning of children, and a rumored location for some manner of cult activity.

Strange Frequencies lacks strong plot but makes up for it with committed performances

The cast and crew set a goal at the start: three million viewers to get a pay bonus. This largely becomes a justification for them to stay in the hospital even after things get dangerous, and it feels pretty flimsy. Inasmuch as the film establishes that some people are there to get more famous, it never feels justified that they stick around for so long after very bad things have already happened. Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Killer Hospital plays on them being trapped, but it does so in a way that doesn’t make any particular sense within the context of what they’re doing.

It’s just an issue with the horror in the movie in general. The best scenes are all buildup, with the characters just wandering around these creepy environs. Once bad things start happening, the film tosses any pretense of logic out the window, deploying a vague threat that is at times stopped by doors, but is also capable of showing up anywhere. It poses a definite threat to these people, but it’s also something you can run away from. The movie never gets around to establishing any strong rules for the horror game it plays, and while people will still likely be startled by some jump scares, it all feels very disposable.

That said, it’s still kind of fun. It’s at least fun to watch the clashing personalities. The characters are on different levels of belief, and this tension unravels in pretty interesting ways at times. The cast is all game, and seem willing to poke fun at themselves and the way they make their living. It’s this awareness that gives Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Killer Hospital its teeth. It doesn’t really add up to much in the end, but there are moments that speak to a brokenness of society that goes beyond the horror being presented within.

Rating: 3 stars.

Strange Frequencies opens December 25 in cinemas nationwide.