Vietnamese horror movies hit

Recently, several Vietnamese horror films have grossed over 100 billion VND when released in theaters, creating a boost for this genre. This is also a positive signal marking a change in Vietnamese horror films in the coming time.

Attractive thanks to exploiting folk materials

It can be said that the first recent push in the horror film genre is a TV series Tet in the hell village shown on digital platforms, followed by the movie version Ke an hon (Soul Eater) directed by Tran Huu Tan and producer (NSX) Hoang Quan. This is a horror film duo that attracts attention when exploiting the ghostly element based on Vietnamese folk materials. Adapted from the novel of the same name by writer Thao Trang, Tet in the hell village incorporates throughout the cultural, spiritual and religious practices that bring Vietnamese identity into the film, such as the custom of releasing carp on Ong Cong Ong Tao day or skull wine, the boat carrying ghosts, fireflies calling for souls combined with costumes (ao tu than, giao linh, ngu than) and the ghostly setting in a remote area of the northern mountainous region, creating new elements that attract viewers. Ke an hon (Soul Eater) is a horror and haunting story revolving around the primitive hell village. There is a scene of a mouse wedding reminiscent of the work Dam cuoi rat in Dong Ho paintings. Adding the night wedding procession scene makes viewers realize that the film is inspired by the wedding customs of the Dao Mau Son people. Not to mention the music created from stylized couplets and verses for the characters in the film to respond to each other to create fear and increase the ghostly quality.

Phim kinh dị Việt ăn khách- Ảnh 1. — *Vietnamese horror films continuously achieve high revenue*

Sharing about the trend of bringing folk materials into horror films, producer Hoang Quan said: "Folk materials are a priceless cultural treasure. We feel lucky to have the opportunity to exploit them to bring those stories to modern audiences. The combination of folk elements and the horror genre helps us evoke fears that already exist in everyone's subconscious, while also bringing a new but still familiar experience". Currently, this director and producer duo is also releasing the horror film Cam based on the fairy tale Tam Cam . According to the producer, in addition to the content exploited from folk materials, the costumes and props in the film are also imbued with Vietnamese culture with more than 300 costumes inspired by the late Le Dynasty and early Nguyen Dynasty in the ancient folk style.

Phim kinh dị Việt ăn khách- Ảnh 2. — *A scene from the movie Cam*

Horror movie The Dog released on New Year's Day 2024 also impressed the audience when exploiting the content borrowed from the oral folk legend "dog wearing a conical hat" that mainly exists in the Northern region to put into the film as a highlight. With Ma da breaking the box office record in the horror film genre, it also contains content exploited from the folk legend of "ghost skin pulling gio". The upcoming horror film Linh Mieu - Quy nhap trang by director Luu Thanh Luan or Hill of punishment by Luong Dinh Dung also exploits Vietnamese folk material. In which Hill of punishment has many mysterious elements based on half-real, half-fictional legends in folklore such as catfish growing beards when they grow old in stories or some turning white and living in graves, and the legend of the guardian spirit that has been passed down for hundreds of years is also included in the film.

Revenue boost but not easy to eat

It can be seen that compared to horror films released a few years ago such as Blood Curse , Ten : The Curse Returns , Soul Snatching , and Shadow De , horror films made based on Vietnamese folk materials have had more explosive revenue such as Soul Eater reaching over 66 billion VND, Ghost Dog reaching 108.4 billion VND or Ghost became the Vietnamese horror film with the highest revenue with 113.69 billion VND after 15 days of release.

Phim kinh dị Việt ăn khách- Ảnh 3. — *Horror film "Hill of the Dead" also exploits Vietnamese folklore material.*

Thus, it can be seen that the audience is still interested in the topic of Vietnamese horror films when exploiting stories that seem to only exist in literature and folk tales. According to director Tran Huu Tan: "Young audiences today have begun to pay attention and learn more about indigenous culture, which opens up opportunities for us when exploiting folk materials. To solve this problem, we choose to combine tradition and modernity, along with creating new details based on the old foundation to create a product that is both familiar and new, attractive, not boring for viewers, not falling into a rut, while still preserving the soul of Vietnamese culture". Moreover, according to many producers and directors, making horror films is not easy because of the large investment and high risk. "Horror films will be a little easier if someone makes stories into films in the form of visual descriptions or descriptions of existing folk works. As for directors with creative abilities, horror films are like a very difficult scientific and artistic work. Staging horror films also has a different style. Horror films also require a large budget, no less than other genres, if they are really made seriously to dedicate to the audience," said director Luong Dinh Dung.

"Vietnamese cinema has witnessed a new wave of horror films in recent years. Partly thanks to the open and innovative policy of the Cinema Department with this genre of film. Regarding folk elements in films, it can be seen that the world's trend in recent years has been gradually localizing, combining indigenous stories with the needs and trends of the world. The Vietnamese film market with horror stories with strong folk colors is on the rise because of the national spirit and the growing desire of young people to deepen their national identity. For that reason, "Vietnamese ghosts" are not only closer but also more attractive when Vietnamese people understand more about their own spirituality and beliefs." Film critic Lucas Luan Nguyen

According to Box Office Vietnam's reference statistics, Ma da has reached 127 billion VND after more than 1 month of release. Meanwhile, Cam recorded more than 110,000 tickets sold before the release date, becoming the film with the highest number of early tickets sold in the history of Vietnamese horror films. Up to now, Tran Huu Tan's project has also earned 50 billion VND, and is predicted to reach the hundred billion mark in the near future. In addition to the story of hundred billion VND in revenue, Quy Cau has just received good news when it won the Best Feature Film award at the 2024 Kanazawa Film Festival.

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/phim-kinh-di-viet-an-khach-185240923232320909.htm