folklore – Jellybeans in the City

HBO Asia horror anthology series FOLKLORE returns for a second season

Six Asian directors take fear to another level in the new season

HBO Asia Original horror anthology series Folklore, which features deeply rooted superstitions and myths across Asia,ramps up the fear factor with the return of a second season. The new six-episode season premieres November 14 at 10pm exclusively on HBO GO and HBO. A new episode will debut every Sunday at the same time.

Folklore Season 2 continues to dive into Asia’s myriad of traditions and beliefs. Set in six different Asian territories – Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore, the series examines the human condition when exposed to supernatural phenomena in a mind-bending race against oneself with each story providing a different take and perspective. Each episode is directed by a local director from that territory.

Directors for this season include Shih-Han Liao from Taiwan, Seiko Matsuda from Japan, Sittisiri Mongkolsiri from Thailand, Erik Matti from the Philippines, Billy Christian from Indonesia and Nicole Midori Woodford from Singapore. Singapore’s award-winning filmmaker Eric Khoo returns as the showrunner.

Highlighting female directors from the region, Japanese pop superstar Seiko Matsuda makes her directorial debut, drawing from personal experience to present an original concept featuring a haunted Japanese idol, while Singaporean director Nicole Midori Woodford’s episode speaks to dealing with family trauma.

Folklore Season 2 also features an ensemble cast from all over Asia. The stellar line-up includes Vivian Sung Yun-Hwa (“Our Times”, “Lost Romance”), Wu Kang-Ren (HBO Asia Original series “The World Between Us”, “A Touch of Green”), Win Morisaki (“Ready Player One”, “Honki No Shirushi” (The Real Thing)), Jennis Oprasert (“Where We Belong”), Dolly de Leon (“Verdict”, “Midnight in a Perfect World”), Lydia Kando (“Boneka dari Indiana” (Doll from Indiana), “Kejarlah Jodoh Kau Kutangkap”) and Mindee Ong (“881”, “The Transcend”) in leading roles in the respective episodes. Produced with the support of the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), Folklore is HBO Asia’s very first horror anthology original series. Various episodes of Folklore Season 1 were screened at numerous major international film festivals including Toronto International Film Festival (Toronto, Canada), SITGES International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia (Barcelona, Spain), Fantastic Fest (Texas, USA), Scream Fest (Singapore), Five Flavours Asian Film Festival (Warsaw, Poland), Asian World Film Fest (California, USA), Geneva International Film Festival (Geneva Switzerland), Trieste Science+Fiction Festival (Trieste, Italy), Philadelphia Asian Film Festival (Philadelphia, USA), San Diego Asian Film Festival (San Diego, USA), CinemAsia International Festival (Amsterdam, Netherlands), Festival Series Mania (Lille, France), Tokyo International Film Festival (Tokyo, Japan), and Ehime International Film Festival (Ehime, Japan).

Episode Guide for Folklore Season 2

The Rope, premieres Sunday, November 14 at 10pm on HBO GO and HBO

Directed by: Shih-Han Liao (Taiwan) | Cast: Vivian Sung (Sung Yun-Hwa), Wu Kang-Ren

A newly-wed woman is walking home alone after a joyous wedding ceremony when she gets caught in a purification ritual performed for suicide victims. The ritual officers warn her that she will need to follow the ritual, or she will be cursed. However, she runs away despite their warning. Her life is turned upside down with strange phenomena and disturbing hauntings. Fearing that she has been cursed, she seeks aid from the Master of the purification ritual who confirms her worst fears. However, there’s more to the situation than meets the eye and she needs to get to the bottom of the mystery before it destroys her completely.

The Day the Wind Blew, premieres Sunday, November 21 at 10pm on HBO GO and HBO

Directed by: Seiko Matsuda (Japan) | Cast: Win Morisaki, Haori Takahashi

Mika is a schoolgirl who meets the man of her dreams – Ken, her favourite singer. As she takes her seat at Ken’s concert, nothing could be more perfect. Not only is she witness to a performance that is everything she’s expected and more, it seems he’s actually taken an interest in her. But something seems amiss. Ever since the day of the concert, a cold wind has stalked the woman’s path as her dream encounter is marred by a bone-chilling presence. What appears to be the beginning of a fairy tale love can only be described as a fable destined for a hellish end.

