(Photo courtesy of the Taoyuan Film Festival)（圖／桃園電影節提供）
The film Haunted Village held its world premiere today (24th) at the Taoyuan Film Festival, with director Ma Hsin-Yu and lead actors Chu Meng-Hsuan and Lei Chia-Hui attending the press event to share behind-the-scenes stories.
The film was shot inside a real haunted house — which, according to the director, was actually the producer’s old family home. Ma revealed that the location sits at the “boundary between yin and yang”, a place believed to bridge the worlds of the living and the dead. To keep the energy balanced, a piece of obsidian had been placed in front of a wardrobe for spiritual protection.
However, during one scene, an actor inexplicably kept walking toward that very wardrobe. Ma decided to point the camera directly at it. But when the art department accidentally moved the obsidian during set dressing — something strange happened.
“At that moment,” Ma recalled, “I suddenly heard a voice whisper in my ear: ‘Smile a little — you’ll scare them.’ Then I started laughing uncontrollably, in this weird, eerie way. Everyone was terrified.” The unsettling laughter stopped only after they returned the obsidian to its original place.
He admitted that the set often felt crowded with unseen presences: Actress Lei Chia-Hui, known for starring in multiple horror and thriller films, said Haunted Village goes beyond scares — it also explores the emotional weight of the past that her character cannot let go of.
“I really like her personality,” Lei said. “Each horror film has a different tone and creative freedom. There’s always a new way to play with fear.”
She added that she’s open to continuing in the genre:
Chu Meng-Hsuan, who stars alongside her, said he felt both nervous and excited to premiere the film in his hometown of Taoyuan.
Since it coincides with the Ghost Month, both actors also shared their personal rituals for staying safe during the spooky season. Lei avoids wearing red close-fitting clothes and always carries protective charms, holy wood, and blessed water. Chu, meanwhile, refrains from going to the beach or driving into the mountains at night and avoids staying in hotel corner rooms.
He even shared a unique tip: adding blessed water into a humidifier to “breathe in divine protection,” and he also keeps temple incense ash with him for safety.
Director Ma expressed how meaningful it was to have Haunted Village premiere at Taoyuan Film Festival — especially since it took place the same day Ghost Month began.
For Chu, returning to the cinema he frequented as a child to watch the film he stars in was an emotional experience. He even invited six family members to join him at the premiere.
As for Lei, who served as the Taoyuan Film Festival ambassador two years ago, seeing her own film premiere at the festival this year made the moment especially joyful.
https://youtu.be/-ZnCGKABq18?si=RoeLFFv-E4mpuDLE
