Dead Talents Society

Dead Talents Society

One of the most original horror films in the history of cinema shot on a grand scale

The phantom of a recently deceased young girl tries to make a name for herself in posthumous showbiz. After all, ghosts have careers, too, competing for clicks, battling for high spook factors, and playing dirty. It’s a matter of death and… death.

“Dead Talents Society” is a twisted horror-comedy straight out of Taiwan. It plays with the idea of life after death, all while making us laugh and genuinely moving the audience. It begins like a classic Asian horror film. A grim beauty strolls through a shabby hotel. This is Catherine, the star of fright, a true diva of inducing heart palpitations. Once able to trigger a heart attack with a single glance, today somewhat forgotten by the industry, she is still recovering from the betrayal of her adept ghost celebrity, the nasty Jessica. Catherine is lusted upon by Makoto, the ghost of a not-so-talented musician who died a particularly stupid death just before going on stage on his grand comeback night. With the help of several other ghosts, they will try to make the inexperienced rookie a haunting star. It won’t be easy. Like all lively teenagers, their acolyte sometimes lacks self-confidence, is insecure, and still hasn’t fully come to terms with being a ghost.

“Dead Talents Society” is an original and delightful film made with flair and a twist. Though it deals with the dead, it is permeated with joie de vivre and energy.

The director, John Hsu, in recent years, has conquered the world with his film “Detention” about a secret book club in 1960s Taiwan and forbidden love. In “Dead Talents Society”, he tried his hand at a completely different repertoire. And here it is – one of the brightest gems of the current festival season. Selected for the Midnight Madness section of this year’s Toronto Film Festival.