The film begins with a grainy, glitchylivestream from two foreign ghost hunting vloggers joking around as they explore the ruins of Xinglin General Hospital in Taiwan. After finding a pile of bones, the pair become scared and try to find a way out, but somehow are lost. Ethan claims that someone is calling for help, so he goes to assist despite his girlfriend’s repeated protests. The woman hears a weird voice followed by a sudden roar, and a strange figure is seen hobbling down the hallway towards her. Their bodies are found and their deaths are ruled suicide with the news going viral worldwide.
Xinglin Hospital had been closed for thirty years due to lawsuits alleging medical malpractice and wrongful deaths. It became well known for ghost sightings and strange phenomena happening making it infamous online.
Months later, a group of Filipino social media influencers and celebrities led by Quen, a popular actor trying to rebrand himself as a serious producer meet together for dinner. We first see them discussing that they have no permits for the whatever they are filming but the plan is to “break” the internet, since if they hit 3 million views they will receive double their pay and possibly more if they exceed that. Everyone is excited to film except Jane.
Cut to, Celebrity All Access where Quen is discussing the filming of his paranormal reality show called Strange Frequencies where they will explore haunted places and set themselves apart by live-streaming everything. The team includes Quen himself, his friends and fellow celebrities Jane, Alexa Miro, MJ, Rob, spiritualist Raf Pineda, and veteran ghost vlogger Zarckaroo. Their goal is clear, reach three million viewers in real-time, no matter the cost.
Finally, the team arrives in Taiwan. At first, the mood is light. They joke, flirt, and record TikTok-style segments at the airport entrance, during their ride with their tour guide Lee Fung, and in downtown Taiwan. The next day, the team meets with a Taiwanese medium. Sarah, the medium, jokes with them to scare them. Then, proceeds to warn them to be respectful of the ghosts, not touch anything, and be wary of all ghosts because you don’t know their intentions. After Quen asks her about the Xinglin Hospital nurse, Sarah snaps and berates them saying that they shouldn’t be entering the hospital, that it’s disrespectful and indecent to the spirits, that they shouldn’t use them for fame, that it’s not a zoo, and if they go to the hospital despite her warnings then terrible things will happen to them. Sarah then kicks them out of her house.
The team arrives at the hospital where it seems like Lee has paid off a security guard. After bringing everything inside, Lee and the guard seem to fight for a minute before Lee shuts the door on him and the guard locks them in. This unsettles some members of the group but Lee says there is no need to worry, if anything happens he has the guard’s number. The team sets up base camp with their lights, cameras, computers, and snacks. This also where we see all the hunting devices that were brought: the EMF, ghost balls, REM pod, and EVP/spirit box. The group sets up cameras in key areas like the hallways, the children’s ward, the surgery wing, and the abandoned OR.
While the cameras are being set up Raf has Jane sit for a tarot reading where she gets a spread of The Tower, Nine of Swords, and The Devil symbolizing in order chaos/disaster/destruction, isolation, and entrapment/oppression. He comments that the aura is a bit off where they are sitting,laughs nervously, and has her draw again after he reshuffles. After she once again draws the same cards, Raf gives Jane a bracelet and tells her to either wear it or put it in her pocket to keep her safe and hopefully everyone else will be safe. Jane is immediately worried for her safety. During this time, Rob is watching the hub and hears Lee, Quen, and Zarckaroo discussing a fake doll that was placed to up the spook factor “just in case” and immediately has a mindset that everything is going to be fake tonight.
As the livestream goes live, viewers flood the comments section rooting for their favorites. They start off with MJ and Lee welcoming the spirits in a ritual. Rob taunts the spirits saying they aren’t afraid of them and the spirits respond with banging/pounding noises. Zarck immediately mentions that things aren’t right, but Rob wants to investigate. Raf reminds them that in horror movies splitting up means death, so they go investigate the noise as a group.
They enter a room where things have been preserved in jars (organs and unidentifiable objects) with some being broken on the ground. Everyone is thrown off by the smell and wants to leave the room. Zarck immediately reminds everyone not to touch anything. Rob ignoring the medium’s warning and still believing everything is fake, picks up an unidentifiable preserved object with hair and scares everyone by trying to touch them with it. In the end, he hits Zarckaroo in the face with it and is yelled at by the whole team for his actions.
