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It’s hard enough trying to be seen every chance you have – especially in the present-day world of social media. But how exactly does that play out for the undead? In John Hsu’s brilliant new comedy horror Dead Talents Society, we’re seeing a whole other world of ghosts trying to survive through means of haunting the living whether these ghosts be old urban legends or even newer stars on the rise. It’s a concept that might seem a bit familiar to many, but if it’s done well, it catches us where we least expect it. It’s also the key to the success of Dead Talents Society, because it presents something so silly from the offset, but more great surprises follow from there.

Within this world of Dead Talents Society, ghosts roam the earth to haunt the living – not only to maintain their existence, but as a sport. For the longest time, the best in the game was none other than Catherine (Sandrinne Pinna), a ghost who has made herself an urban legend by haunting one hotel room for most of her life before being usurped by her protégé Jessica (Eleven Yao). But it’s neither of their stories we’re focusing on, instead this is a film all about a rookie ghost (Gingle Wang) who didn’t die a spectacular death, now being told that if she wants to continue roaming with the living, she needs to learn how to properly haunt – with the guidance of Catherine and a ragtag team. It’s a story we’ve probably seen numerous times, in other ways, but John Hsu keeps it all so playful from start to finish.

Although John Hsu builds Dead Talents Society off the iconography you would recognize easily from East Asian horror movies (specifically, anything to do with ghosts), so much of what would be so scary in any other context shows itself to be very silly. In fact, most of this film is working from the exact same concept of bureaucratized haunting as Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice, except scaring human beings is also treated as a sport – calling back to Disney-Pixar’s Monsters, Inc.. For all the most creative gore effects that you’ll see in Dead Talents Society, you’re also seeing a story with lots of heart, telling the story of an outsider trying her best to find people whom she belongs with when everything is so competitive.

Dead Talents Society is undeniably a light romp, even as John Hsu never holds back with some of the most playful gore gags you’ll see in some time. But much like the films which he’s taking influence from, he wonderfully establishes a world that isn’t too different from one that we know up close: it’s just that all its inhabitants are ghosts who are trying to maintain their legacy. For some ghosts, like Jessica, they take pleasure in scaring victims through jump scare videos that you’ll find on the Internet. Others, like Catherine have a far more practical approach, by haunting a hotel room, but it’ll only be a matter of time before victims don’t fall for the same tricks over and over again.

Of course, for ghosts who have remained urban legends for so long like Catherine and Jessica, it only leaves us with the rookie ghost – who has been dead for two years, but doesn’t have any particular specialties in haunting just yet. It’s easy enough to see ourselves as having been in the rookie’s position in life at some point or another, especially when we’re entering a field we love and suddenly we realize how competitive the people around us can get. But when you’re around the right people, you’ll find skills you never realized you had – adding a layer of relatability to this gleefully absurd premise. Gingle Wang is especially hilarious as the rookie, especially with her deadpan delivery of her “haunting” lines only brings memories of feeling an insecurity in our own talents.

Even then, it’s clear that John Hsu is targeting social media’s own influencer culture through the eyes of ghosts who are haunting the living. Perhaps that parallel is one that feels very obvious, but he still sees that these ghosts were humans at one point, so they feel the same pains from their former human lives including the feeling of being overworked to assure their own existence, especially if we know how so many ghosts have succeeded at taking victims from horror movies which are unapologetically referenced through the film. It all works beautifully into the creation of this manic world of John Hsu’s, out of love for the horror genre but also as a reward for many viewers who’ve been longtime fans of the genre too.

If you come into Dead Talents Society expecting another straightforward foray into the horror genre after seeing what John Hsu brought out in Detention prior to this, you are in for a big surprise. This movie never underplays the horror tropes which it’s making fun of, but in how it creates a world where these tactics have all either become bureaucratized or gamified, it’s also a very heartfelt tale of finding peace with yourself and even finding a sense of acceptance with people who want nothing but the best for everyone around you. It’s a horror film where you’ll want to give all the ghosts a hug, especially when you realize why they need to scare.

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Watch the trailer right here.

All images via Sony.

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Directed by John Hsu
Screenplay by John Hsu, Tsai Kun-Lin
Produced by Ivy Chen, Lieh Lee, Aileen Li
Starring Chen Bolin, Sandrinne Pinna, Gingle Wang, Eleven Yao, Bai Bai, Soso Tseng
Premiere Date: June 28, 2024 (Taipei)
Running Time: 110 minutes