Broker Of Death, premieres Sunday, November 28 at 10pm on HBO GO and HBO

Directed by: Sittisiri Mongkolsiri (Thailand) Cast: Natee Ngamnaewprom (Ton), Jennis Oprasert

Manop is a 45-year-old single father who owns an amulet shop. It doesn’t pay him well, especially when he has to pay for his daughter’s exorbitant medical bills. In fact, his main source of income comes from being a “Broker of Death” – someone who trades in corpses. One day, he is told to pick up a dead body. The corpse is to be a part of the ritual so that a wealthy politician can have more power. Manop has to choose between two frightening options – ghost haunting or poverty.

7 Days Of Hell, premieres Sunday, December 5 at 10pm on HBO GO and HBO

Directed by: Erik Matti (Philippines) | Cast: Dolly de Leon, Roshson Barman

A righteous policewoman and mother races against time to save her son when he falls dangerously ill from an unknown cause. When her son is given only a few weeks to live, she discovers that his illness is of supernatural origin and that a powerful sorcerer has cursed him. The only way for her son to survive is for him to apologise and make amends to the sorcerer. As the clock ticks, she is sent on a desperate quest to save her son.

Grandma’s Kiss, premieres Sunday, December 12 at 10pm on HBO GO and HBO

Directed by: Billy Christian (Indonesia) | Cast: Lydia Kandou, Ken Zuraida

Marni is a new resident at a nursing home, having been left there by her daughter. She feels abandoned and longs for her old life. She suspects that her roommate Ningsih might be a supernatural being – a Palasik – haunting the home and able to make any wish come true if caught. Will Marni use the Palasik to get what she desires – her old life back?

The Excursion, premieres Sunday, December 19 at 10pm on HBO GO and HBO

Directed by: Nicole Midori Woodford (Singapore) | Cast: Mindee Ong, Ethan Ng, Darren Lim

A troubled mother is depressed and suffering from insomnia. Her husband is never at home and her son talks to an imaginary friend Under immense stress, she starts to see a ghostly, somehow familiar figure in her house. Her son’s erratic behaviour becomes dangerous and life-threatening. Can she save her son and her family before it’s too late?

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Don’t miss the season-ender of HBO’s horror anthology “Folklore” on November 11

In “Mongdal,” Chae-Yeon plays Ok-Bin, a loving mother and a strict school principal to her son, Dong-Joo, who has anger management issues. Knowing her son’s situation, she tries to understand his moods and gives in to his demands.

All is well for the two until her son falls deeply in love with the new girl in school. He is determined to get the girl—even if it is against her will.

Up to what extent will Ok-Bin do in order to make her son happy? What is the significance of the bachelor ghost or popularly known as a Mongdal in the story?

Lee Chae-Yeon was the episode’s director Lee Sang-Woo’s only choice for the leading role because he saw in her the star quality that set her apart from the other actresses in their initial choices.

Episodes are helmed by different directors from various Asian countries, and are filmed in the local language of the country that the episode is based in.

Watch “Mongdal” on November 10, 10PM on HBO Ch. 54 SD/Ch. 168 HD (For Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan, Lipa-Batangas) or on Ch. 402 SD/710 HD (For Bacolod, Baguio, Cebu, Davao, Dumaguete, General Santos, Iloilo). SKYdirect subscribers can watch on Ch. 22 HD. It is also available for streaming on HBO GO which is exclusively available to SKY subscribers. To subscribe, call 418-0000 or your local SKY office or visit www.mysky.com.ph.

Disclosure: I work for SKY and part of my job is promoting its products and services, especially the content it provides to its subscribers. I consider being able to share my love for TV shows and movies and the experience of watching and talking about them with like-minded people some of the biggest perks of my job.

Check out my posts on other HBO shows:

HBO brings Malaysian myth ‘TOYOL’ to scare viewers this Halloween weekend

The ghost of an unborn infant haunts HBO viewers on SKY as the Malaysian flick “Toyol” airs this Sunday (November 4), the fifth episode of the horror anthology series, “Folklore.”

A Member of Parliament (Bront Palarae) of a fishing town seeks the help of a mysterious woman (Nabila Huda) with shaman-like powers in order to save the town from its dire economic situation. After she miraculously fixes the problem, the two fall in love. But the woman hides a deep, dark secret that will threaten to destroy everything as she could unleash the “toyol” upon the world.

According to Malay folklore, the “toyol” manifests itself as a newborn baby, only with blood-red eyes and sharp teeth. It is summoned through black magic by its owner and does their bidding no matter how gruesome the wish is.

Will the local politician know the real motive of the shaman before it is too late?

HBO Asia’s first horror anthology, “Folklore,” is a series that draws on the local myths from Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. Following “Toyol” is the last installment, the Korean episode,“Mongdal.”

Episodes are helmed by different directors from various Asian countries, and are filmed in the local language of the country that the episode is based in.