Quen checks on Zarckaroo and updates the team on the fact that their show is now trending. To keep the momentum going, he directs MJ and Zarck to go to the fourth floor surgery wing, Jane and Rob to go to the second floor children’s ward where Jane was supposed to do research on the killer nurse, and Alexa and Raf to go to the OR. They are reminded to not hold back and give their all by Quen.
First up, the audience follows MJ and Zarck to the surgery wing where Zarck is already commenting that the atmosphere is off. MJ says she’s scared as well but her face reads more like she is bored. Quen cuts to Raf and Alexa. Raf is cautious in his moving whereas Alexa seems to take the whole thing as a joke. Alexa thanks the viewers for having already allowed their channel to reach 3,000 new followers and Raf mentions that they are entering the OR where it is said they do rituals and traditions or cult activities.
Now it’s Rob and Jane’s turn in the children’s ward. Before entering, they give a brief background on the ward. Before the hospital closed, 15 infants died under suspicious circumstances all killed by a resident nurse who poisoned them. Her motive was never discovered.
Meanwhile, Zarck is telling MJ he has goosebumps and asks for the EMF. While he takes a reading proving something is going on due to the EMF going off, MJ talks to the viewers about how it’s all real since they are using “real”, functional ghost hunting equipment. After Zarck finds a grey beanie on the ground that looks new, he suddenly starts coughing like he’s choking. MJ jokes about him needing water and staying hydrated. Zarck says the coughing is a sign that they are not welcome there and starts bleeding from his nose and mouth. Quen tells MJ to bring Zarck back to base camp but to never stop filming.
Raf and Alexa have now entered the OR where blood seems to have dripped down every wall inside. Alexa finds a setup that looks to be some kind of altar and she mentions that it looks to be like rituals were in fact done in the OR. On the altar is food, hair, incense, candles, and fulu talisman. Raf jokes that it isn’t an operating room but rather an offertory room.
Zarck is having trouble maneuvering all the stairs even with MJ’s help. He has to stop so he can cough up more blood on the stairs. Quen offers to come help but Zarck tells him to continue to stream, coughing blood out with each word. MJ decides Zarck needs to remove his camera rig to help with his walking and breathing.
Quen tells Raf to give the viewers a vibe check. As he tells the viewers about the heaviness in the room, he says he can’t pinpoint it but he can tell rituals were definitely done there. While he’s taking note of everything in the room he notices that Alexa’s camera rig is laying there and questions whether they have cut without his knowledge. Raf starts freaking out when he realizes that Alexa is bowing at the altar while she responds in an unserious manner that she is paying respects since it’s obvious that the altar and ritual is a prayer. Raf insists that she doesn’t know that and is in fact at risk of disrespecting someone since they have no idea what religion or cult used it.
As she goes to put the incense back at Raf’s insistence, a large cabinet door flies open by an unseen force. More of the talisman are on the door, and Alexa discovers it’s a hidden door. Alexa says it’s calling to her, but Raf doesn’t want to enter insisting it’s danger that’s calling her. However, he doesn’t want to split up either so he follows down her the small secret hallway where the talisman continue all the way through until they reach a large chamber.
Alexa expresses excitement over what they have found while Raf looks like he’s going to be sick. On the floor are more ritualistic items including blood and bones. In front of the ritual is an entity painted on the wall who has a demon head/face facing forward and two regular heads facing the left and right as well as six arms, wearing a toga, and sitting cross legged. Raf wants to leave while Alexa is picking up the bones and joking around. Raf reminds her again that Sarah said not to touch things. Alexa then wonders if the blood is fresh and touches it.
Raf snaps yelling at her saying she’s being dumb all because she wants a hit show. This makes Alexa angry, so she leaves Raf behind to explore on her own. While calling for Alexa, Raf hears a chain fall and goes to look spotting a chain, small pot, and The Devil tarot card Jane pulled twice from his deck earlier. He hears weird noises as he exits the room, shouting for Alexa.
Jane and Rob are entering the children’s ward where they see medicine. Jane breaks a drawer she was opening, finding a child’s notebook they were coloring in inside of it. At first the pictures are bright and happy, but she comes to a drawing of a black shadowy figure with six arms. The next page has the same figure but with blood on its hands, the ground, and the bodies on the ground. Lastly, she comes to a picture of a demonic looking nurse with a giant syringe filled with something red with what looks like four dead children surrounding her and quickly closes the notebook.
Rob has managed to find piles of photos depicting different children and staff members. He relays names on the back of one photo to Quen. Quen replies that the last name he said, Wu Shūzhēn, is the name of the killer nurse. Rob starts repeating her name twice and saying why did you do what you did, over and over again with Quen encouraging him to continue. Jane insists that it isn’t a good idea, but Rob continues.
All of a sudden, all electric equipment starts malfunctioning. Lights and cameras flicker on and off while the ghost hunting devices all go off. Jane sees a strange shadowy figure with long arms and fingers crawling out of a small space behind Rob. Rob and Jane run out of the room, entering a room with infant incubator beds. Rob tells Quen they’re safe while Jane snaps that they can’t possibly be safe. Rob mentions that Quen really “got” Jane since she’s so scared and Quen goes to review the footage.
Quen calmly starts to question what he’s seeing on camera while Rob insists that it must be Lee. Even though Quen clearly sees what it is, he tells Jane to calm down that it’s probably part of Lee’s horror tour. Jane however insists that what she saw was absolutely real and she wants to be done. Suddenly a baby’s cry fills the room causing Rob to investigate a closed off room despite Jane’s protests.
A bassinet seems to rock on its own. Rob decides to investigate it while Jane still begs him to stop. Rob pulls back a bloody, baby blanket where a bloody baby doll rests. A piercing, ringing noise sounds and seems to only be heard by him and Jane with Quen only hearing it through the headphones.
Alexa is still off investigating on her own seemingly unbothered by any occurrences. Raf, on the other hand, is still searching for her throughout empty hallways. All of a sudden he hears a voice echoing that sounds not too dissimilar to his own as ghost balls start rolling down the steps as a group. Raf screams, running from the stairs calling for Quen.
Quen still has his headphones off so he doesn’t hear Raf’s cries as he’s currently talking to Lee, MJ, Jane, and Rob at home base. It seems Jane and Rob ran straight there after hearing the noise. Jane is trying to convince Quen they need to leave but, he is insistent on finishing the stream and hitting their target of 3 million views. Raf runs in screaming, scaring the team (minus Alexa).
Raf starts yelling at Quen telling him there’s weird rituals there and he’s not answering any of the team when they are calling for him. Quen asks him about Alexa and Raf explains she stormed off on her own to do her own investigation. Raf still panics and tells him they’ve got to go, he feels an evil spirit.
Alexa is still fuming over Raf’s words about her wanting a hit show, muttering that he is just a coward. Alexa then realizes that for some reason she seems to keep coming back to the same place. She starts calling for Quen, base camp, or any of the team because she’s certain she’s lost.
Meanwhile, Quen is at base camp repeatedly yelling Alexa’s name into the headset. MJ gets aggravated and shouts her name into it as well before calling her a drama queen. This is when we see that this whole time, Zarck has been laying on some kind of camping cot. Raf insists that they still just need to call the guard and leave because too much weird stuff is going on. He even says everyone can keep his fee and split it amongst themselves.
This angers MJ who still seems skeptical about everything. She insists this is what they are here for and that maybe everyone got too into “selling” it to the audience that they now think it’s all real. Raf snaps back that she can easily say that because she feels nothing and has had nothing happen to her. He says he’s sensitive to spirits and he’s been in similar situations and they need to leave now.
When Rob says none of this is real, Zarck suddenly sits up and vomits everywhere. We get a closer look at Zarck who seems to have blisters and a rash going up his arm while Jane says to the team mockingly this looks fake. Quen tells Lee to call the guard Wei so that Zarck can go to the hospital but Lee can’t get a hold of him. Jane wants to call for an ambulance but is reminded they could go to jail since they have no permits. Raf brings up Alexa’s disappearance and Quen reassures them that they are locked in so she can’t go anywhere.
Quen puts on a camera rig and once again pairs are heading out, this time in search of Alexa. Raf and MJ head to where Alexa was last seen, Jane stays at base camp to take care of Zarck, Rob and Quen check the upper floors, and Lee is told to keep trying to call Wei. Jane wants to get help to find Alexa but Rob says he doesn’t want to go to jail and Quan checks the stream, mentioning they are going viral. He says they’ll get Zarck out but they have to stay and finish the stream.
Alexa hears Quen’s voice calling for her. She heads into a kitchen where she hears the voice calling, but she also hears other strange noises. While searching the kitchen she hears a weird noise, sees a strange figure, and it runs as laughs in Quen’s voice. As Alexa hides beneath the corners of a couple of counters, we see the legs of same strange, hobbling entity. We hear it again call for Alexa in Quen’s voice only this time it sounds like multiple voices layered on top of each other.