Watch “Toyol” on November 4, 10PM on HBO Ch. 54 SD/Ch. 168 HD (For Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan, Lipa-Batangas) or on Ch. 402 SD/710 HD (For Bacolod, Baguio, Cebu, Davao, Dumaguete, General Santos, Iloilo). SKYdirect subscribers can watch on Ch. 22 HD. It is also available for streaming on HBO GO which is exclusively available to SKY subscribers. To subscribe, call 418-0000 or your local SKY office or visit www.mysky.com.ph.

Check out my posts on other HBO shows:

Grimm Season 6 now streaming on Netflix

At last! After nearly a year of waiting, the final season of Grimm is now streaming on Netflix here in the Philippines!

I have faithfully followed this show since it started in 2011, never missing an episode despite work or family obligations. As can be gleaned from the fangirlish tone of various episode recaps I found myself posting here, here and here, it’s safe to say that I have a (hopefully!) mild obsession for this show. I guess that Grimm can be considered one of my guilty pleasures.

When its final episode aired on March 31 last year, I was almost heart-broken. I knew I would be missing Nick Burkhardt’s (mis)adventures as well as those of his Wesen and human friends. I was overjoyed to discover that Seasons 1 to 5 are available on Netflix and lost no time binge-watching the series every chance I got.

For those who are not familiar with the series, Grimm is a TV show that originally aired on NBC in the US (Universal Channel on SKYcable in the Philippines). It basically consists of modern retellings of the Brothers Grimm fairytales as well as folklore and mythical stories from varied cultures.

The show follows the adventures of Portland police detective Nicholas Burkhardt (played by David Giuntoli) just as he finds out that he is among the line of Grimms, a special breed of humans with the ability to detect Wesen, or supernatural beings. Grimms are tasked to maintain the balance between humanity and Wesen, and oftentimes, Grimms have taken brutal measures against the creatures, making them highly feared in the Wesen community. Nick’s role as a Grimm is further complicated by his being a cop; while he is usually able to meld his duties to both roles, there are times when he has to choose which dictates to follow.

He is aided by a strong cast of supporting characters such as Monroe (his last name was never revealed, played by Silas Weir Mitchell), his Wieder Blutbad (reformed werewolf) BFF, his cop buddies Hank Griffin (played by Russell Hornsby) and Drew Wu (played by kababayan Reggie Lee) and his love interests/nemeses Juliette Silverton (played by Bitsie Tulloch) and Adalind Schade (played by Claire Coffee).

Its setting in Portland, Oregon is also very on-point. Its verdant forests, mild climate and slogan “Keep Portland Weird” provided a lush background for the supernatural situations the characters found themselves dealing with.

I love how this show is able to adapt fairytales and myths into modern situations, influenced not just by Germanic folklore (from which most of the Brothers Grimms’ stories are collected from) but also by other cultures such as Latin American (“La Llorona” and “El Cucuy“), Native American (“Wendigo“), Egyptian (“Anubis“), and, of course, the one closest to my heart, Filipino (“Aswang“).

The show had a few faults, such as the wonky special effects involved in showing how the Wesen morph from their human forms to their mythological forms and vice versa, as well as convoluted side plots involving a European Royal Family and a set of keys passed down from the Knights Templar. I also consider Juliette’s journey to the dark side and killing of a pivotal character the show’s “jumping the shark” moment, as it weakened part of the show’s heart.

Still, what kept me tuned in were the depictions of Nick’s rich and nuanced relationships with his Wesen and human allies. His “bromance” with Monroe, in particular, grew from a reluctant partnership to a deep and abiding friendship that enabled Nick and Monroe to oftentimes defy the dictates of their natures to help each other.

Grimm has been a part of my TV habit for seven years and it left quite a big void: I haven’t found a new series that comes close to its appeal to me.

Until then, I will satisfy myself with watching and re-watching this series on Netflix.

Grimm not available on Netflix in your area? Click here to watch episodes on Amazon Prime or sign-up for your free 30-day trial.

Still can’t get enough of Nick Burckardt and friends? Expand your knowledge of Grimm lore and go beyond the TV series with these awesome book finds on Amazon.com:

Berserkers Abound in Sleepy Hollow’s The Art of War

So the Monsters-of-the-Week that Team Witness Ichabod and Abbie have to face are (drumroll, please)… Norse berserkers!

They were sent by Nevins to retrieve Jenny who was infected by the shard last episode and is now manifesting mutant powers. But she still got some lip action with Joe.

The episode ends with the berserker baddies beaten but another new horror that “makes Pandora look like a homeroom teacher” has arrived, welcomed by no less than an under-the-spell Jenny.