Alexa knocks something off the counter, when getting ready to find somewhere else to hide she slowly looks around. When she turns again to her left, the strange figure is crouching right beside her and says her name. So she runs and locks herself in a room with a chain lock and screwdriver shoved into the chain so it can’t be pulled. The entity bangs on the door while continuously screaming her name.
Quen is shouting Alexa’s name as he climbs the stairs with Rob. Rob confronts Quen about all the scares being fake telling him to tone it all down because it’s really scaring everyone. Quen seems really confused saying nothing is fake and Rob admits to seeing Lee plant the doll. Quen gives up and tells Rob to believe whatever he wants but it’s not a setup so shut up and look for Alexa. Quen, irritated with Rob, suggests they split up and tells Rob not to touch anything.
Jane checks on Zarck and his rash and blisters have not only spread but have gotten worse. She tries to talk to him but he doesn’t respond or move. Jane calls for all the team on the headset but gets no response, so she asks the viewers for help. They all seem to think it’s a ploy, in frustration she finds a hammer and tries to break a way out screaming for Wei or anyone.
Alexa finds a camcorder under a shelf in the room she locked herself in. The recording shows what really happened to the foreign couple thought to have committed suicide.
Raf mentions to MJ that Jane’s tarot reading earlier is not good, but she doesn’t believe in anything spiritual. She thinks Alexa is off on her own for attention because she knows those kinds of tactics. Raf insists that they have awakened something in the hospital, but MJ just wants him to shut up.
Raf spots Alexa without her rig behind him in the hallway. He calls out to her but she ignores him, so he follows her. He enters a room, doesn’t see her anywhere, but assumes she must have climbed up the ladder he sees. He checks that space and the room once again but does not spot Alexa. While climbing downstairs looking for Alexa, he sees sage burning on a shelf. As he reaches for it, a strange figure that looks like him, grabs him and all we hear are his screams.
Quan is searching for Alexa still and thinks Rob is messing with him when a strange figure passes behind him. He finds a statue of the same entity who is painted on the wall and when messing with it a drawer pops open. A suspicious looking book is in the drawer which contains photos of a strange man in a robe doing strange rituals. Rob runs off.
MJ comes to a blood puddles on multiple steps and calls for base camp. Near one of the pools of blood is the Nine of Swords tarot card and MJ immediately assumes something is wrong with Raf. At the landing of the stairs, she finds Raf half standing, impaled on a metal IV stand.
Rob is back at the children’s ward, only searching for Alexa this time. As he’s searching, two swinging doors close on their own, and he hears his voice mocking the spirits. The lights start flickering and he finds himself strapped down to a surgery bed with the bright light shining down in his face. Six arms come up from the bottom of the bed towards his body.
Jane calls for Rob through her earpiece after hearing him screaming. Getting no response she searches for him. MJ is seen calling for Quen as a strange figure keeps appearing/disappearing behind her. Jane sees Rob without his rig, two rooms away, and goes to follow him after hearing calls her name. The entity rushes for her and she hits it with her hammer and runs back to base camp.
Quen finds Alexa, but she points the screwdriver at him thinking he’s an entity at first. She tells Quen to watch the recording on the camcorder. Jane arrives at base camp and attempts to wake up Zarck. Failing to wake him, she sits at the hub and sees a dead Raf on one of the screens. Rob suddenly comes hobbling in yelling her name and she swings the hammer at him catching him in the eye with the claw.
Jane starts rubbing his face, then her face, and screaming uncontrollably. Quen tells Alexa he saw something in the owner’s apartment and they should leave with the team. Quen starts screaming for base camp and Jane quietly replies that everyone is dead informing him that Rob, Raf, and Zarck are gone. Jane is not at base camp though and her face isn’t covered in blood or her hair put up like before. Instead she seems to be injured. She starts hearing static in the earpiece and then starts shaking when she sees an entity that looks like her peeking around a corner. Another one then passes behind her in a crouch. She runs as she hears her voice mockingly say do you think I’m safe.
Alexa and Quen are still trying to run out of the hospital, while Jane is hiding under a hospital bed. Jane keeps looking around to make sure she’s safe, but spots the other her crouching under a bed behind her where it quickly crawls towards her. Jane tries to run out of the room, but the door closes itself, trapping her in there.
Alexa and Quen hear Jane screaming from the room she’s locked in and run towards her cries for help. Jane stops tugging at the door when she hears a babies crying. On the floor, she sees a tiny fetus in a pool of blood, before two dark hands wrap around her throat. Jane is bleeding from the eyes, nose, and mouth when Alexa and Quen arrive at the room she’s locked in. They repeatedly attempt to get in the room. They are only allowed in after she is dead.
A quick look shows they are a little under 500,000 viewers away from hitting their 3 million goal. However, when Quen gets to the hub nothing is working. Lee has gone missing as Quen shouts for him. As they attempt to break out and mention the rooftop, Quen hears MJ screaming his name. Alexa and Quen find MJ in a bathroom but when she turns from the wall she has a face attached to the right side of her face. As they run away, light bulbs start bursting.
When they stop at a landing they see one side completely boarded up, and run the opposite way. When Quen looks back for Alexa, he finds her on the ground. She screams as she’s dragged down the hallway by an unseen force. Quen runs after her and finds an evil Alexa standing in front of Alexa messing with her. Quen yells at it to stop, so it morphs into him and attacks Quen instead. As Quen is getting attacked, his live stream hits its goal. He laughs as he realizes he hit goal and then attacks the entity, falling out the window and dying.
A strange figure dressed in black talks about how Quen and his team were all killed during their live stream. After asking who else is brave enough to investigate they end the video. The figure then picks up glasses identical the glasses that Lee wears. An inshore clip plays from. Celebrity All Access where Quen is asked if he is done with acting for good. He responds he’d come back for the right role, he’s always wanted to die at the end of a movie. At 623am Alexa crawls through a tiny space under the metal door, takes off her camera rig, and sobs.
The film initially known under its working title Strange Frequencies: Haunted Hospital. It was directed and written by Kerwin Go, produced by Reality MM Studios, Inc., and written by Dustin Celestino and Leovic Arceta.[4] Immerse Entertainment is also involved in the production.[2]
The film is an adaptation of the 2018 South Korean film Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum.[5] It is dubbed as the Philippines' first-ever meta found footage horror film. Local audiences and critics are anticipating for the film's release. Following the format of the original Korean movie, the group of Filipino amateur ghost-hunters will explore the notorious Xinglin General Hospital in Tainan, which is reputed to be one of the most haunted places in Taiwan.[6]
On July 16, 2024, the film was selected among the first five entries for the 2024 Metro Manila Film Festival, all of which were submitted as scripts.[7]
Release
Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Killer Hospital premiered in cinemas in the Philippines on December 25, 2024, as one of the official entries of the 50th Metro Manila Film Festival.[7]
The film is set to premier at the Manila International Film Festival (MIFF) in Los Angeles on January 30, 2025.[8]
Reception
Critical response
Writing for Entertainment Inquirer, Jessica Ann Evangelista described the film as "a decent blend of meta horror, humor", providing an effective "nerve-wracking atmosphere" that displayed an "enjoyable horror experience with a fair share of frights and laughs." Evangelista also praised the performances of Jane de Leon and Alexa Miro for their effectiveness and Raf Pineda's comic timing.[9] Khryzztine Joy Baylon of Philippine Entertainment Portal opined that the "tension and terror are palpable, drawing viewers into the experience, and in this way, the film successfully blends meta-horror with vlogging." Baylon also commended the performances of Enrique Gil, Alexa Miro and Raf Pineda, with emphasis on Jane De Leon, stating that "she delivers her lines with the perfect intensity, shifting seamlessly from light moments to dramatic and suspenseful ones."[10] Le Baltar of Rappler called it the darkhorse of the edition, describing it as an "unabashedly meta and spiked with so much adrenaline, particularly when things take a dreadful turn... it’s a horror flick that’s pretty confident on its own."[11]
John Kobe Balod of The Varsitarian described the film as a "bold step toward innovation in Filipino horror." Balod praised the films "use of action camera footage" which created "an immersive experience", "the minimal lighting and restrained camerawork, which heighten the tension and claustrophobia and deliver a unique sensory experience."[12] Writing for The Philippine Star, Mikhail Lecaros gave the film a positive review, describing it as an "endlessly suspenseful (and traumatizing) exercise in fear." Lecaros commended the art direction and production of the film and praised the performances of Jane De Leon, Alexa Miro and Mary Jane Lastimosa.[13]Philbert Dy of Spot.ph gave the film three out of five stars, criticizing the films weak plot but commended the performances of the ensemble cast.[14]
Accolades
Accolades received by Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Killer Hospital
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